Forever Foster & Hospice Care

Hospice Foster Program

In March of 2012 we began taking in medically fragile and animals in need of hospice care, with our first resident, Pip, a tiny little Chihuahua pup with hydrocephalus and deformed front legs. The shelter immediately wanted to put him to sleep but after consulting with several of our veterinarians we confirmed he was not in pain, and could lead a happy life, no matter how long or short it be. We decided to commit to giving other dogs like Pip (medically fragile and super-senior dogs) who may not otherwise make it out of the shelter, a place to call their own until they cross the Rainbow Bridge. 

Unfortunately, our rescue is adoption-based, and that is how we guarantee that we can continue to save lives. But, we could not let these senior and terminally-ill dogs live out their final days in a cold, lonely shelter. So, we started our Forever Foster's and Hospice program.

This program relies on hospice foster homes to open their hearts to dogs who will never leave. They will not be able to find a wonderful adoptive family, they will not watch their foster dog transform into a healthy pet, they will never say “see you later,” but rather “goodbye.” As you can imagine, it takes a very selfless, compassionate, and strong foster to do this. Essentially, they are taking these dogs in as their own, and loving them fiercely until it is their time to pass.

Pip 2012-2013

Say “Yes” When Others Cannot

Hospice fostering isn’t cheap, Second Chance covers all of our Forever Fosters medical bills. So we look to donations to help support this program. Each animal gets special food, pain medicine if needed, various other medicine for eye issues, ear issues, dental issues, etc. as well as ongoing medical care to make sure they are comfortable.

When the time comes for them to cross the Rainbow Bridge, we believe in their foster home, surrounded by the people (and animals) they love, is the only way to dignify these sweethearts. 

Below you will find a list of our current hospice animals. We will keep the ones who have passed on our page as well. They are important. They are loved. Thank you for helping us save them.

Questions? Please email


Jade was rescued from the euthanasia list at the shelter. She was on the list for simply being old and having a bad mouth of teeth. We were very excited to see she had a microchip and might have a family looking for her. We called her owners and were told "we don't want her, we gave her away because we're having a baby". 

She was estimated to be around 12 years old at the time of rescue (October 18') so she is now around 14 years old. Jade is a funny character who will get under the blankets and sheets and sleep under there all night if you let her. She has quite the personality and likes to talk back to you if you make her upset. 

You can making donations towards Jades' care by donating by clicking the button below or calling in a donation to our veterinarian directly by calling Town Center Animal Hospital at 702-262-1300, and donating to Second Chance Animal Rescue. 


Dean, this 4 lb ball of love will steal you heart. He currently has a heart murmur that needs to be checked out by a specialist. The best way to assess a murmur is an echo cardiogram, done at the specialty center here in town. This will help us determine if the murmur is caused by heart failure, and whether or not it will need further treatment. Poor little Dean is also missing his lower part of his jaw. Originally, the shelter thought he may have been born without it, but when our veterinarian looked at it, she determined that his jaw was missing due to severe dental disease. His old owners allowed his mouth to get so badly infected that the bone disintegrated to the point that his lower mandible is basically gone. After we make sure that his heart is stable enough to go under anesthesia he will need a deep cleaning of his mouth, and to remove a few remaining teeth that he has left. 

Although this little guy has a few medical hurdles to overcome you would never guess it by his upbeat attitude and adventurous personality. 


Mitzi was rescued from our shelters euthanasia list. She was listed as a stray and no one came to claim her. Sadly we think she may have been turned in by her owner or perhaps her owners family. As she is blind, and we don't believe she would have gotten around as a stray at all. The veterinarian estimated her to be around 12-14 years old. And although she is blind, she is happy and comfortable in her foster home where she learned the layout of her home, and now gets along very well.Her best buddy is Bridget, one of our other fospice dogs.

Tiny Tim

Tiny Tim formerly "Bobo",  is a 14 year old Chihuahua who tips the scales at 6 lbs. He gets his moniker from the way he walks. This cutie has an old injury, most likely a dislocated hip, that was never treated, which healed on it's own and now gives him a big of a hobble. 
Much like Jesse, Timmy has a heart murmur that needs to be checked out by a specialist, and requires an echo cardiogram. This will help us determine if the murmur is caused by heart failure, and whether or not it will need further treatment. 
He also has pretty bad dental disease and will need most, if not all of his remaining teeth removed, once we find out whether or not he is okay to go under anesthesia. 
Tiny Tim is enjoying his new life with his hospice family, which he shares with children of all ages and tons of other dog friends. 

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