Gail Heller is the Founder of Chance’s Spot, a nonprofit organization exclusive in its focus on pet loss and grief and compassion fatigue: the stress resulting from repeated exposure to injured and abused animals.
She wrote to tell us about an event called Honoring the Animals Candlelight Vigil which will be taking place at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on September 13, 2009, in Louisville, Kentucky. If you’re interested in attending or having your pet’s name noted in the memorial program, read on!
The International Association of Pet Cemeteries has designated the second Sunday in September as National Pet Memorial Day. Honoring the Animals (HTA) is a candlelight vigil that is held in observance of this day. This is our third annual HTA and is sure to be the biggest ever as Author, Sid Korpi, who has written Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss, will be there signing her new book. The book has several stories of how pet loss has positively impacted pet parents, including my story about how Chance’s Spot was founded.
Even if you don’t live in the Louisville area, you can still have your pet’s name listed in our memorial program (and we’ll mail it to you). In the past we have mailed programs and merchandise to countries such as Canada, the U.K., and Germany.
More information about the event, adding a pet’s name to the memorial program, and Sid Korpi’s book can be found at: www.honoringtheanimals.org. You can also make a reservation or get official merchandise there as well.
4 Comments
Anna Marie and I have just launched a business called Celebrative Art. We cater to pet cremation urns and jewelry. All of our items are hand made by artists all over the country. They are more than urns, they are one of a kind pieces of art. If anyone is looking for a special way to remember their beloved lost pet come browse our gallery. http://www.celebrativeart.com
We are dog lovers and respect them as family members. It is neat to see that here is something like this out there.
I too think this is a really neat event. I will definitely have to remember the 2nd Sunday in September and will look to see if there are any events around my area! Please let me know if you know of anything near Ann Arbor, MI.
This is a great idea for people who want to honor their pets after death in a positive and unique way. I’m curious as to how many animals will end up being honored in this vigil.