My first experience with pet loss was in 2002 when my family said goodbye to our childhood dog Lady.  Even though I hadn’t lived at home in several years, the loss was still incredibly painful. 

Then in 2019, I said goodbye to my soul dog, Bosco, after a rare and complicated illness.  After more than two years of doing everything we could to keep him comfortable, his quality of life had declined and it was time to relieve his suffering.  We were lucky enough to have the option to say goodbye at home with the help of a compassionate in-home vet, and that experience is something I will never forget.  

Bosco had been in my life for over 13 years, and had been a source of comfort and stability during so many life’s ups and downs.  Break ups, job changes, moving across the country, getting married, losing family members, health challenges… he was the one steady thing in my life. 

After the loss I was completely untethered, I had no purpose, no sense of routine.  The silence in the apartment was too much to bear.  I was grateful to have support from friends and family.  But after a few weeks, it seemed like the world had moved on, but I hadn’t.  I had never experienced grief like this before.

I eventually found my way to a nearby senior dog rescue in San Francisco, which became a lifeline.  I was able to have open, honest conversations about loss with many people in that community and it was such an important part of my journey through grief.  I started fostering, volunteering as a dog walker and even joined their staff as an adoptions counselor for a year during the pandemic.  During my time facilitating adoptions, I continued to have many conversations about grief and loss.  I noticed the rescue did not have a pet loss support group, so I asked if I could start one.  That was in 2021, and after years of having the honor and privilege to support others through this unique loss, I know that this was the work I was meant to do in this world.

I have spent years exploring various healing modalities, including restorative yoga, massage, craniosacral therapy, and intuitive coaching.  I have now reached a pivotal point where all of the learning, facilitating and growing has come together to allow me to support folks in their grief.

I believe my empathetic, compassionate approach combined with my ability to offer tangible strategies and gentle accountability gives me a unique opportunity to support others on their journey through grief.  We are not meant to do this alone.