Quote for the Day

Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we truly are.

- Arthur Golden

Allowing Our Animals to Teach Us the Value of Vulnerabiliy

     Dr. Brene Brown, a researcher professor at the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, has spent her career researching what makes us joyful and fulfilled - and what doesn't.  After listening to her TEDx talk about the power of vulnerability, I was inspired and knew I couldn't miss her session at the Massachusetts Conference for Women last week -- and she didn't disappoint.

     One of my key take-away points from both her TEDx talk and meeting her last week was this: Vulnerability matters; it is the only way to experience true joy.  Our ability to be vulnerable and tolerate vulnerability opens our heart to true joy, gives creativity life, and grants us courage.

     Sharing our lives with animals is a huge lesson in vulnerability.  We know from the outset that we will almost certainly outlive them.  That they will become sick, old, challenged and it will be us who must care for them and advocate for their welfare making excruciatingly difficult choices along the way.

Our Video: Hold On Love

So many people have asked us about our video that we thought we would re-post it.  We hope you love it.

Quote for the Day

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Changing the Language of Euthanasia

     Somewhere along the line, euthanasia came to be discussed as "a gift" - the final gift, the most generous gift, the most compassionate gift, the ultimate gift.  This term has so worked its way into our language that we now accept the idea that this is something we not only can, but must do for our animals as loving, compassionate caretakers.

     On the other hand, some who wish for a hospice-assisted natural death at home view euthanasia as a failure on the part of themselves, their veterinary team, their hospice team or society in general.  They agonize over having made a euthanasia decision and feel crushed if they are unable to provide the kind of natural home death they envisioned or had experienced with another animal.

     We at New England Pet Hospice feel that such value-laden terms are not helpful and can actually be harmful.  Euthanasia is neither inherently "good" nor inherently "bad". 

Quote for the Day

One cannot control the length of his life, but he can have something to say about its width and depth.

~ Shira Tehrani

Loving Care

     In our work, many people ask us why and how we can do this work.  To those who haven't spent much time around death - and in particular good death - this can seem perplexing, especially when we say we truly love what we are doing.