Page 6 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - January '24

Page 6, Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens
The Pet Cottage Post

Catching Up With Wendy Derhak pet owners with terminal illnesses partnership, many senior people in our community are able

11 Years After Launching, This Nonprofit face this reality. They said it was to have a senior pet companion.
Our forever promise to each pet in our care means that
a problem without a solution.
Founder Discusses The Past, Present And Future In 2012, I founded The Pet no matter what happens to a guardian, the pet will have a
Of The Pet Cottage In This Exclusive Interview Cottage as a solution! loving home. It’s a win-win-win situation that makes us
Today, we celebrate and do a happy dance!
Why Did You Start The Pet Cottage? protect the magical relationship To date, we have made 100 forever promises to pets and
It all started with my dear friend Joan. between people and pets by supported 84 forever guardians and 87 volunteers.
She was an active senior in her early offering home-style care to pets What’s Your Vision For The Future?
70s and at the time I was her personal who lose their humans due to Our big goal is to secure a sanctuary property that we can
trainer. We worked out three times death, disability or deployment. Wendy and Bella Pom call our own. We currently rent in Jupiter Farms and having
a week and became close friends. We also provide senior people our own property would allow us to expand our mission and
Truthfully, she was like a mother to me. with pet companions. services by building additional dog cottages, a cat hotel, and
When she received a terminal pancreatic What Are You Most Proud Of? larger volunteer space. We want to be a pillar of support in the
cancer diagnosis, her biggest concern I’m proud of our forever promise. We are not an adoption community and a known entity for people and pets in need.
was: Who will care for my three senior cats? agency or foster program. We are a new concept. When We are always open to new volunteers and forever guardians
Joan was a strong independent woman. She had no spouse, no a pet becomes homeless due to the death, disability, or joining our pack. Contact us below for more information.
children and no siblings. Her three furbabies, Shadow, Smokey, deployment of their owner we provide a nonjudgmental The Pet Cottage,
and Jeremy, were her entire world and sweet companions. and supportive place for solutions. If a homeless pet fits (561) 818-5025,
We started to explore options for rehoming them upon our mission, we commit to taking care of it for life. This www.thepetcottage.org
her death. And we kept hitting dead ends. The thought of forever promise gives surviving family and friends peace
placing these beloved family members who had brought her of mind.
so much joy and love in a shelter was out of the question. Our pets, which are mostly seniors, live in the home of a
So we decided that I would become the guardian of her forever guardian or at our sanctuary property. The majority
cats and her lawyer crafted a legal agreement. of our forever guardians are senior people. The forever
As I supported Joan through the end of her life, I had guardian provides love and a safe place to call home. The
many conversations with the hospice staff about how often Pet Cottage covers all veterinary expenses. Because of this

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