For dog lover Nicola Coyle, it can be heartbreaking to see abandoned and ill dogs being left alone to die. This is why she launched the Grey Muzzle Canine Hospice Project- a hospice intended for abandoned and dying dogs.
The 46-year-old Coyle runs the hospice from her home and she gives dogs the end of life they deserve-she takes proper care for them and helps them complete their ‘bucket lists’.
She takes in dogs from shelters that would otherwise be left to die on their own or put down.
She’s a retired nurse who welcomes dogs with six or less months left to live.
46-Year-Old Retired Nurse Helps Dogs Enjoy their Last Days
Rather than spending their final days locked up or in pain, Nicole treats these animals with ice creams on the beach, birthday parties, extra cuddles, and steak pub dinners. Believe it or not, she’s also taken them through a McDonald’s drive-through.
When the final day comes, Nicola gets them cremated and buried at a plot in her Nottingham home.
Until now, each of the dogs she’s taken in had a different story; however, most of them, Nicola claims, were abandoned by owners who don’t want to spend extra on vet bills or were no longer satisfied with the dog’s ‘working capacity’.
According to a charity that Nicola regularly helps, they’re ‘beyond grateful for her and her help in giving dogs love and care like they’ve never had’.
Utterly Heartbreaking, but Someone Has to Do It
For Nicola, this isn’t an easy task and although it breaks her heart when the dogs die, she claims that someone has to do it.
She considers herself a total animal lover and can’t the bear the thought of dogs spending their last days without the love they deserve.
At the end of the day, she explains that all of this feels rewarding because she helped make their time special. The longest one she had around was around a year and the shortest one was around two weeks.
She notes that even though she doesn’t know their birthdays, she makes sure they have one- either at the seaside or at the beach with a lot of ice cream and fish and chips.
Sometimes, she even takes them to local friendly pubs for an awesome steak dinner.
Running the Hospice Isn’t without Costs
The animal lover spends up to 500 pounds on every dog and pays from her own money or through fundraising.
She’s been running it from home for several years, but has recently named it after caring for one of her favorites- a bulldog named Dougie.
This dog was found tied up outside a vet’s office one morning and given several weeks left because of lymphoma. Nicola remembers he had the best temperament and that she wanted to make him feel loved and safe.
Although he wasn’t with her for long, she claims the difference she noticed was amazing and that he was a transformed dog only a few days after she took him in.
Nicola contacts local vets, shelters, and charities in Nottingham and Sheffield area in case of dogs in need of hospice.
People Are Praising Nicola’s Efforts
Joanne Snaith from Helping Yorkshire Poundies claims that Nicola does an amazing job and that she gives the dogs all the love and care they didn’t have before. Snaith admires the Grey Muzzle Project.
She adds that rescuing can be a hard work that can sometimes break your heart, but most of the rescues have a happy end when they’re re-homed in new families.
But, with the dog hospice, Nicola goes through an emotional moment with every dog and Snaith believes this must be unimaginably hard.
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