Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Allen.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
With over twenty years of devotion, self-education, inspired creative endeavors and a deep love of animals, I have built my career on assisting pet parents with end of life support for their companion animals through my work as a grief support advocate, an animal hospice practitioner, a licensed spiritual practitioner and a writer of four books about my life with animals and hundreds of poems. After fifteen years of working in veterinary medicine, from the holistic pet food industry, to animal environmentalism and holistic veterinary medicine, I opened my own business in 2021 after working for over seven years for a mobile veterinary practice specializing in end-of-life care. I recognized there was a gap in the educational and support aspect of end-of-life care for the people who cared for their animals, and I felt we could bridge that gap with a unique menu of services and a network of dedicated professionals to refer to. The Caretakers Animal Care has been supporting pet parents for over four years now by bringing reverence, presence and sustainability to end-of-life care and the afterlife of animals. I have always gravitated towards supporting animal welfare professionals in their chosen field with my supportive business The Caretakers Industry Care, producing educational workshops, webinars and one-on-one support, with a strong emphasis on self-care, self-awareness and recognizing and healing trauma. I work closely with the Humane Society of San Diego, supporting their staff in a variety of ways. I feel animal welfare professionals are the roots of this industry and need and deserve specialized support so they can continue their work in their chosen field for as long as they desire. I believe my life’s work is a calling and the truth of my being that will continue to evolve through my love of animals and the humans who devote their lives to them.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been a wonderful journey with so much support along the way from professionals in the field, my friends, family and colleagues. Sure there are challenges but who doesn’t have them? That being said, this has never felt like work. It just feels like an extension of myself, more of me into the world, expanding and exploring and desiring to elevate end-of-life care for animals to that of humans. I truly hope the day will come whereby the thoughts of taking a dog or cat in a car to a clinic to be euthanized will be a thing of the past, for when I see a pet parent leave a clinic with only a collar and a leash, I feel like we have failed to support both people and their pets when they needed it most.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am known for having a soft voice and a gentle response to all calls. I’m from Dublin, Ireland and people tell me my voice helps soothe them, even as they are crying. I am an author and poet and write poems and books about pet loss and my love of animals. What sets me apart is when I go to a home to pick up a deceased pet for aftercare, I sometimes ask folks if they want to pray. I am a licensed spiritual practitioner and I love to pray. Some folks do take me up on it, if it feels right. We also let folks request song choices that we will play when the pet is going through the aquamation process. We offer a prayer ceremony during their aftercare when I pray over the animal and bless their journey onwards. We are all connected, even in death and what we do, even after spirit has left the body – matters. The body matters all the way to the end and when the ashes are ready to go home, I love to bring them and see the pet parents on the other side of the loss, doing better, healing and ready to accept hugs.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see more and more people being devoted and creative in their endeavors to support pet parents with end-of-life care for their companion animals. I hope the fabric of the industry does not become tarnished by a few rotten apples, because unfortunately that can happen; people who think they have a monopoly on end-of-life care for pets and they just don’t. However pet parents need to be diligent in their endeavors to get the right support, trusted referrals and specialized care for their animals at every stage of life and do their own research and homework, particularly when it comes to their aftercare. Getting ashes back just isn’t enough. It’s about who touched the animal along the way, who held it, sang to it, who gently placed it into the urn and who took great pride and joy in packaging everything ready to go home for it’s final journey. It’s an industry that needs to be policed, as does any industry in these times, but it’s not an exclusive one and there is room enough for everyone. The animal planet is calling for change in every area and I truly hope we see pet cancer as a thing of the past because it is taking them in numbers so large it hurts my heart. I hope the folks who work in this industry from veterinarians all the way to people like me, take care of their own hearts before they take care of others and by doing that, we will have a healthier community of people and that makes the animal planet very happy indeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://caretakers-acc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaretakersanimalcare/
- Yelp: caretakersanimalcare
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Elizabeth-Allen/author/B00HB86K94?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=e0e3466c-e733-490d-a7ea-7ed29c689f88
Image Credits
Holly Ireland Kari Coker Sarit & State
