What used to be a school in Shawnee, Missouri has been transformed into a sanctuary for senior dogs.

Kathryn Lask and Todd Mitchell were volunteering at another dog sanctuary when they decided to start one of their own closer to home.

That’s when Imagine Furever Ranch was born.

The couple has a soft spot for senior dogs, and it all began with their own dogs.

One was named Lucy and the other was Papi. Lucy developed senior problems and became disabled, and Papi sadly developed cancer and had to be put down.

After caring for their own sick senior dogs, they started wondering what happened to other dogs in this situation. They knew not every dog receives the proper care they need, which is why they decided to make a safe haven for these dogs in particular.

Since opening their sanctuary six months ago, they’ve taken in 13 dogs, and built an entire team of leadership and volunteers.

One of those volunteers, Teresa Boyer, takes the dogs to the veterinarians and handles their medications. She even adopted one of the senior dogs there.

“My one fear was that it would be a really sad experience being with older dogs and their health problems, and it’s not,” she told Fox 4 KC. “I mean it’s very gratifying, and the pluses way, way, way outweigh the minuses. There’s just so many highs.”

All of the volunteers work together to care for the dogs, foster them, and help find them forever homes. The sanctuary has an open floor plan, so none of the dogs have to be stuck in cages. They get all of the love that they’ve deserved for so long until their last breath.

Learn more about Imagine Furever Ranch and their adoption process in the video below and click here to visit their website.