Layla and the Pumpkin
The Pet Cottage Launches Quest For A Forever Sanctuary Home
Local Sanctuary Seeks Permanent Home To Keep Its Forever Promise To Pets
The Pet Cottage, a Jupiter Farms-based sanctuary that provides lifelong care for pets who lose their human due to death, disability, or deployment, is embarking on an urgent and determined quest—to find and fund a Forever Sanctuary Home.
The organization’s landlord has informed them that the lease will not be renewed, and the property will not be sold. While this was unexpected, it has made one thing clear—it’s time for The Pet Cottage to secure a permanent home for its mission and the pets who depend on it.
At The Pet Cottage, the team makes a forever promise to pets: to ensure their lifelong care, safety, and placement in loving homes. When loyal companions face loss and uncertainty, The Pet Cottage steps in as their champion—offering what those pets once gave so freely: love, safety, belonging, companionship, and purpose.
By January of 2026, the organization must find and relocate to a new sanctuary home that will house not only its headquarters but also the 17 pets currently living on-site. The goal is to raise $1 million to purchase a property in Jupiter Farms that will serve as a lasting foundation for The Pet Cottage’s mission.
The good news is that the organization is already more than halfway to its goal. With the continued support of its Pack—a loyal community of animal lovers and protectors—The Pet Cottage is confident it will reach its goal.
This home will be:
• A stable, peaceful space for sanctuary pets to live in comfort and security.
• A welcoming hub for guardians, volunteers, and community members.
• A lasting foundation for the Forever Promise.
Here is how you can join the Quest:
• Give – Every contribution, large or small, brings the organization closer to its forever home.
• Connect – Know someone with property or land that could meet the sanctuary’s needs? Please reach out.
• Share – Spread the story. The right opportunity may be just one share away.
Even as The Pet Cottage plans for its future, the work of welcoming and caring for pets in need continues every day. Recently, an older gentleman named Mike reached out after losing his wife and preparing to move into assisted living. Unable to take his two beloved dogs, Layla and Umberto, he turned to The Pet Cottage for help. The pair are now living at the sanctuary while a Forever Guardian match is being made—safe, together, and loved.
“Together, we can find and fund a forever sanctuary home for the pets who depend on us—and the people who love them,” says Derhak. “This is our new chapter, and it’s one we will write together.”
Founded in 2012, The Pet Cottage provides lifelong care, veterinary support, and loving placement for pets whose humans can no longer care for them. Through its Lifelong Guardianship Program, each pet is matched with a Forever Guardian, while the sanctuary property remains home for pets who cannot be placed in the community.
To learn more, share a lead, or make a gift toward the Sanctuary Home Fund and the ongoing care of the pets we serve, visit ThePetCottage.org or call (561) 818-5025.
As the season of gratitude approaches, our hearts are full because of you. Thank you for your generosity, your open hearts, and all that you’re doing to help us find our new home. Together, we’re making forever promises possible. We are grateful!
