Veterinary care for dogs can be expensive and that can mean aging and ill pets don’t always get enough end-of-life love and care.
But CSL Behring’s Jeff Allen, a Senior Manager for HR Technology, and his wife Michele found a way to fill that gap. They turned their home in New Jersey into a sanctuary where dogs can live out their final years – a labor of love that recently won them USA Today’s Best of Animalkind Award.
Read the article on USA Today and watch the awards show.
The couple was inspired to create Monkey’s House after suddenly losing their beloved dog Monkey.
“We will take those dogs and bring them to our little six-acre farm that we have here in New Jersey, they basically live out their lives here, getting the best vet care and tailored nutrition” Allen said during USA Today’s virtual award show.
Jeff captured some of them in his book called “Where Dogs Go to Live,” recording heartfelt stories of the dogs and their interactions with the many volunteers who visited, like Kaiden, a 3-year-old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who cared for a dog with cancer named Harley.
Since 2015, Monkey’s House has hosted more than 100 dogs who needed a place to call home. It’s a daily gift to witness each dog’s simple moments of joy, Michele Allen said.
"This is 90% the happiest place on Earth, and 10% the hardest," she said during the show. "We want people to see that animals are for life, and that a devastating diagnosis is not the end of your time with your dog."
