A couple is so devoted to dogs that they bought 19 of them at once to give them a second chance at life, and they even agreed to pay the vet bills even in the event that the dogs were found new homes.
Over 600 old and special needs dogs have been saved by Chris and Mariesa Hughes as part of their mission to provide the best possible life for all animals.
They currently have over a dozen dogs living in their home and are particularly interested in assisting animals that have been surrendered or abandoned.
The house has been meticulously arranged so they can live a happy life. While this was going on, Chris and Mariesa founded the non-profit Mr. Mo Project, which provides dogs loving homes and covers their lifetime medical costs.
Chris, 34, was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, but when he was three years old, his family moved to America.
Chris had six canines and Mariesa had two when they first met, so the family immediately numbered eight, but they didn’t stop there.
Mariesa, 40, stated, “I’ve always wanted to rescue dogs since I was a kid.” My first rescue dog came into my life when I was nine years old. Chris has been behaving in a similar way.
“We now take in specialist dogs with the goal of rehoming them.”
Even with full-time employment, they manage to locate pets loving homes and cover their medical costs.
Chris’s dog Moses, who sadly passed away, served as the inspiration for the Mr. Mo project.
“Moses was an old Pittie who had to be surrendered to the shelter because he was too old,” he stated. He spent 22 months with us until spinal cord cancer claimed his life.
“Over the course of our time with him, we realized how expensive it was to care for a senior and ailing dog, so after he died, we decided to take up the job of finding homes for senior dogs by paying all veterinary care and opening up fantastic homes for dogs who needed all of the love but didn’t have any extra money.”
Many shelters get in touch with Chris and Mariesa because they take a certain kind of dog. The two accept dogs that are ill or damaged as well as those that other people are unable to take in because of the cost of their care.
The couple’s efforts to take care of the animals come at a significant financial cost. They paid veterinarian bills totaling $700,000 (£508,536) in the previous year.
“Shelters call us, and we take the dogs in and provide all financial care, eventually finding them the ideal foster home where they will live for the rest of their lives,” Chris explained. For the remainder of their lives, however, we are in charge of their medical treatment.”
The couple’s home is set up for the dogs to have a happily ever after. The dogs may go around in their large, fenced backyard and have their own kennels with their names on them. They offer a laser treatment device and a treadmill for hydrotherapy to treat wounds and mend joints.
“All of our dogs have special needs, and it’s a lot cheaper having everything in our house,” Chris said.
“The feeding time is insane, probably around 30 minutes.” Our dogs don’t have bottom jaws or teeth, thus they are hand fed. We have dogs on all different diets, and some can develop food allergies.
“There are also some insanely old dogs here.” We own a 20-year-old Pug and a 22-year-old Chihuahua.”
The fact that the 19 dogs are of all ages, breeds, and skill levels, according to Mariesa, makes their maintenance difficult.
“It’s bittersweet because that’s not always such a dream, it can be extremely stressful, but it’s amazing to see all of your hard work and seeing all of these lovely dogs loved, who are all deserving of a second chance,” she stated.
“However, when there are dogs you can’t save, the lows are incredibly low, and it really affects you.” It’s also never well-organized.
“I’d like to say ‘no, we won’t get any more dogs,’ but I also didn’t expect two more so quickly.”
“Seeing their transformations makes all of the effort and grief worthwhile.” It’s incredibly difficult, but it’s unquestionably the job of our lives.”
