Embracing your Pets Final Chapter:
Preparing for and Navigating Pet Loss
The loss of a pet can be as emotionally painful as the loss of any loved one. But facing that possibility beforehand will help you make the right decisions when the time comes.
Date: Tuesday, February 20th
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 PM
Location: Debbie Leanne Portraits
5730 George Washington Memorial Hwy, Yorktown, VA 23692
Topics include
Assessing Quality of Life and Pain Management
In Home Hospice and Euthanasia – An Introduction
Saying goodbye to a pet is, in many cases, is one of the hardest things we may go through in our lifetime. Most owners consider their pet not only as a companion, but a family member. As these relationships continue to evolve, the manner of which we say goodbye has too. In this presentation, we at Angel Pets will introduce the process of in home hospice and euthanasia and explore the benefits of choosing to say goodbye to your pet where they feel most comfortable: home.
Pawtraits of Love: The Timeless Value of Professional Pet Portraits
Imagine a world where every whisker, every wag, and every unique personality trait of our furry companions is immortalized in a portrait.
Our furry companions are not just pets; they are cherished members of our families, and capturing them through professional pet portraits is an artful celebration of the profound love we share. Investing in professional portraits of your pets is a way to celebrate the unique bond we have with our furry loved ones. In this heartwarming presentation, we will discuss the significance of capturing our beloved pets through the lens of a professional pet photographer.
“Pawtraits of Love” is an exploration into the heartfelt journey of our pets through professional pet portraiture. It is an invitation to celebrate the art, love, and companionship that our pets gift us, long after they are gone.
Grieving Pets: What Behavior Change and Body Language can Tell us About Our Pets Still at Home
A brief look into what we know about the grief of losing a beloved pet, and how it affects other pets in the home.
We can’t know what our pets think, nor can they express their emotions in words for us to best understand. That doesn’t mean we can’t be observational and learn how the loss of another household pet affects the other pets still in the home. We know our pets are capable of emotions and cognitive thoughts similar to that of a 2 or 3 year human child, so they likely do not experience the same complex grieving experiences that adult humans do. However, that doesn’t mean their grieving is not complex as well. By learning more about our pets body language and behavior changes based on updated science and research, we can better understand what our pets’ needs are and help them also through this difficult time.
About your Presenters
Debbie Jones
Debbie is a distinguished luxury portrait photographer, committed to capturing the true essence of who her clients truly are. Establishing her business in 2009, Debbie has owned two studios, one in Hawaii and one in Virginia. She has an unwavering commitment to excellence and is dedicated to providing an experience for her clients that is as extraordinary as the clients themselves.Debbie has a passion to partner with local non-profit organizations. Helping to raise more than $40,000 annually for multiple organisations, whether creating branding headshots, digital marketing or creating coffee table books to raise money, Debbie dedicates her time and resources to invest and support local non-profit groups.Debbie also encourages collaboration between herself and fellow media creators and works alongside some of the industries best. Over the years, she has curated her own personal team she loves to work with. Hand chosen, these individuals work together and thrive to produce the best for every person they connect with. Debbie and her team bring more than 40 years of experience to any project they work on and thrive to produce the very best every time they click the camera.When she is not working, Debbie spends her time off with her husband of 29 years and their 2 dogs and cat. She has three grown children, a son-in-law and a grandson.
Dr. Catherine Gallahorn
https://www.animalmedicalcarecenteryorktown.com/
Dr. Gallahorn is the medical director and veterinarian at Animal Medical Care Center. Dr. Gallahorn has been a Veterinarian since 2003 & has worked in the profession since 1994. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at Virginia Tech, and then went on to graduate as a veterinarian from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003.When asked many years ago about why she wanted to be a veterinarian, her answer was “to make people’s lives better through their pets;” this still rings true for her today. She loves being able to positively impact people’s lives by keeping their pets healthy. She lives across the James River in Smithfield with her husband John of 24 years and their two beautiful daughters Riley and Katie. They have three pets at home; a cat named Ralphie and 2 rescue pups Tilly and Ellie. Her passion outside of work and home are actively serving with the Preteen ministry at Point Harbor Community Church in Chesapeake.
Dr. Morgan Kline
I first settled with my family in Yorktown, Virginia around the age of 2 through means of the Air Force. After growing up on the peninsula, I traveled down to Wilmington, North Carolina to attend UNC Wilmington and complete my bachelor’s degree in biology. After school, I took a gap year and worked in a small animal emergency clinic in North Carolina as a veterinary assistant under their emergency, internal medicine, and surgery teams. That following year I then traveled back to Virginia to attend the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech and graduated in 2020. After veterinary school, I decided to begin her career as a small animal general practitioner back home in Yorktown. Here, I discovered how important my job is to guide families through the decision of euthanasia, as well as how humbling it is to help pets in their most needed moments. Helping nurture the human animal bond with a peaceful goodbye became a privilege and passion. Now, my family and I reside in Williamsburg, VA. When I’m not at work, I am usually spending time with my husband, Michael, our son, Grey, and our golden retriever, Bruce. Whether walking around Colonial Williamsburg or Yorktown Beach, and occasionally visiting Busch Gardens or Virginia Beach, I enjoy being outside any chance I can get.
Sydney Warner
Sydney Warner, BS, ABCDT, Dip.CBST, IAABC-ADT, Elite FFCP, is the owner and lead behavior care consultant of Clever Critters, LLC in Hampton Roads, Virginia. She has a bachelor’s in psychology from Old Dominion University, focused on animal behavior, and holds many certifications in animal behavior and training, including canine behavior consulting, certified and accredited dog trainer, Elite Fear Free professional, Low Stress Handling, Family Paws Parent Educator, and more. She is a member of multiple organizations dedicated science-backed, humane and ethical pet behavior training and pet parent education.
Sydney began her career in 2010 volunteering at a local animal shelter as a pet photographer, where shortly after she adopted her first rescue dog, Wesley. Not realizing what she was getting in to, she quickly learned that Wesley required additional care for behavioral concerns. This led Sydney down the path of dog training, and shortly after to dog behavior consulting. She worked closely with and for an Associated Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist for two years before taking over Clever Critters in 2014. Since then, Sydney strives to pursue continuing education to provide her clients and their pets the most updated, beneficial, and effective care possible.
Sydney has a special interest in working closely with veterinarians to increase awareness of fear and anxiety in pets during medical care, and works closely with a local veterinarian and their clients on cooperative care and fear free practices for low stress vet visits. Sydney is currently working with her adopted pitbull mix, Miko, towards their Cooperative Care Certification. She also works with her senior cat, Luna, on cooperative care for cancer and other medical treatments.
Clever Critters has grown to include other certified dog trainers and behavior consultants, and Sydney enjoys having a team to help the pet parents of Hampton Roads, Virginia. They additionally offer virtual services and have had clients across the United States.