Wilma

Chris and Wilma, 2010

I want to talk about rescuing pets. But it’s so hard to talk about it, without villainizing specific organizations and the people that work in them. I don’t want to do that, I really don’t, but it does need to be said that sometimes rescuers lose sight of what a good, loving, safe home actually looks like.

I’ve volunteered in several organization and let me tell you what – you will see the worst of humankind. People do awful things to animals and after being repeatedly exposed to this kind of behavior we start to scrutinize the most minute details of our adoptee’s applications.

“Oh, you work a job” – no, sorry

“You don’t own your home?” – nope. Sorry

Most rescue organizations are looking for reasons to say “no”, when they should be looking for the “yes!”.

While I volunteered with a rescue in Atlanta, I fostered Wilma. A 4-year-old block headed chocolate lab. Gwen and I were living in a condo near downtown Atlanta, but I had always had foster dogs and the community that I lived in was very pet friendly so having Wilma wasn’t an issue.  Wilma was the sweetest, she had a very similar attitude as Gwen. We knew that applications would flood in.

The director of the organization and I had worked together for some time at this point, and she often trusted me to make judgement calls about the adopter. As applications would come in, we would filter down to applications that were qualified. Once applicants were selected there would be a flurry of phone calls, emails, home checks, and introductions to make sure everything fit. For me, I often relied on my gut to tell me if someone was right. I tried to analyze a dog’s behavior with the applicant, and I also just sort of went on a “vibe” that I got. Sometimes you just know, you know?

Wilma received dozens of applications, as anticipated, but one in particular had stuck out to our director. A retiree who lived in the mountains with acres of fenced in land. The applicants I had chosen were quickly vetoed because they didn’t have specific criteria. For example, one reason this organization often denied applicants was because people lived in rented apartments or condos. Never mind that I, the volunteer who fostered dozens of dogs for them, lived in a rented condo – but I digress.  She insisted this was the best option, so we moved forward.  I met the applicant and his wife at an adoption event the following weekend.  The couple arrived and while nice enough, didn’t seem overly friendly or excited – not what one would expect when bringing a new life into their home.  They met Wilma, chatted for a moment, and then went on with their day. Part of me was happy that was over – I just didn’t like the “vibe” and told the director as much.

A few days later I received another call. After some deliberation, they wanted to adopt Wilma.  The director was making the arrangements and the new guardian would be coming to my home to pick her up.  I fought like hell – “I do NOT like this” I exclaimed. But who am I but a lowly volunteer – at the end of the day I really have no say in where Wilma goes. On the day that the new guardian came to pick her up, I wanted to go over a few things that I had been working on, as far as some simple training and Wilma’s routine. When I pulled out the treats that I had been using the new guardian pushed them away and told me that “they don’t do treats”. I was so taken aback by this – I just had a horrible feeling about letting her go with him, but again, the work had been done and I relinquished the leash to Wilma’s new guardian.

The director of the rescue insisted everything checked out. She re-assured me that this guy was the best of the best, they are home all the time, with lots of land, a beautiful home, Wilma has it made!

A few days later I received an early morning call from the guardian asking to get in touch with the director, they needed help. The guardian (using that term very loosely here) wanted our organization to come to his home and pick up Wilma to take her to the emergency veterinarian – she was now very ill.

It was later revealed that Wilma had been being left outside. Wilma was not living the life of luxury in a mountain home; she was instead being left outside to contend with the elements on her own. The new guardian’s wife had discovered Wilma on their front porch with blood coming from her nose. She was lethargic, lying on the floor. Instead of taking her to the ER themselves, they left Wilma on the porch, and called us. It was our fault for giving them a sick dog – direct quote. A volunteer was quickly arranged to pick up Wilma and take her to the local emergency veterinary hospital. There it was determined that Wilma had been bitten by a venomous snake.  Due to the length of time that had passed, it was too late to save Wilma. Despite best efforts delivered by this amazing clinic, including a blood transfusion, Wilma passed away just days after being placed into her new home.

