Gail Pope – A Pioneer in Animal Hospice and Palliative Care
This is the third in an informal series about animal hospice and palliative care including Zenn Peaceful Passage and The Healing Power of Love: Animal Hospice and Palliative Care.
“If you go through this process [hospice-supported natural death] with courage and grace, I promise that you will no longer fear death, and your perspective on life will be forever changed to one of acceptance and peace. What greater legacy can our animals leave us?” –
Gail Pope, BrightHaven Founder & President and Animal Hospice Group Founder
When our companion animals are nearing the end-of-life, we want their journey to be calm, peaceful, and pain-free. Animal hospice and palliative care are key to reaching the goal to keep our animals as comfortable and content as possible in their sunset years and as they near the end of their life. This care is not just for the end of life, but is comfort care for the emotional, social and physical needs of animals who have terminal or life-limiting illnesses, or aged related decline. It also addresses the needs of caregivers as they care for their aging animals and prepare for their animal companion’s end of life and grief after the loss.
The field of animal hospice and palliative care is growing and becoming more visible through the efforts of many people who provide this care everyday 24/7 and provide training and education to those in the veterinary field, animal practitioners, and caregivers. Among the field’s pioneers is Gail Pope, Founder and President of BrightHaven Center for Animal Rescue, Hospice and Holistic Education. For over 30 years, she has raised the bar in animal care and end-of-life care for animals through her holistic, loving approach and her dedication to educating the world on animal hospice and palliative care.
BrightHaven began as a rescue and adoption center in Gail’s California home in 1993 and over the years evolved into a sanctuary for senior and special needs animals. While working for a veterinarian, Gail learned much about conventional veterinary medicine, but she had a keen interest in holistic healing modalities and was encouraged to pursue that interest. Through the animals in her care, Gail carefully observed their behavior and experienced their wisdom. These animals showed her what “worked for them for better health with many achieving an astonishing longevity before passing peacefully and naturally.” She listened to them and followed their lead.
In describing her approach to animal hospice care she says, it “is definitely aligned with hospice care for humans where love, comfort, dignity and quality of life are of the highest importance, and the spiritual aspect of the journey is deeply honored. I strive to not hasten or postpone death, but to work within the bounds of nature and the best of medical care.”
Gail says her work “was inspired by the many wise beings on two, four, six, or eight legs who have graced my days and taught me that life is all about living well all the way to the last breath.” Through her experience caring for over 600 animals through to their end-of-life, she has made an enormous contribution to the field of animal hospice and palliative care including the development of invaluable resources for caregivers. One of those resources, her Menu for Healing and Animal Well Being, better known as the “Love Sandwich,” is the foundation of the work that Gail and BrightHaven do. It “focuses on the best quality of life at all stages. The goal is to achieve optimal balance of body, mind and spirit.” It always starts and ends with Love.
Her important and impressive contributions to the field include not only her wonderful and loving hands-on care for animals but the many informative resources she has created including seven books and dozens of materials on animal care, self-care for caregivers, grief, holistic and homeopathic remedies, quality of life, quality of death, holistic assisted natural death, euthanasia, and after death care that can be found at BrightHaven’s Caregiver Resources and Education.
As a founding member of the Animal Hospice Group (AHG), Gail continues her dedication to education. The AHG provides training and resources for those interested in learning about animal hospice and palliative care and becoming a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner. Their mission is to “connect with caregivers and practitioners to support, educate, empower, and inspire” so that caregivers and animal practitioners can “help animals to live well and fully to the end of their lives.”
Gail is an extraordinary human being who has dedicated her life to the care and well-being of animals, ensuring their journey through to the end of their lives is comfortable, calm, and pain-free. She has raised the bar on animal hospice and palliative care, while healing the body, mind and spirit of animals and their caregivers for the highest good of all.
Please consider a donation to BrightHaven Center for Animal Rescue, Hospice and Holistic Education to help them continue their amazing work.
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