Crusha's Hospice Program
SPAAR Founder Laura adopted Crusha from a local open-door shelter after they determined she had cancer.
Senior Pet and Animal Rescue not only rescues and rehabilitates senior animals that will be adopted into loving families, but we also provide hospice care for elderly animals that may have terminal illnesses or need unique or costly end-of-life care.
This program is named after Crusha, co-founder Laura's much beloved bulldog. Laura adopted Crusha after a family surrendered her to Humane Animal Rescue in Pittsburgh. Crusha lived for a year after her cancer diagnosis, and she was the most incredible companion anyone could have asked for during that time.
Just because she wasn't with us long doesn't mean she didn't make a HUGE impact. SPAAR is better for having known her, and we feel strongly that senior animals that become homeless deserve the same chance as Crusha.
This program is named after Crusha, co-founder Laura's much beloved bulldog. Laura adopted Crusha after a family surrendered her to Humane Animal Rescue in Pittsburgh. Crusha lived for a year after her cancer diagnosis, and she was the most incredible companion anyone could have asked for during that time.
Just because she wasn't with us long doesn't mean she didn't make a HUGE impact. SPAAR is better for having known her, and we feel strongly that senior animals that become homeless deserve the same chance as Crusha.
Hospice Volunteer Spotlight - Laura C.
Why did you decide to become a hospice volunteer?
I believe in a dignified, pain free, quality, and loving end-of-life experience for both humans and animals. I've also always been the person to adopt the "less adoptable" pets. It never actually occurred to me that hospice fostering was something I could do until Jen and Laura created SPAAR. Hospice fostering gives me a chance to show an animal love and respect until it's their time to pass, and it lengthens the life of a shelter animal with a terminal condition who is in danger of being euthanized to spare him or her the sad reality of dying in a cage because they're less adoptable. It's something I do every day in memory of my 13-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier Grady, who died at age 13 in January, and I hope I'm making him proud.
What do you love about senior animals?
Senior animals have a certain unpredictable spunk that no one expects! It's awesome to see them blossom and learn new things, as well as pass on their wisdom to the younger members of my crew.
What would you tell others thinking about becoming a hospice volunteer?
Don't second guess yourself. If you feel the calling to foster a hospice animal, do it. Yes, when you cut to the bare bones of it, you're taking in an animal that is going to die, but it's so much more than that. You're taking in an animal that, because of you, now has the chance to live his or her final days surrounded by love and respect. The benefits outweigh the heartbreak. And sometimes, just sometimes, that animal may get better under your care, and you've really given him or her a second chance at life (I'm looking at you, Blanche!).
What are the rewards of fostering a hospice animal? The challenges?
The rewards are almost endless and are often rooted in the challenges. A hospice animal comes to you confused and alarmed; he or she has had to leave their home for one reason or another, and suddenly, they're surrounded by new smells, sights, sounds, and maybe even furry friends for the first time. It often takes days or weeks to acclimate them to their environment, but when they do, it's almost like watching a young puppy or kitten blossom. The whole world opens up for them. You see them experience friendship and love, sometimes for the first time, and relish the attention they receive.
Other challenges come according to the animal's history, diagnosis, or age. Socks, for instance, can't bend her back legs far enough to hit the litter box every time, even though she proudly crawls into it whenever she has to use the bathroom. For a few weeks, she would hide right after using the bathroom. I can only assume it was because she was scolded for missing the box in her former life. Our house has now become pee pad city, and she's come to realize that, hey, if she misses, it's not that big of a deal. Foster mom will just change the pee pad and everything will be OK. She no longer runs and hides; instead, she runs right back to what she was doing and doesn't miss a beat!
Tell us more about you and your family!
My large menagerie is watched over (and spoiled) by my parents, my boyfriend Brian, and myself. It includes two dogs adopted from Hello Bully (Clementine, 7, and Montgomery, 3), as well as five cats (Richard, who has chronic asthma and a collapsed lung lobe; Julio, a tripod thanks to a brief bout with cancer; Howard the Duck, our healthy but neurotic goofball; Phoebe, our sassy calico; and Blanche, a former hospice foster who got better and weaseled her way into the crew).
