Sunday, July 17, 2011

Keeping pets and families together


People can make arrangements for their pets after their own deaths (See post for April 13, '11), but what happens to pets while their people are dying? This is a time when pets might be forgotten, or worse.

A Times of Trenton community news story on July 9 described a “Pet Peace of Mind” program now offered through Trenton’s Greenwood House. The volunteer program provides pet care services for clients who are unable to care for their pets while in hospice.

These services include financial assistance for food and routine vet care, transporting pets to vet appointments, pet boarding and walking, and more.

Susan Whitman, coordinator of volunteers at the Renee Denmark Punia Community Hospice of Greenwood House, credits a grant for helping provide such services. The Banfield Charitable Trust (BCT) is behind the good deeds for pets, as part of its goal -- to promote the human-animal bond, keeping pets and families together.

(http://www.banfieldcharitabletrust.org)

One Banfield program is “Pet Peace of Mind,” which “enables hospice patients to keep their pets at home with them throughout their end-of-life journey, with the comfort and companionship of their pet, without worrying about their pet’s current or future needs.”

The Greenwood House hospice is the only one in New Jersey to offer this program. Ms. Whitman says so far, a hospice patient’s dog was groomed through it. She anticipates helping in many other ways, and possibly taking the program to the community, where more people may need help.

Isn’t it great that this program is all about keeping pets in place while taking care of their needs?

(For more info about Pet Peace of Mind at the Greenwood House hospice, phone 609-883-6026 or visit www.greenwoodhouse.org.)
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(Note to Linda, whose comment follows: Yes, please do, and thanks!)

2 comments:

Dog Walkers said...

Interesting article! Thanks for posting. Visit @ Pet Boarding

Linda said...

I like this article and can I put it on facebook?