Valérie Reid's adventure started with a sad story. When her father passed away, his elderly Doberman was left all alone. Valérie would have loved to take care of him, but she couldn't house any more animals in her city apartment. As for the shelters, none accepted this senior dog.
Valérie's father's Doberman has spent the rest of his life on a farm, surrounded by other dogs
In the end, Valérie found a foster family willing to take in the Doberman. In this home, a few more elderly dogs lived on a farm. "My dad's Doberman lived another year and a half happily on her farm," Valérie told People.
The difficulties Valérie encountered made her realize that there was a whole "forgotten segment of the rescue world". There were very few places for older dogs. So she decided to found her own dog shelter.
Whispering Willows Senior Dog Sanctuary opened its doors in 2017
In 2017, Valérie made her dream come true by opening Whispering Willows Senior Dog Sanctuary. Today, it has grown to house 80 dogs at a time, with 17 people to care for them besides Valérie and her husband. The dogs have access to the entire house and 200,000 square feet of fenced-in grounds.
"The dogs live openly with us [...]. Everywhere we go, they follow us and are treated like part of the family." Thanks to her work, Valérie ensures that old dogs don't pass away alone. "Our goal is for them to leave this earth knowing they were cherished."
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Source: People
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