Last Chance Hotel has rehomed hundreds of dogs over the years...

...so many of which were literally on their ‘last chance’. But not all dogs (or cats!) that come into rescue find a new adoptive sofa to snooze on… these are our ‘lifers’, remaining in loving ‘end of life’ foster homes, often because of a medical or behavioural issue. All these animals remain under our care; major veterinary treatment, and in some cases, food, is majority funded by LCH.
​
​We are gradually building this website page, with information on our Lifers, please look in from time to time as we add more. Hover and/or click each individual photo to read their full story. 

​Donations towards the care of our Lifers are warmly welcomed.

Click to go to our donations page

---

Squiddly Diddly the polydactyl puss Squid was born in April 2019 with badly deformed back legs and 26 toes (a normal cat has 18). Sadly his mummy cat rejected him, most likely due to his deformities. Luckily for Squid, his owner decided to hand rear him herself. His legs were gently massaged and then splinted and are now as near to “normal” as they can be. Due to his extra toes he may well need two of his inner thumbs removed later on in life as the claws on these toes will not get any natural wear and can grow into his pads. Also due to his deformities at birth he is highly likely to get arthritis as he ages so will need ongoing vet care to manage any pain. For this reason it was decided that he will stay within LCH under the care of our cat lady Louisa to ensure that he receives any medical treatment necessary. HIGH 6 SQUID!!

Henry came into rescue from the pound in late 2017, just 3 years old, and severely disabled. A super friendly, chatty lad, Henry made himself at home with foster dad Andrew and family. Assessed by our vet and then taken to Somerset for an MRI, the results were not good, - firstly his back, and also maybe some brain damage. The vet thought he may have been hit quite hard on the head… The decision was taken to make the remainder of Henry’s life as enjoyable and pain free as possible and shower him with the love and affection he deserves. Andrew says “So now we have this crazy, lovable dog, several teeth missing and chatty as anything, loving life to the best of his ability, wrapping my wife and I around his little finger, taking up most of the sofa and the bed” "Loving Life" - those two words sum it up, don't they?

WHIZZY Not all of our Lifers are elderly souls with health issues, - some remain in our care due to psychological damage from their previous life. We are fortunate in having experienced and patient fosterers who will do whatever it takes to make these dogs feel safe and loved. Whizzy is 12 years old. He came into rescue in October 2016, and went straight into foster with LCH volunteer Sue. It quickly became apparent he had no trust in humans due to past abuse. It was also obvious that this boy was not able to be rehomed due to his issues. So, he has remained with Sue ever since as an end of life foster. She says "It has taken a long time and a lot of work for him to realise he can trust me, but I love him with all my heart, he is such a character. He loves his tennis balls (although they have to be the Kong ones, cheap ones are not good enough for him!)" No more worries for Whizzy, this boy is now safe and content.. in the loving arms of LCH.

FREDDIE... From loneliness to love…. Michelle Douglas, one of our fabulous ‘end of life’ fosterers, tells her own story…. "Freddie... at 13 he was put into kennels because after 10 years with a family he was being left alone so much he became destructive... they put him in the pound... He came to me with a broken heart and a smashed back tooth...he had anxiety attacks that would come at night.. I didn’t leave his side for over a year as panic would set in if I even left the room.. he wasn’t used to living with other dogs and some made him grumpy! 
So many rescue dogs don’t have issues, but I am not sure if he had ever properly been loved, and the isolation he had suffered had broken him. 
Fred is 14+ and we are in love!! He adores his dog family now and his life... he is my constant friend, a loving, faithful, intelligent soul.. working through things together has made our relationship intense and wonderful. 
So many dogs are dumped.. old and young.. please help them, please adopt.. they need you xxx” Thank you Michelle for taking Freddie into your heart and home, and giving him the life he deserves.

April was found in a bush after being hit by a car. She had a broken pelvis. Her owner was found but surrendered April to LCH for rehab and she has been with our 'crazy cat lady' Louisa ever since.

Tony Boots was surrendered back to LCH having been previously adopted, because the neighbours were complaining that he was stealing their cat's food.

Ena Sharples arrived in September 2019 at the age of 5 and went straight into foster with LCH team member Lisa. Ena’s list of ailments was long… virtually blind as a result of scar tissue from an untreated infection, struggling for breath due to a collapsing larynx, and such bad teeth that they all had to be removed. Ena was a breeder’s money making machine, cast aside when she became a financial liability. Today, Ena is a different dog. She enjoys of 3-4 hour treks with Lisa and the rest of the Chambers’ pack, having lost a load of weight and regained her waistline. She remains on medication for her dry eyes, but still carries a lifelong potential risk of her larynx fully collapsing, which is fatal.

