There Is a Hospice for Senior Dogs to Happily Live Out Their Final Days

We often hear too many horror stories about unwanted senior dogs who are not adopted or abandoned. That all might change with a new hospice for senior dogs to live out their final days happily ever after. It’s a refuge named Monkey’s House — a nursing home for dogs on a six-acre farm in Southhampton, New Jersey — which provides love and care to elderly dogs who are homeless in their senior years.

Their mission, according to their website, is “to provide loving care to homeless dogs with terminal diagnoses or hard to adopt disabilities.”

Monkey’s House was founded in 2015 when owners Michele — a former nurse — and her husband Jeff Allen, took in a Chihauhua stray that they found in a local no kill shelter. The stray had a severe heart murmur.

“So I took him home where he stole our hearts in a flash,” Michele Allen said on their website.

They named him Monkey and nursed him back to health. When Monkey died, the Allens were inspired to open Monkey’s House in his memory.

With Michele’s strong medical background, they worked with Dr. Judy Morgan, a veterinarian, and they decided to start a non-profit.

At Monkey’s House, the dogs have the run of the place. They make themselves at home — sitting on sofas and even sleeping in toddler beds — which are designated “dog quarters” for slow-moving dogs.

“This is the home for the rest of their life. This is their last stop. So I want them on the sofas, on the beds. We want it to be the very best it can be,” Michele Allen told CNN.

Over 20 dogs at a time live out their final days at Monkey’s House with illnesses such as heart conditions, diabetes or cancer. The house operates on donations and with the support of more than 50 volunteers who cuddle the ailing pups. The Allens work closely with animal control groups to bring in the dogs who are homeless and are facing death at kill shelters.

“Having a senior dog spending its last days in a shelter is one of the greatest injustices. There is such a need for homeless dogs to have care at the end of their life,” Michele Allen told CNN.

They take them to the vet and fix them up as best as they can — even when they’ve got large tumors. No dry dog food is served here. Their meals are catered and donated by All Provide, a natural pet food company based in Atlanta, Georgia that donates over 60 pounds of food per week.

Not everyone is cut out to open a Monkey House. Caring for these dogs in dire need is a full-time job.

“There are many 20-hour days and sleepless nights at Monkey’s House,” the Allens wrote on their website. “Having multiple ailing animals in your home at one time keeps everyone on their toes. You have to be comfortable with illness, and administering treatments in order to provide the best for the dogs.”

Much-Loved Bob, pictured below, was one of the dogs who lived out his days at Monkey’s House, but he will not go unforgotten. A Memoriam page is dedicated to all the dogs that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.