For Your Beloved Pet

Our furry, feathered or scaled best friends are there with us through tough and happy times.
They are there to comfort us, love us, and protect us.
They never ask for anything in return.

And few things are more painful
than losing them...
If your pet is nearing its end of life, a doula can provide the necessary support and encouragement.
The dying process of my beloved toy poodle, Clover, was devastating,
even though she had a life well-lived of 16 years.
In some ways it felt more difficult than my own father’s death,
maybe because she was with us constantly, or because pets are innocent creatures who cannot verbally express their wishes and may not understand what is happening to them.
Although I had training in end-of-life doula companion animal care, my own situation made me realize the critical importance of pet doulas.

We were fortunate enough to have the gift of time, allowing us to plan an at-home end-of-life experience complete with:
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visits from her best human and furry friends
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a beautiful vigil of sound healing, candlelight, and fragrant rose petals scattered around her favorite bedding
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and a sacred home burial.
However, the 2 hour window of time waiting for the veterinarian to arrive was gut-wrenching and my husband and I really
could have used a doula for emotional support.
When the vet arrived, we were so sad we could barely talk.

It ended well and she had a sacred and beautiful painless peaceful transition to death experience, but it made me think of people who may be especially going through this alone, or elderly pet owners who have trouble with frequent visits to the vet near the end of life.
It can truly be an emotional and challenging time and as a pet doula,
I can help ease the process and make the journey meaningful and manageable.
It's time for our society to normalize death...
Let's involve our children in understanding the natural life cycles
so they grow up having a healthy relationship with the circle of life and death.
In an effort to shield and protect youth from the sadness and pain of death, our society has excluded our children from the opportunity to experience and accept this very normal and rich part of life.
It is so very important to allow children to witness the dying process
and participate in vigils and funerals, if they want to!
By normalizing death in a safe and supportive environment, children can experience grief in a healthy way.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
- Winnie The Pooh