Dogs can bring joy to any household. But there's one big unknown about welcoming a pet into your life that's hard to think about, and that is how long they will be with you. Chances are, you're going to outlive your pet. Their life cycles are shorter than that of humans, which means that eventually you'll need to face the day when you have to say goodbye.
But what about the senior dogs who don't have a home? Often, shelters are filled with older dogs who might be sick and are hard to adopt out. The older a dog gets, the less of a chance they'll find a forever home.
And that's where kind people like retired nurse Nicola Coyle come in. Nicola loves dogs and felt sorry that so many had to end their lives in cold shelters. So she devised a plan to create a dog hospice that would make them feel comfortable in their final days and years.
It's called the The Grey Muzzle Canine Hospice, and it's run out of her home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Dogs who are sick, injured, or without shelter are all welcome. She treats the dogs like no other. In fact, many of the residents of the shelter are treated to McDonald's, steak dinners, and other fun foods to help them best enjoy the end of the their lives.
But Nicola makes sure each dog gets the attention they deserve. That's why she normally lets in two seniors at a time, to prevent overcrowding. Since this project takes place at her own home, it makes sense that she limits the number of dogs that she can handle. In an interview with Metro, she explained the criteria.
"We'll only take them in if the vet says they’ve got less than six months to live, so we’re focusing on end of life care," she said. "I think the longest I've had one is around one year and the shortest was about two weeks." Obviously, as a dog lover herself, Nicola forms special bonds with all of the sick and elderly pups who are lucky to board at her home.
Despite not knowing their birthdays, every dog who comes into her care gets their own celebration. "I don't know when their birthdays are so we make sure we throw all of them [a] birthday party," she told Metro. "If they're well enough, we take them for a day at the seaside, they get fish and chips on the beach and ice cream."
"We'll also take them down to the local pub," she added. "It's really dog friendly, and they'll get a steak dinner too." It's a great way to celebrate every life, and surely the local pub loves seeing the dogs who are currently in Nicola's care. But the whole thing is a labor of love. It's a job that, emotionally, gets a little tough at times.
"It can be an utterly heartbreaking job, but someone has to do it," she said. "I'm a complete animal lover and I just can't bear the thought of them spending their final days, weeks or months without the love they deserve. It can be really tough, but ultimately it's so rewarding when you can make those times special."
One of Nicola's favorite pups was named Dougie. "Dougie was found tied up outside a vet surgery one morning, and only given weeks to live after they found he had lymphoma," she explained. "He had the best temperament and just wanted to feel loved and safe." While Dougie wasn't with them for long, Nicola saw how much of a difference a little TLC made.
Dogs like Dougie — pictured here, enjoying some ice cream — come around a lot. Nicola's seen a lot of pups who turn complete corners after a little bit of attention. Many of the dogs she sees have been abandoned due to medical issues. Sometimes, people are heartless enough to get rid of elderly dogs just because they're not puppies anymore.
"We all get very attached to them," Nicola admitted. She often depends on the support of her two kids — Harry, 14, and Olivia, 15 — to give the pups even more love. The teens also visit the crematorium with Nicole when it's time to say goodbye. "It's very emotionally intense and we do mourn and grieve for them. We do need to have breaks between them," she added.
But it's still such a worthy and important project. Just by looking at the pictures that Nicola shares on Facebook, it's obvious these dogs appreciate the hard work. And others involved with shelters can't help but give Nicola extra praise, since they also know how emotional this job can be.
"Rescue is a very difficult business to be in," said Joanne Snaith from Helping Yorkshire Poundies. "It's never ending hard work, and its heart breaking, but the majority of the time there’s a happy ending when the dogs find their new homes. But for Nicola, she has to put herself through the emotional wringer with every dog, I can't imagine how difficult that is."
And that's why Nicola — and other rescues — could always use donations in the form of food and money. Both will help dogs in unimaginable ways. Perhaps Nicola's good deeds will inspire you to find the wish list for the local shelter in your neighborhood. Or you can donate to Nicola's project and keep tabs on your favorite pups through her social media accounts.