We are currently fostering Socks, a 21-year-old phenom of a cat with hyperthyroid issues and arthritis, through SPAAR, and Grimace, a 5 year-old-cat with kidney failure, through Central Pennsylvania Humane Society; they feel more like family than fosters. I also have an "office foster" at work named Magni, a young, former barn cat prone to urinary crystals and in need of a special diet; he is staying in my office until he's socialized enough to go home with a dedicated adopter who can meet his needs. My coworkers are currently taking bets on whether or not that adopter will be me.
I believe in a dignified, pain free, quality, and loving end-of-life experience for both humans and animals. I've also always been the person to adopt the "less adoptable" pets. It never actually occurred to me that hospice fostering was something I could do until Jen and Laura created SPAAR. Hospice fostering gives me a chance to show an animal love and respect until it's their time to pass, and it lengthens the life of a shelter animal with a terminal condition who is in danger of being euthanized to spare him or her the sad reality of dying in a cage because they're less adoptable. It's something I do every day in memory of my 13-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier Grady, who died at age 13 in January, and I hope I'm making him proud.
What do you love about senior animals?
Senior animals have a certain unpredictable spunk that no one expects! It's awesome to see them blossom and learn new things, as well as pass on their wisdom to the younger members of my crew.
What would you tell others thinking about becoming a hospice volunteer?
Don't second guess yourself. If you feel the calling to foster a hospice animal, do it. Yes, when you cut to the bare bones of it, you're taking in an animal that is going to die, but it's so much more than that. You're taking in an animal that, because of you, now has the chance to live his or her final days surrounded by love and respect. The benefits outweigh the heartbreak. And sometimes, just sometimes, that animal may get better under your care, and you've really given him or her a second chance at life (I'm looking at you, Blanche!).
What are the rewards of fostering a hospice animal? The challenges?
The rewards are almost endless and are often rooted in the challenges. A hospice animal comes to you confused and alarmed; he or she has had to leave their home for one reason or another, and suddenly, they're surrounded by new smells, sights, sounds, and maybe even furry friends for the first time. It often takes days or weeks to acclimate them to their environment, but when they do, it's almost like watching a young puppy or kitten blossom. The whole world opens up for them. You see them experience friendship and love, sometimes for the first time, and relish the attention they receive.
Other challenges come according to the animal's history, diagnosis, or age. Socks, for instance, can't bend her back legs far enough to hit the litter box every time, even though she proudly crawls into it whenever she has to use the bathroom. For a few weeks, she would hide right after using the bathroom. I can only assume it was because she was scolded for missing the box in her former life. Our house has now become pee pad city, and she's come to realize that, hey, if she misses, it's not that big of a deal. Foster mom will just change the pee pad and everything will be OK. She no longer runs and hides; instead, she runs right back to what she was doing and doesn't miss a beat!
Tell us more about you and your family!
My large menagerie is watched over (and spoiled) by my parents, my boyfriend Brian, and myself. It includes two dogs adopted from Hello Bully (Clementine, 7, and Montgomery, 3), as well as five cats (Richard, who has chronic asthma and a collapsed lung lobe; Julio, a tripod thanks to a brief bout with cancer; Howard the Duck, our healthy but neurotic goofball; Phoebe, our sassy calico; and Blanche, a former hospice foster who got better and weaseled her way into the crew).
We are currently fostering Socks, a 21-year-old phenom of a cat with hyperthyroid issues and arthritis, through SPAAR, and Grimace, a 5 year-old-cat with kidney failure, through Central Pennsylvania Humane Society; they feel more like family than fosters. I also have an "office foster" at work named Magni, a young, former barn cat prone to urinary crystals and in need of a special diet; he is staying in my office until he's socialized enough to go home with a dedicated adopter who can meet his needs. My coworkers are currently taking bets on whether or not that adopter will be me.