Dog Hospice Program Gives Terminally Ill Shelter Dogs Loving Homes During Their Final Days

Sep 24, 2019 by apost team

Animal shelters provide loving care for those poor creatures who don't have a home. Unfortunately, despite all the best care in the world, some animals won't survive. They suffer from terminal diseases that place them under hospice care. Rather than putting these animals down, one shelter seeks to find them a loving home for their final days.

Foster Dogs of NYC came up with the caring idea for a "fospice" (foster + hospice) program. Foster care for dogs became popular in recent years as a viable alternative for placing a pet into a crowded shelter for a limited time. Foster homes take in the pets until someone adopts him/her, or until the shelter has space.

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Traditionally, hospice care rarely involves pets. The concept of hospice care involves giving someone with a terminal condition with comfort care until passing away. A fospice extends this compassionate care to eligible dogs. In the case of a fospice, the foster home becomes a safe space for the pet to experience end-of-life care.

In the example of Biscuit the pit bull, he only had three weeks left to live and was brought to fospice care and his new forever home. He was able to spend his twilight years with Marie, a foster mom who he really loved. The fospice program's website describes her as his "guardian angel." It is reassuring to know that he seemed happy after struggling with tumors.

Even though the program is based out of New York City, the program only places about five dogs per year in hospice. Foster Dogs of NYC has only so many resources, and it only works with a limited number of shelters. The number of people capable of providing fospice care isn't big right now. In time, with more publicity and funding, fospice care could grow. NYC may become only one of many cities with such a program in place.

There are people in the world who care about animals and want to see them end their days with loving owners. The story proves the world has many good people in it. Tell everyone you know who loves animals about the wonderful things Foster Dogs of NYC do.