Kathy Lighthall jokingly refers to herself as an "over-the-edge animal lover."
The owner of three dogs and four cats, the Scottdale woman also knows the grief of losing a pet. Over 20 years, she's had to euthanize 15 pets.
During a recent visit to her veterinarian, Dr. Henry Croft of the Loyalhanna Veterinary Clinic in Stahlstown, she saw a flyer for a newly formed pet loss support group.
"I think it's just an awesome opportunity for people," Lighthall said. "I know myself it's a difficult process. I do believe you can come through that loss on the other side and feel good about the way things went. The love goes on. I sort of focus on that more than the loss."
The support group is a collaboration between Croft and Seton Hill University's Center for Family Therapy in Greensburg.
Lighthall hopes to attend one of the meetings, held the second Tuesday of the month from 6-7:30 p.m., and feels she may be able to help some people through the grieving process.
According to a national survey of pet owners, the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association found that 63 percent of U.S. households have a pet. In 2007, the survey noted, owners planned to spend more than $40 million on their pets; more than half planned to buy their pets Christmas presents.
Pets provide benefits to owners as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pets can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, alleviate loneliness, and provide opportunities for exercise and socialization.
Given animals' relatively short life spans, most pet owners will at some point deal with their loss.
Well-meaning friends and family may suggest getting another pet.
"It's not like replacing a couch," Lighthall said.
Research from the American Veterinary Medical Association shows that the grieving process following the loss of a pet can closely resemble that experienced by people who have lost a family member or close friend. Support groups or counseling is suggested if the grief is overwhelming.
Croft had long hoped to help form a pet loss support group and last year connected with Dr. Susan Cooley, director of Seton Hill's Marriage and Family Therapy program.
"They were very open to it," Croft said of Cooley. "Finally, somebody recognized there was a need."
Croft said a rather new philosophy in counseling includes adding pets into a genogram, which is a family tree including a person's relationships, when determining how to best help patients.
"Fifty years ago, pets were in the back yard, tied to a box, given scraps," Croft said. "Now they are an integral part of the family."
The university received a $5,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Family Foundation for start-up supplies. Cooley and university graduate students in family therapy run the free program.
It's open to adults children, Cooley said.
The loss of a goldfish or a hamster, or a dog that's been a child's friend for years, can be devastating, Croft said.
Last fall, Christina Bach led workshops for area therapists, faculty and graduate students. The director of clinical social work at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia, she followed that with a workshop for area veterinarians, staff and pet groomers.
"Our vets who attended are very excited about it," Cooley said. "We are dealing with loss and sorrow, and recognize it as being valid."
Similar groups are few and far between.
The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society lists a pet loss support group on its Web site.
Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation in Bridgeville, Allegheny County, observes Pet Memorial Sunday each September. Families gather to commemorate and remember their pets' lives.
"Our culture doesn't acknowledge pet loss," said owner Deb Chebatoris. "This is comforting, it fills a need. People deeply, deeply grieve the loss of their pets."
As someone who's had to euthanize pets, Cooley said she can appreciate how difficult the experience is.
"It's a very disenfranchised grief," Cooley said. "There are not a lot of sanctioned places we can go to and talk about that."
For more information, contact the Center for Family Therapy at 724-552-0339.
Larger text
Smaller text
Print this article
E-mail this article