This story breaks my heart. This was 12 years ago, and I think about Wilma and her story every day – her ashes remain on a shelf in our den.  Wilma’s death was a direct result of the rigidness that occurs within rescues. While I hate to fault seasoned rescue agents for being strict with potential adopters – this type of behavior pushes away wonderful people with safe, loving homes. The people who adopted Wilma dazzled with a fancy house, property, and a retiree’s lifestyle but they had no love for a pet. No intention of giving Wilma the home she deserved – instead, she was introduced into their home to scare away predators. They wanted her to bark at bears and be an “outside” dog – the exact opposite of what most rescuers are trying to accomplish.  Wilma had a stack of applicants from people who, like me, were city dwelling dog lovers, that would have provided her the best home had they been given the chance.

I will always be an avid supporter of rescues.  Most of the people within these organizations work tirelessly to save homeless pets and I am proud to support them and be a part of it when I can. But we must change the way we process applications and eliminate the stereotypes of what an ideal pet home looks like.  Let’s change the attitude around finding homes and start looking for reasons to say “yes!”.

Until Next Time,

C.O

When Pets are More Than Just Pets

First, a huge thank you to our friends at Pet Perennials for working with us and sharing our story. Pet Perennials is a great shop with gifts to celebrate the life of a pet. Visit Pet Perennials today!

A few months ago we shared part 1 of our story, The Pudgy Pup, and now after some careful deliberation we share part 2. This part of the story includes some details that I’ve not shared with many people. Pet’s become family and we can form an unbreakable bond that, in some cases, may save a life.

This story mentions substance abuse, depression, and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling please visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention , call 1-800-273-8255, or text TALK to 741741

Read part 2 of our story at Pet Perennials, My Saving Grace

The Gwen Fund collaborates with local veterinarians to determine need and when appropriate, The Gwen Fund may step in to assist with all or some of the financial resources needed to provide these types of higher-level diagnostics, imaging and more.

Gwen, more than a dog, she was a blessing in my life that helped to heal my heart.

Being responsible for another living being changes everything. The knowledge that we have someone relying on us to provide for them or that we have made some commitment to changes the way we think about our day to day. For some, it gives us a reason to keep going.

Here I was, a poor college kid with a puppy. Although I had volunteered with several animal welfare organizations and helped at my grandma’s clinic cleaning kennels and the like, I knew nothing of having a dog on my own. I had never truly considered the work involved with having a pet. The training, entertaining, and the cost of having a dog is high. There are significant demands on your time such as wake up calls every 2 hours to go outside and special trips home during the workday for breaks and play time. It seemed like every moment was consumed by fulfilling one of my new pups needs – I was learning the hard way what it takes to have a pet. I would not let this deter me and while I was frustrated at times, seeing her sweet face made it all worthwhile.

Gwen and I settled into a routine and our potty-training efforts along with the mid-day office breaks became something that I looked forward to. We lived in an apartment complex a few blocks away from my job and campus was a short drive away – having everything so close by made it easy for me to make these quick trips home and facilitated Gwen’s quick learning. In a few short months Gwen was fully house, and crate trained. Our mid-day breaks went from rushing to take her outside and cleaning up any messes to enjoying some play time in the small dog park. Gwen took her retriever roots very seriously and she loved a rigorous game of fetch with her favorite toy – a tennis ball.

I was trying hard, but the truth is that my life at this stage was chaotic, at best. I worked during the day, class at night, I often worked odd jobs as well as serving and bartending, just trying to make a few extra bucks. The stress of all these things coupled with a complicated family history, feeling alone, and depressed made my daily grind even harder. Depression is a monster that lurked in the shadows for most of my life, but this stage of life was proving to be exceedingly more difficult. We scraped by and made things work but there were times when I did not have enough money to take care of both of us. Sometimes Gwen and I ate the same thing because I could not afford food for both of us. I recall over drawing my bank account to buy necessities, and had it not been for my connection to a certain veterinary clinic – I would not have been able to get her proper veterinary care. Things were extremely hard for the first year or so of Gwen’s life and I resented her a bit – why me!? Why did you pick me!?  However, at the end of every hard day when we would go to bed, Gwen climbed up on me and would tuck her head into the space between my chin and shoulder to snuggle in and fall asleep. For the night, all was okay.

