Purchase with Purpose! 10 Ways You Can Help Animals This Holiday Season

The 2021 Holiday Season is nearly here!   We know that online holiday shopping is already in progress, so we wanted to share with you ways that you can purchase items for the animal lovers on your gift list – and of course that includes you – AND help animals at the same time!   … Read more

What unfailingly helps you to live well & fully each day?

The answer: LOVE!!! And as always, February has been the perfect month to celebrate love, with St. Valentine’s Day occurring on the 14th. At BrightHaven we celebrate and honor love in everything we do, every day of the year – its healing power is tremendous! For example, our Menu for Healing, which forms the foundation … Read more

How Do I Navigate a Terminal Diagnosis for My Loved One?

As all of us animal lovers know, being told by the vet that our beloved’s illness is terminal is one of the most difficult things to hear. What do I do now? How can I best support my animal friend? What is the best way forward for our family? These are just a few of … Read more

It’s the Intention of Expectations That Counts the Most

After seeing an ad promoting yet another device promising to get your dog to immediately do what you want (in this case to stop barking), I started thinking about the unrealistic expectations many of us humans have of animals. I was also reminded of the prevailing and often unconscious attitude that animals are merely property … Read more

Help Your Loved One Live the Best Life Possible Each & Every Day!

BrightHaven is a leader in the emerging field of animal hospice AND we’re also renowned for our holistic healthcare.   We’ve combined these two specialties into our latest online course, presented by BrightHaven’s President and Founder Gail Pope and Education Program Specialist Carol Hulse:   BrightHaven Holistic Animal Hospice: Fundamentals We understand that many pet … Read more

What Hope Taught Me About Fear

At BrightHaven, we often talk about following the wisdom of the animals. In fact, that’s how our Menu for Healing, the cornerstone of BrightHaven’s work, came into being! I was blessed to meet and spend time with many wise and wonderful animals while I lived on the BrightHaven sanctuary property in Santa Rosa, CA, for … Read more

What Really Matters Most Each & Every Day

Jonah-blog

I often feel uncomfortable when I hear that an animal or person has been given a specific number of days, weeks or years to live when they receive a terminal diagnosis. When it comes right down to it, who actually knows? None of us has an expiry date stamped in ink across our forehead! Of … Read more

Loss of Beloved Animal or Human, Grief is Grief is Grief

As BrightHaven’s Gail Pope wrote in “The Art of Dying—What Animals Teach Us” article that recently appeared in the Natural Transitions online magazine: “The death of a beloved animal companion is one of the most difficult things we as animal lovers ever face. In my experience, sometimes this loss is more difficult than that of … Read more

What About Quality of Dying?

BrightHaven President and Co-Founder Gail Pope and I recently returned from the 7th annual International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC) Conference where we introduced the Quality of Dying Checklist. We met many wonderful and like-minded people who wish to provide peace, comfort and the best possible care to animals as they approach … Read more