We’re Home.
A Sanctuary. A Promise. And the Deed to Prove It.
BJ
On February 11, 2026, I held a piece of paper in my hands that I have visualized, worked toward, and told the story of for years. It was the deed to 17049 Thunder Road, the property that has been home to The Pet Cottage’s sanctuary. And for the first time, it had our name on it.
I paused, looked up, and said a resounding thank you to all the powers that be who came together to bring this miracle to life. Yes. We. Did. It.
For a nonprofit that began with a promise made to a dying friend and three senior cats, owning the ground beneath our paws is nothing short of transformational. No lease to renew. No landlord to answer to. Just a Forever Home for every animal in our care, rooted in land that belongs to this mission.
For those newer to our story: The Pet Cottage is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit sanctuary and Lifelong Guardianship Program. We make a Forever Promise to pets that lose their humans through death, disability, serious illness, or military deployment. We find them loving Forever Guardians (often seniors in our community), and we cover every veterinary expense for the rest of each pet’s life. No exceptions. No expiration date. No matter what.
We currently care for approximately 17 animals on-site and over 50 pets in Forever Guardian homes throughout Palm Beach and Martin counties with more than 60 seniors experiencing the daily joy of pet companionship through our program. We are not a shelter or a rescue. Every pet that enters our Circle of Protection stays forever. And now, “forever” has a permanent address.
I want to be honest with you, because you are our Pack, and you deserve the truth. Closing on this property was a miracle made possible by this community. But the deed in my hands also means the real work has just begun. We have a mortgage on this sanctuary, and paying it off is the next great mission.
Owning this land unlocks possibilities we couldn’t reach before: expanded cottages, more bonded pairs, more large dogs, more complex medical cases, the animals other organizations simply cannot take. It positions us for major grants and legacy gifts that require permanent facilities. It is the foundation of everything we build next.
If you’ve ever wanted to be part of something that will outlast all of us, a sanctuary still welcoming grief-stricken pets and giving lonely seniors a reason to get up in the morning long after we are gone, this is your moment. Donate at thepetcottage.org, become a Forever Guardian, or simply share our story with someone who needs to hear it.
I founded The Pet Cottage on March 11, 2012, the day my dear friend Joan McCabe passed away, because I believed with every fiber of my being that the pets that love us so willingly, so completely, and without question deserve a champion. Losing their person should never mean losing everything. Fourteen years later, we have a deed, a team, a community, and a future.
Joan, I think you would be proud.
Wendy Derhak is founder and executive director of The Pet Cottage, thepetcottage.org, 561-818-5025, @thepetcottage, 17049 Thunder Road, Jupiter, FL 33478.