As the months ticked by Gwen and me both progressed. She grew like a weed, and I got promoted. Over the next few years, we lived a lot of life together. We moved from Ohio to California driving together for a little over three days in the car. We made so many great friends and had so many great experiences in California. She saw the Redwoods, The San Francisco Bay, and spent some time in L.A. We packed it up again and headed back east moving from California to Georgia. Gwen loved a car ride, although I think she may have been sick of cross-country road trips. On the surface things looked like they should – I was a normal guy in his twenties with a super cute pup. I had an education, learned a trade, held a good job and had an active social life and still volunteered regularly.

There are so many anecdotes that I could share about the time Gwen, and I shared together, so many that it makes telling this story difficult. During these first few years together, she had become my sidekick – it was Gwen and I against the world. We were a team, one that our friends and family had come to expect to always be as one. If I were coming, Gwen would be there too. If I were ever spotted without Gwen, the first question was “Where is Gwen?”

From the outside looking in, we seemed happy and healthy. In contrast, I was struggling. I had been struggling for a long time. A lifetime time of physical and emotional abuse had taken its toll. While I had confronted and escaped that environment, I dealt with the aftermath on my own, slipping into a deep depression. I used self-deprecating humor and kept myself busy with work to cover it up in my professional life and abused alcohol and recreational drugs to cope everywhere else. I was in the throws of a controlled tailspin, my nights ending with tearful thoughts of suicide. Sometimes I would sit outside with Gwen for hours, throwing her tennis ball while I smoked and stared into the darkness, other nights I would rub her ears until we fell asleep. While I struggled to hold myself together, Gwen was always there. She always knew what I needed, whether that was a cuddled on the couch or a buddy to go to go with me to our favorite neighborhood spot. To say that Gwen had become my best friend would not do our relationship justice. Gwen saved my life.

She stayed with me for over 15 years, and she was a fighter and my rock all the way through. She loved to swim, fetch, and most of all to be the center of attention at every social gathering. Gwen had a large circle of friends, loved by all.

By this time, we were in a loving home with my fiancé Jonathan and our family had grown to include a couple other rescues, Jackson, and Grant. At 14 Gwen suffered a devastating diagnosis of vestibular disorder which left her hospitalized for a few days before being able to come home. We had to work with her to help her walk and to eat – but she pulled through. I had asked her to hang on for me – I could not imagine my life without her. She rebounded as gracefully as she could, but it had taken a significant toll on her health. A year and a half would pass before health issues would resurface. Her entire demeanor had changed, she was lethargic and would barely eat. We had multiple trips to our veterinarian before getting an official diagnosis. It was cancer, and by the time we had discovered it the tumor had ruptured – she was bleeding internally. We had a day, at best. It was one of the hardest days of my life, but we had prepared, we knew it was coming, she was fifteen! The doctor stabilized her and made her comfortable enough for us to bring her home. We had a small celebration of her life; our closest friends came to see her. The next morning, we said goodbye to Gwen, peacefully in her own bed.

Gwen passed away one month before I would marry my fiancé, Jonathan. I am convinced that Gwen stayed until she knew I was okay, as Sipsey said, “A lady always knows when it’s time to leave.”

Gwen’s death was a devastating blow for our family and to this day, I struggle with it. There is not a day that passes that I do not think about her. She changed my life and my outlook on relationships between people and their pets. The day that Gwen died, as we drove away from the clinic, I could not help but to think about how different all of this could have been. I was sad and even a little angry that she was gone, but I was also so thankful to have had the opportunity to say goodbye. I held her as she passed away, rubbing her ears as I had so many nights before. I thought to myself how terrible it would have been if we had not known about her cancer. We would have lost Gwen in a terrible way – being whisked away from us during an emergency visit – never to be seen again. I would not have been able live with myself.

As the day’s passed by I started to think about people like me, pups like Gwen. It is highly likely that I would not be here today had it not been for Gwen. How many people like me are out there – that feel like their pet is all they have? How many people love their pets more than anything but are having a hard time – a string of bad luck, struggling with all the curveballs that life can throw at us. None of those things make us bad or irresponsible pet owners. Everyone deserves a Gwen, and every Gwen deserves the absolute best care. Their healthcare should not be reduced to the ability to pay.

