Some families that can’t afford to talk care of their sick and elderly dogs they decide to give them up. Suddenly, these dogs, who’ve had wonderful lives end up alone and scared in a shelter.
Can you imagine not knowing why you are being abandoned and living your final days all alone?
A retired nurse, named Nicola Coyne, decided she needed to do something about this and set up The Grey Muzzle Canine Hospice Project. She takes in dying dogs who’ve been abandoned by their owners and makes sure they spend the rest of their lives feeling loved.
Nicola, from Nottingham in the UK, goes to shelters in her area and adopts two ailing senior dogs at a time. In most cases, she tries to adopt dogs that have 6 months or less left on this earth. The longest she’s had a dog is around one year and the shortest was two weeks.
She also makes sure they “complete their bucket lists,” according to Metro. That means pup-parties, trips to the beach, delicious steak dinners, and ice cream from McDonald’s.
The Metro writes, “One charity she regularly helps said they ‘couldn’t be more grateful’ to Nicola, who has given some of their most desperate pets ‘love and care like they have never received.’” Nicola spends up to £500 ($610) on each dog, using her own money and any donations she receives through her nonprofit organization.
“It can be an utterly heartbreaking job, but someone has to do it,” Nicola says. “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.”
When they pass away, she has them cremated and buried in a special plot at her Nottingham home. ‘It can be an utterly heartbreaking job, but someone has to do it,’ says Nicola.
Joanne Snaith, from Helping Yorkshire Poundies, says, “Nicola does an amazing job, taking in dogs when they’ve been kicked out by their owners right at the very end of their lives — giving them the love and care most have never received previously in their lives. I absolutely admire the work of The Grey Muzzle Project.”
Nicola estimates that she’s taken in about 30 dogs so far and helped them through the end of their lives.