---

Some of the LCH Sanctuary dogs can be found here

 Rainbow Bridge

TOBY. This sweet boy came into end of life foster with Paul in November 2017. Toby had various age related problems, lumps and bumps which were removed by our vet. Many very kind and generous people donated towards Toby's vet bill, and he was able to enjoy some more time with his lovely dad. Fly high, little Toby. X

SKY...This beautiful girl came into rescue in March 2018. Her previous owner had taken her to have her PTS, but thankfully the vet contacted us, and she went into emergency foster. Not only was she very obese, but she was shut down with fear, and it was hard to get her to eat. This little soul had very likely been used for breeding....Shortly after her rescue, Sky moved in with her new family who adored her. They took time with her, got her weight down, and spoiled her, just a little... Sky had four very happy years with her loving family. RIP Sky. X

TAZ was abandoned at the pound by his owners at the age of 13. This lovely, gentle boy was due to be put to sleep unless a rescue took him. First time LCH fosterers Rachel and her dad stepped in and he was brought to Cornwall. Taz had sores and scabs from flea reactive dermatitis, but with the right diet and vet treatment, he recovered all his fur and had no more skin problems. Rachel says ‘Children would approach Tazzy Bear because of his size and fluffiness. They would throw their arms around him and hug him and he was patient and calm while we talked to them about him and Last Chance Hotel.’ Five months after Taz came under LCH’s wing, a large tumour was found on his stomach and he was helped on his way to Rainbow Bridge. Despite being with them for only a short while, Taz inspired Rachel and her dad to continue fostering. Fly high, gentle Tazzy Bear.

Stunning Duke came from a family home; he was over 12 when he was surrendered to LCH. He was partially blind and his hearing was poor, and according to his previous owners couldn’t walk or do much other than lie in the corner and bark. Rachel and her dad took him in as an end of life foster, expecting to say their goodbyes within a couple of weeks. But under their loving care this boy flourished, and he lived another two happy years with them, enjoying slow walks and even climbing the stairs every bedtime. Rachel says ‘We took the time to give him eye drops and help him into the car or off of the bed, and he seemed determined to keep living and spend as much time with us as he could muster.’ TLC and a lot of patience gave this boy dignity in his remaining years. Duke journeyed to Rainbow Bridge following several successive seizures which left him unable to move properly. Sleep well, handsome Duke.

Spud's story, as told by his fab fosterer: At the beginning of June 2017 I picked up my new foster dog Spud. He well and truly lived up to his name, he was a very large yellow Labrador with lots of lumps and bumps and looked liked a potato with paws. He had been diagnosed with cancerous lumps and needed an end-of-life foster home. On that journey home I knew he was a very special boy! Last Chance Hotel gave him every chance they could and the lumps and bumps were removed where possible, ear infections treated and he started his reluctant diet! It was a slow and steady journey but he lost a third of his body weight and was enjoying life again! He slotted in perfectly with the Labrador pack and spent three and a half years with me making friends and melting hearts wherever he went. Unfortunately, at age 13, the cancer took over again and it was time to make that decision and let him go peacefully over the rainbow bridge, but not before he scoffed a whole tin of sardines!

Saffy came into the care of LCH in December 2016. She was very poorly and in need of mammary surgery. Carolyn and Des took her into their home and hearts and gave her lots of love and cuddles; this sweet girl had Des wound round her paw from day one! Sadly, Saffy also had a heart condition, and she left for Rainbow Bridge a month later.

Kane came from the pound. He was a boxer cross, aged 9 years. He had a lovely temperament, and although he was a quiet boy, he taught his fosterers’ own dogs to be respectful of bigger dogs. Kane needed major surgery, but sadly did not recover and slowly went downhill. On the advice of our vets, he gently ambled off to the Rainbow Bridge.

Squeak was found as a stray in October 2018 and ended up in the pound. Within a couple of hours of posting her up on our Facebook page, a fab end of life foster home had been secured for her, and she travelled down to Cornwall a few days later. Fosterers Wendy and John took her on sight unseen. Wendy says ‘What a lovely happy girl she turned out to be, not fazed by anything at all. We took her to the Christmas Dog Show and she won first for Best Rescue, so proud!’ LCH secured funding for Squeak from the Cairn Terrier Rescue Fund, and we are grateful for their unstinting support. Squeak lived life to the full with Wendy and John, making her way to the Rainbow Bridge in September 2020.