We founded The Gwen Fund for this reason - To help families and their pets when they need it the most. The Gwen Fund provides financial aid for veterinary care. This grassroots nonprofit was founded in April of 2021. Named after Gwen, the organization hopes to offer piece of mind to struggling families, prevent premature euthanasia, reduce pet homelessness, as well as to help families cope with loss through building a community of bonded families.

Stay well friends. If you would like to help us reach more families by making a donation, click here

Until Next Time,

C.O

Stevie’s Gotcha Day!

It is Stevie’s “Gotcha Day”!

One year ago, on March 5th, 2021, we started a new adventure with Stevie joining our pack. It was both exciting and bittersweet to introduce a puppy to our lives. I did not want this. I did not want to have a home without Gwen, but that is the hard reality of being a pet parent – our time is limited. However, I cannot help but to feel like everything ended up exactly how it was supposed to.

I hated to think of a life without Gwen. It did not seem possible. The last year or so of Gwen’s life forced me to face that reality though. Her health was fading, she was aging, and I needed to think about what was next. How would I handle it? Would I get another puppy?  I sometimes felt guilty for thinking about it, I did not want to replace her – that would be impossible – but I was coming to terms with the fact that one day I would be left behind.

Gwen passed away on September 26th of 2020.  My husband and I went through all the stages of grief, it was not easy. Our house felt so empty and quiet. We had almost immediately started making moves to launch The Gwen Fund in honor of Gwen, I was very busy, but I still felt off.  Maybe it was the fact that we had always had three dogs? We had briefly chatted about another dog – but I think we were both unsure of if we were actually ready to do anything – it had only been a few months.

During some of the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic with many families homebound – pet rescues were inundated.  We decided we would not push anything but thought that with the demand so high we should at least get on a waitlist.  We sent applications to a few rescues and were immediately told that it would be a least a six month wait. Perfect, we thought. We are not in a rush! I happened to come across the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta Facebook page during some random scrolling and that is when I noticed a little fluffy white face staring back at me.

This pups name was Hera, she had a greyish mask and the sweetest little face. I sent a screenshot to my husband – literally just to show him – but his response was “did you apply!?”

His response took me aback, but after a few moments I thought – sure. Why not apply, it will probably be another six months wait.

I completed the application and hit submit.

30 minutes later I got a phone call from Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta. The voice on the phone explained to me that the puppies and their parents had been surrendered to the rescue. The puppies were born on 12/24/2021 and were ready to make their way into their new homes. I nearly dropped my phone when they said, “we are working on your application now and should be back with you soon!” I got a little more excited, but still thought we are months away from doing anything.

A few hours later we were back on the phone to set up a meeting, but with a catch.  They explained that Hera had already been adopted, but that they did have her sibling “Nike” available if we’d like to meet her instead?

Maybe I am being all woo-woo, but I swear this started to feel like DeJa’Vu all over again.  The chance meeting, the rapid escalation, it was like something was pulling us together. 

We agreed to the meeting and made plans to drive over to the foster home where we would meet the foster and the adoption coordinator.  It was such a great meeting and in moments we knew – she was perfect. I sat on the ground and got a little lick on the nose from her, like she was telling me to take her home.

We finalized the paperwork and started heading home with Nike, her name promptly changed to Stevie. 

In the year that we have had Stevie it has felt like she was just supposed to be here. She learned her way around the house quickly, she trained easily, we bonded. 

Stevie has brought our home back to the state it was before Gwen had to go. Her sassy attitude and her subtle sweetness are exactly what we were missing.  There is no replacing Gwen, but it does seem as if the baton had been passed to Stevie.

For anyone enduring loss, know that you do not have to grieve alone. There is a huge community of us out here to support you, to get you through this challenging time.  While everyone processes loss differently, I would like to also add that there is no “right time” to introduce a new pet to your life. This experience with Stevie has taught me that we must be open. Gwen and I had rescued a lot of other dogs during our time together. She was the welcoming committee in our house – showing the new dog where things were, how it all worked. I think that Gwen would have wanted me to keep going – to give another dog the opportunity to live this life.

When you are ready, honor your pet by rescuing another and sharing that love with them!

