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Blast from the Past

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Susan Marino is the founder of Angel's Gate, the first known animal hospice of its kind. Located in Long Island, New York, this one-of-a-kind facility is home to more than 200 physically challenged or seriously ill animals.

Years ago, Susan, a registered pediatric nurse and vet technician, left her six-figure salary job so she could devote more time to these animals. "I needed to be here with them. When they need their humans the most, people are walking out on these animals," she says. "Many of the animals we get come from rescues. They're neglected. They're abused. They're abandoned—total train wrecks. We provide the care they need."

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One dog, Samson, is a dwarf boxer with a rare congenital anomaly. Susan says Samson, like 90 to 95 percent of the dogs at Angel's Gate, came from a puppy mill. Once these animals are rescued, they're not put up for adoption. "What we do is make a commitment to the animal for a lifetime so that they know that they're never going to be abandoned, abused," Susan says. "They're going to be loved the rest of their lives. No animal here ever dies alone."

Though animals like Samson and Priscilla, a paralyzed dog who suffered from shaken puppy syndrome, can't play like other dogs, Susan and her staff let them roam free. "We focus on what they can do as opposed to what they can't," she says.

Jill says Susan is the true angel at Angel's Gate because she works for no salary and relies completely on donations to fund her rehabilitation clinic. To help support Susan's animals, Oprah promises to contribute.

"I will make a donation," she says. "I encourage those of you who were moved to do the same." For donation information, visit www.angelsgate.org.


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