Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Cole.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story is typical – when you find a path you believe you are meant to follow, nothing will stop you. I was introduced to the rescue world after being told by a co-worker that there was “one of those aggressive dogs” bothering people outside and I went downstairs to find a very sweet, starving Pit Bull wandering around, not acting aggressive whatsoever. After contacting several dog rescues for help, only two responded and helped. After the pup was adopted, I told the rescue I would help with anything they needed, including becoming a board member. A while after joining the board, I asked them to consider bringing in 8, 10, 12 years old pups because those were the ones we constantly walked by at a shelter when evaluating young dogs. The response was that older dogs are expensive and not adoptable. Four years after joining the board, my personal life changed and I resigned. I then learned about an older pup who was in bad shape and needed help. That pup was Lizzy and she changed my life.
After medical care, time, and lots of love, Lizzy was healthy and she lived for another two years, instead of the couple of weeks we thought she would live. During that time, I started thinking again about the seniors and ill pups in the shelter who just needed a place to be until it was their time to leave. That’s when I decided to start my own rescue, but focusing on a need that other rescues were not addressing – a hospice rescue – and my rescue would provide older pups with a comfortable, loving end of life, no matter two days, two weeks, or two years from the date they were brought in to Lizzy’s. I have been told that dogs live in the moment and my goal is that hopefully their last thoughts were of being loved, pain-free, in a home, and comfortable – not in a shelter environment. Lizzy’s is now an eldercare/hospice because there are many pups 10+ years old who are happy, healthy, and have a lot of life to live and love to give. We also bring in young dogs who are terminally ill. This year will be ten years Lizzys has been helping seniors and there is still so much work to be done.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There were many struggles along the way. In the beginning, having conversations with those who said “there are so many young dogs who need homes, why would you waste your time and money on old dogs who are sick and will be dead soon anyway?” was interesting and discouraging. After mentioning points like “dignity,” “deserving a good quality of life,” and being “still happy and healthy,” most of the time we would politely agree to disagree. After two years of this type of conversation with people, including sharing how rewarding, and at the same time heart-wrenching, it is, I realized that either someone understands what I do and why or they don’t. I finally stopped trying to convince people.
Our decision to not take senior dogs from other rescues, to ensure we did not become a dump site for other rescues, is sometimes not very well received. We repeatedly heard that all rescues need to work since there is the common goal. However, we also constantly hear “we got this old dog out of the shelter because she was going to be euthanized, but we don’t’ do old dogs. Would you take her?” The answer is no. I take responsibility for the dogs brought into Lizzy’s – even if the 14 years old is now aged at four years old by the vet once she was healthy. I never ask another rescue to take a dog that came to Lizzy’s. They are Lizzy’s pups and treated with the same respect and dignity, and a great home is found for them. I don’t pass them on to another group simply because they do not fit our focus.
Another struggle was finding homes for senior pups once it was decided Lizzy’s would become an eldercare AND hospice. It has taken a while, but I have found a community that prefers older dogs. It is nice to see I am not the only one :o).
The other continuous struggle is funding. Choosing to stay a small and specialized rescue has made applying for grants challenging since most of the grants go to large rescues/shelters because their numbers are much more impressive. Funding is not what I would like it to be, but it continues to get better. Medical is expensive and will only continue to go up. We have never had success in having fundraising events, so we have become creative in requesting people to donate to help these sweet seniors.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
With any business, goal, or passion, be prepared for a long-term commitment. Not many businesses are successful right off, so being passionate is what will help you get through the rough patches on the road to attaining your goals. Know that when you find others (or they find you) who believe in your dream/goals, they are the ones who will help you attain those goals and introduce you to others who also believe in you and will want to support you one way or another.
Contact Info:
- Email: lizzyshospice@gmail.com
- Website: lizzyshospice.com
- Facebook: lizzyshospice
Image Credits
Karen Cole