Thank you to Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta  for all the hard work you do, and for introducing us to Stevie!

See available dogs at Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta

Until Next Time,

C.O

2016 Family Photo

Jonathan, Gwen, Grant, Jackson, Chris

2022 Family Photo

Jonathan, Stevie, Grant, Jackson, Chris

That’s Doo Doo, Baby

Everyone poops. #Fact

It’s also a fact that colors and textures of stool can say a lot out the overall health of the one leaving it behind. Always check your stool, but we aren’t here to talk about how you shouldn’t freak out after too much red wine or that beet salad.  We are here to talk about dog poop.

The holidays are here, and it is inevitable that Uncle Bill will slip a meat ball to Fido, or that a trash can lid will be left open (or torn open by a curious, but very good boy!) Checking your pet’s poop can help you identify a myriad of issues ranging from a temporary issue to a serious medical conditions that would require immediate veterinary attention.

Our friends at Cold Nose News shared this graphic in their November newsletter. The graphic was created by Animalbiome, an organization which protects your dog’s health and happiness through scientific assessments, supplements, and maintenance.

Avoid Puppy Scams

Holiday commercials can be so romantic and convincing. Advertisements portray a puppy with a red bow bounding out a home into the fresh snow, or a man presenting a puppy to his partner as a gift moments before she gives him a new pick-up truck. They are cute ideas, sure. Commercials like this are designed to trigger an emotional response, and it’s those emotions that scammers aim to take advantage of.

First, let me be very clear – puppies aren’t gifts. A pet is a 15-year commitment. They are a living being that requires love, attention, food, exercise, training, and health care. On average, the first year with a puppy will cost guardians $1800, and the cost of health care doesn’t go down. The bigger they get, the more expensive it can be to provide proper care. So, let me say it one more time… PUPPIES AREN’T GIFTS!

But let’s assume that you realize that puppies shouldn’t be gifted – and that you’ve done your due diligence. You are ready to take the next steps in finding your new pet. Beware of the puppy and pet scams that are prevalent on the internet, particularly during the holiday season.

Here are some tips to help you avoid a puppy scam:

•  Avoid websites such as Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Instead, work with a reputable rescue agency or shelter. Fun fact – nearly 80% of dogs in rescue groups and shelters are purebred!

• Never make a commitment until you’ve met the potential pet. Unless you are paying an adoption or application fee directly to a shelter or rescue group – it is likely a scam!

• Use a protected form of payment.  Many scammers cannot process credit cards and may ask for alternative methods of payments like gift cards or prepaid debit cards. A reputable agency will never ask for payments like that. Avoid sending payments through wire transfers, Zelle or CashApp or other apps where your payment may not be protected.

•  Never accept an online listing, website, or sad story at face value. It’s easy to throw up a professional-looking website with fake addresses and reviews! Also, be wary of “sponsored links.” Scammers understand that boosted online listings lure users into believing they are legitimate. A study by the BBB in 2017 found that 80% of all sponsored search links may be fraudulent!

• Be wary of sudden demands for more money or the sudden addition of new charges for transport, medical costs, pet insurance or “climate-controlled crates.” These are all potential red flags, so buyer beware!

• Do a reverse online image search of any photos you receive. Many scammers will steal and use real images from legitimate websites and pass them off as their own for a puppy that may not exist!

I don’t want to suggest that every ad on Craigslist or the like is a scam. However, you are far more likely to encounter a scam when looking at these types of sites. The best way to avoid a pet scam, is to go directly to your local humane society. Rescuing a pet is one of the most rewarding experiences we can have in life. Adopt, don’t shop.

Oh, and remember – PUPPIES AREN’T GIFTS!

Until next time,

CO

A special thanks to:

http://coldnosesnews.com/

Veterans with Paws

Pfc. Rez P. Hester of the Marine Corps Seventh War Dog Platoon on Iwo Jima takes a nap while Butch stands guard. February 1945. (127-N-110104)

Thank you, Veterans.

