Imagine a dog, abandoned in the twilight years of their life, and left to die in the pound—so heartbreaking!
Dogs are amazing creatures that define friendship and loyalty far better than humans ever could.
So they deserve our utmost love and care every day of their lives, and it's sad that when they get old, sick, or no longer active, many people take them to animal shelters to be euthanized.
Sometimes they're left to die alone in pain.
Thankfully, Nicola Coyle couldn't stand this disheartening reality any longer. The retired nurse who's based in the U.K. decided to set up a hospice in her home to take care of the sick, abandoned, and dying dogs.
Nicola goes to pounds, shelters, and other charities, looking for dogs who've less than six months left to live, either due to illness or old age.
She rescues these dogs from the grim fate of lonely and miserable last days and takes them to her home to be loved like never before.
From ice-cream muzzles, doggy treats, pub outings, and steak dinners to birthday parties with cake mashes, Nicola gives them nearly everything.
The dogs get constant attention from admirers, and the cuddles and ruffles roll throughout their last days.
Every dog has a different story, but the retired nurse thinks most of the dying dogs are abandoned by owners who're unwilling to pay for expensive vet bills or they are 'working dogs' no longer considered useful.
One charity she often 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 recently talked about her new role:
"It can be an utterly heartbreaking job, but someone has to do it. 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. I normally have a maximum of two dogs at any one time."
"We'll only take them in if the vet says they've got less than six months to live, so we're focusing on the end of life care. I think the longest I've had one is around one year, and the shortest was about two weeks."
"I don't know when their birthdays are, so we make sure we throw all of the birthday parties. 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, it's really dog friendly, and they'll get a steak dinner too."
Nicole spends up to £500 on each dog.
When she started the project, she used to shoulder all the expenses, but now she accepts donations. Her project has really helped many dying dogs.
