Stepping Into a New Role
On the last Saturday in June, I had the honor of becoming an ordained animal chaplain through the Compassion Consortium. Since September, I’ve worked with my cohort, affectionately known as the Ophidia or Snake cohort, thanks to this being the year of the Yin Wood Snake, to explore all things spiritual, religious, and philosophical, and learn how to listen and hold space for animals and the humans who care for them.
While I’m certain this whole thing may seem a bit out there for some folks, what I’ve learned and worked through over these past 10 months has helped me evolve in unexpected ways. I hope that in the years to come, more shelters, veterinary offices, animal sanctuaries, wildlife rehabilitation centers, farms, and other organizations will turn to animal chaplains to help guide clients through challenging times and support employees and volunteers through compassion fatigue.
In the coming years, I hope to use what I’ve learned and build on it by:
Continuing to provide end-of-care to animals and their caretakers in the form of last day planning, end-of-life education, funeral services, and memorials.
Building on my side business dedicated to keeping seniors and their pets together.
Working to provide my services to area vet clinics and shelters by assisting clients experiencing stressful situations with their animals, and to vet and shelter employees who need space to unpack their challenging work.
And, of course, I’ll continue to provide the best care possible to my critters by staying humble and listening to their needs. Similar to any caregiver of any living being, I know I’ll continue to make mistakes and have bad days. But as long as I keep learning from missteps, I know I’ll continue to evolve into a better version of myself.
If you want to learn more about my work in this role, head to my animal chaplaincy page.