When we think of those who served, we imagine our uninformed loved ones while reflecting on their dedication to our country. Most probably do not consider the animals that served along side soldiers, but fact is that dogs have been in combat during every major conflict - but not officially recognized until WWII. A Dobermann named butch stood guard while C. Rez P. Hester of the Marine Corps Seventh War Dog Platoon on Iwo Jima took a nap. The highest-ranking military dog is Marine Sergeant-Major Jiggs. He was an English Bulldog employed as a mascot. While he never saw active combat, he served in the armed forces from 1922-1927. Today, there are roughly 2500 active service dogs in the military with nearly 700 deployed oversees.

Not only do dogs serve in critical roles in the Military, but they continue to serve our veterans when they return to civilian life. For most of our service members, the return to civilian life is challenging but, with time, they adapt. Unfortunately there are some that endured traumatic experiences while serving. Programs like K9s For Warriors provide a free service animal to help veterans struggling with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They provide a trusted companion and can help with the transition to civilian life by offering routine and structure. A dog to train and work with allows veterans an opportunity to utilize their command skills, bond, and build trust. No one likes to talk about their feelings, but the fact is that dogs will help us to feel and show affection. For service members, this can be an extremely tough emotion to share – but – your dog will always be there.

At The Gwen Fund we hope to collaborate with Veterans and their service animals to ensure that they never have to worry about being able to afford the veterinary care their pet may need, we want to make sure that you share long, happy, healthy lives together. 

If you would like to help us support veterans and their pets you can donate at HERE.

If you would like to learn more about K9s for Warriors, click HERE

Disenfranchised Grief

Grief is disenfranchised when others avoid talking to you about your painful loss or use cliché to minimalize it. When your loss doesn’t fit into societal norms people can seem careless or even rude as sometimes this type of grief can be disparaged or belittled.

As animal lovers, we’ve all heard it - “it’s just a ___” (fill in your species).  This lack of support can prolong the grieving process.  Animal companionship, for many of us, goes far beyond simply providing shelter and food.

I’m obviously an animal lover, but specifically I’m a dog person. I understand their feelings and their needs. Our dogs are my closest companions. So, to have a loss reduced to being some mundane event is unbelievably painful. It forces us into a deep, dark place where we feel even more alone. Having no person that we feel that we can confide in or seek comfort from while enduring the loss of the one being that we felt the most comfortable with.

One of the goals of The Gwen Fund is to establish a community that offers support to all of us grieving. While we may be from all over the world, we share the common bond with our pets, and we are here to support each other.  You do not have to grieve alone.

This is a great quick read by Crystal Ro, Buzzfeed staff.  I’ve also included a few other articles on Disenfranchised Grief.

Please connect with us on social media, join our community and support us as we build more programs to support animal welfare.  If you need to chat about your loss, you can DM us on Facebook and Instagram, or contact Chris@thegwenfund.org

23 Helpful Things to Know About Grieving the Loss of a Pet

When Grief and Grievers are Unrecognized

Palliative Care

The Gwen Fund, at its core, has a mission to increase the quality of life for our pets. Sometimes we assist in rescue efforts to place pets in safe and loving homes, we may provide funding for basic veterinary care when the family is in a pinch, or The Gwen Fund may need to step in to assist with funding for more complex care situations like palliative care.

Palliative care, or hospice care, is a philosophy of care in which the decision has been made to decline or withdraw the pursuit of curative therapy.  This type of care is delivered when your pet suffers from a life-limiting disease where there is no cure.  The goal of this type of care is to make your pet as comfortable as possible, and for you and your pet to enjoy this end stage of life. 

As the President of the Gwen Fund, I find this type of care extraordinarily valuable. In fact, it is what led us to start this organization. When you have no other options to cure your pet, we owe it to them to have a comfortable and dignified end of life experience. Finances around that experience shouldn’t be the only determining factor. The Gwen Fund is here to step in to work with beneficiaries and their veterinarians.

Its important to have open and honest conversations with your veterinarian. They can teach you how to care for your pet at home and help you to make the difficult decisions related to after death.

To learn more about palliative care check out this post from VCA.

The Home Death, and a Wake for your Pet

In a previous blog post I mentioned euthanasia and how to know when it’s time to make this difficult decision to provide “the good death” for your pet.  So, what happens after your pet is gone? You have a lot of options. Your veterinarian is a great resource, and what happens with the body after your pet has passed is a decision that you should plan for in advance. No matter what stage of life, save a little bit of money for these services and think about what you would like for pets final resting place.

