LegacyWorks End- of-Life-Doula Services
-
Your Animal Companion is...
… a member of your family. As they reach end of life, it’s important for you to prepare so that you can spend as much quality time with them in as low stress an environment as possible.
-
When They Do Pass...
… it’s vital that you have time to mourn and to remember them in a supportive environment. Not every one grieves in the same way or reaches the same stage of the grief process at the same time but there are some activities with which you can channel your grief into loving remembrance.
-
Legacywork...
… is the process of memorializing your animal companion through art, storytelling, service, or in any other number of ways that allows you to find joy in the life that you shared and the memories you hold close while carrying unconditional positive regard for you and your grieving process. We are here to share and support, never to judge.
Workshops
Preparing for Your Animal Companion’s End-of-Life
(2 hours)
It’s unfortunate for us that our animal companions can’t make their wishes known the way people can. Making end-of-life decisions for them is a tremendous and difficult task, especially during a time when we, as their humans, just want to spend those final hours and days giving them as much uninterrupted love and attention as possible.
While there is little a doula can do to ease your grief , we can help ease your anxiety and give you the gift of more focused time with your companion by helping you create an advanced directive for them. You can decide ahead of time which treatments you do and don’t want to provide for your companion, whether or not you’re willing to agree to hospital stays, when you want them to enter hospice, and if there are conditions under which you wish to euthanize them. Sharing this plan with your vet will help them understand your thoughts regarding your companion’s care and help align expectations and keep channels of communication open between all caregivers.
The decisions are one hundred percent yours to make; I am your guide through this process only and please know that the Advanced Directive can be disregarded or voided at any time.
You will leave this workshop with a completed Advanced Directive for your animal companion as well as a bucket list for them.
An Animal Companion Memoir Workshop
(starts at 2 hours)
Biographies are factual - the good one’s anyway. They’re based on verifiable research and, even when they have an agenda, even when they’re biased, they are, hypothetically, true. Memoirs are biographies from, as the sage once said, “a certain point of view.” They aren’t necessarily factual. They don’t have to be true. A memoir is about how the writer wants to be seen. It’s about how they want to be remembered.
The only difference here is while you’re technically the writer, you’re going to be in the mindset of your animal companion and you’re writing their memoir in their honor.
The purpose of this workshop is allow you to connect with your companion on a level you might never have considered: from their point of view. It allows you to delve into their personality, their quirks, their likes and dislikes. What they thought about their toys. The kids. Your weird Aunt Edna. When the store didn’t have the right food that one night so you got something that looked and smelled exactly the same to you. That time you decided to take them on vacation. Why they had to hump the recliner.
What they thought about you.
Though this seems like a lighthearted exercise, there will be feelings. That’s okay. This is a safe space. People can share if they wish but there will be no pressure to do so. We can stop and talk whenever people need to, crying is encouraged, and if you need to leave, that’s okay too. You don’t need to be a writer to be here. You just need to have loved an animal companion.
A Legacy In Art And Craft
(starts at 2 hours)
There are more types of artistic expression in the world than there are people. Everyday, I find something new I want to learn how to do.
It is, however, a universal experience of human companions to love our animal companions.
This workshop is meant to bring people who share the later to create a diverse legacy for their animal companions who have passed on.
Bring whatever supplies you think you might want to need. I’ll bring some extras - usually paper, markers, some watercolors, and charcoal, but who knows what I might find. If you’re willing to share, phenomenal, if not, that’s great too; the most important thing you can bring is you. We’ll talk while we work, about our companions if people want, or about other things. Or maybe, we’ll just generate ideas - last time I led this workshop, we brainstormed a quilt made from the scraps of various dog beds and blankets the human companion wasn’t ready to part with but couldn’t keep all of.
Feelings are welcome. It’s okay to cry, we usually do. If you need to step out or leave, that’s okay to. If you just want to sit and listen, there’s a chair for you. We’re glad you came.
Workshops are offered free through the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Workshops booked privately are charged on a sliding scale. Please fill out the form if you’re interested in booking and we’ll get back to you within 48 hours.
