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Meet Valerie Reid, the amazing woman who turned her home into a hospice because she couldn’t stand the thought of her senior pets dying alone.

Whispering Willows ѕeпіoг Dog Sanctuary, a pet rescue organization in Missouri run by Valerie Reid, is making a difference in the lives of senior dogs who have been abandoned or lost their owners.

Whispering Willows is a lifelong hospice sanctuary, so it accepts and cares for dogs who are nearing the end of their lives. Dogs who come to Whispering Willows are never adopted or fostered, and they are never caged or imprisoned like at other pet sanctuaries. Instead, they move in with Reid and her family and remain there until they pass away.

Reid tells Daily Paws that they “can just be here and be home.”

Senior dogs who come to Whispering Willows do so for a variety of reasons, including being abandoned, losing their owners, having owners move into nursing homes, and being separated from their owners by court order.

But that doesn’t seem to have dampened their zest for life. Reid explains, “What I love about senior dogs is that they are so forgiving.” They remain forgiving and loving no matter what has happened in their life, whether it’s a trauma, abuse, neglect, or losing their owner and feeling hopeless.

Reid says that after his father passed away from cancer, he decided to open a sanctuary. His 9-year-old Doberman pinscher, who had supported him during his battle with the disease, remained as his closest companion. Reid was unable to take care of his father’s favorite pet despite being his caregiver.

Luckily, she eventually found a foster family who could provide the dog with a loving home for another year and a half. Reid went to work to help other pets and families have the same experience.

Imagine coming to work and finding 68 puppies wagging their tails, Reid says. And seeing you makes them happier than anything else in the world.

Not all of the older pups at the sanctuary have been there for long. In their final months, some of them only stay there for a few days or maybe weeks. Despite her brief time with Reid and the pain that comes with losing a pet, she says providing comfort to them in their final days is still meaningful.

“Because I’ve been taught to keep going no matter what life throws at me, I think we’re better off together here at the sanctuary,” Reid says. There are tragic events, deaths and sadness, but there’s also a lot of love and joy.