Cremation is an option, and likely the most common. Your veterinarian’s office will have resources to help you with deciding. Depending on where you choose to perform the euthanasia or where your pet has passed, you have options to have the body picked up, dropped off, or you can handle it all yourself…like Caitlin did.

I love Caitlin Doughty. Like, LOVE her. Her perspective on death, and her work toward normalizing conversations … like this one… are profound.  When her cat, The Meow, was diagnosed with cancer Caitlin decided to provide the good death at home and performed a wake and a natural burial.

Check out Caitlin’s video below, taken from her YouTube channel “Ask a Mortician”.

It is my hope that we build a community here at The Gwen Fund which offers a range of support to pet families. From offering advice, to a shoulder to cry on, to financial support to prevent premature euthanasia, palliative care, and after death care. The Gwen Fund can help you to make sure that your pet receives a dignified departure from this life.

A very special thanks to our friends at The Order of the Good Death.

What is Critical Veterinary care?

Hi everyone,

The Gwen Fund is here to help when unexpected health events effect your pet. Emergency situations or the diagnosis of an illness can send a family into turmoil. While we do not make any decisions to provide funding based on the type of situation – I thought it may be helpful to understand the difference between critical care and emergency care, and why your pets may need access to this type of care.

I think it was in April of 2018 my husband and I were traveling, so the dogs were with our friend and most gracious pet-sitter at our home.  It was the night before we were to return, when we got a late-night call from the sitter who thought Gwen may be having a stroke. Her symptoms included inability to stand, nystagmus (eyes moving up/down – side/side) and vomiting. Our friend had to carry a nearly 70lb lab down the stairs to her car and drive her to the emergency clinic a few blocks away. Gwen was diagnosed with vestibular disease, a sudden non-progressive disturbance of balance. Gwen had to remain in the ICU for 2 days so that she could be monitored and stabilized to return home. The treatment that Gwen received during this time gave us another year and a half with her.

Critical care is a branch of veterinary medicine which focuses on animals who are suffering from a serious medical condition which would require around the clock care, observation, and additional testing. 

A blog post by the Oakland Veterinary Referral Service is a great read to better understand the different levels of care in the veterinary field.

Until next time,

C.O

How do you Know when to…you know…

How do you know when to, you know…?              

The ending of that sentence is still hard to even think without getting the lump in my throat. How do you know its time to euthanize your pet?  It’s the hardest part of being a responsible and loving caretaker for your animals.

In the back of my mind, I knew the day would come that Gwen would pass. I suppose I’d always hoped it would be this sweet moment where she was cuddled with me on the couch, snoring as she did, and she would go without ever being in any pain or feeling the least bit sick.  But that’s not how it goes.  Her age was showing, we had several other health events throughout 2019 and 2020 and I remember calling my husband down to my home office so that I could try to have this dreaded conversation with him.  When I get sad, I tend to get angry – so I sat there stifling tears – cussing about having to call our vet. I think I even referred to it as “killing my dog”. I know better – I know that’s not what euthanasia is, but I was so mad that this was the stage of life we were in. I pulled myself together and got on the phone and let me tell you what, that phone call helped us tremendously.

The doctor spent some time on the phone with me, we talked about Gwen’s age, her health, and her behavior.  She helped me to put some key factors to Gwen’s quality of life into perspective and so began the surveillance.  It was this added attention that drew us to identify some of the symptoms, which led to a few more doctor visits which identified her cancer before things got bad.  Planning and having conversations about death helped us to make sure Gwen’s final moments were comfortable and that we got to spend every moment with her.

Talking about death is not always pleasant – but its going to happen.  The only thing that will make this end-of-life stage better is taking the time to discuss and plan.  

The Order of the Good Death is a death acceptance organization, their primary focus being on human mortality. However, they have prepared a plethora of resources for end-of-life planning and have been gracious enough to share some with us, including this great article “What veterinarians wished you knew before euthanizing your pet.”

Thanks to The Order of The Good Death for sharing your resources with us.

Until next time,

C. O