Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice

When you are forced to say goodbye forever to a family member, you will be grateful to have Lap of Love there with you. After twenty years in our hearts, our beloved Woodrow passed away at home with the compassionate assistance of Dr. Elizabeth. I had called the Lap of Love office and my first contact was with Cheryl. She was, by far, the most perfect person to handle such a delicate, painful call. So compassionate, so sincere, so very caring, she made us all feel better about where this was inevitably to go. Such a beautiful person, on the phone and in her emails to us. When Dr. Elizabeth arrived, with great kindness, she carefully looked to Woodrow’s comfort, mental and physical. Our assembled family sat on the floor with the doctor and Woodrow in his final moments. At home. In his bed. With us. With tears in my eyes as I write, I am thankful that Lap of Love was there to help Woodrow on to his next journey. We had them arrange for cremation, which is a worthwhile additional service. You don’t have to think twice about Lap of Love if you love your pet.

I unfortunately had to put my dog to sleep this past weekend. I had been going back and forth with the decision for a couple months and it had gotten to the point where the decision needed to be made. A neighbor had used Lap of Love before and my husband and I decided to try it out. For a Saturday afternoon appointment, it was only about $ 50 more than going to the vet. I’m so glad we made this decision.
First of all, our pup was totally relaxed. We did not have to deal with getting him to the vet and the panic that ensues with that. The vet that came out was very caring and nurturing to our situation. She gave us all the time we needed with our little guy until we were ready. When it came time to administer the medication, it was a very peaceful process. Oscar (our dog) was surrounded by my husband, myself, and our other dog (Charlie). We were petting him and telling him it was ok the entire time. The vet, Dr. Nicole Garrity, allowed us to carry him out to the car and took care of everything from there. She also sent us a very caring text message and a card expressing empathy and letting us know about a pet loss support group.
I was an emotional wreck and Lap of Love was completely understanding. It was a very peaceful process for our pup to cross the rainbow bridge in the comfort of his own home. I will recommend Lap of Love to all of my friends going forward as this tragic experience was made much easier by this vet.

This is a service that every pet owner should know about! Lap of Love helped me navigate through the worst weekend of my life. For quite a while now I’ve been dealing with a pet with a condition that would eventually become terminal. When I first heard about in-​home euthanasia I was dead set against it as an option. It completely freaked me out and I’m honest enough to admit that the idea of it scared me as well. I started to change my mind the more I thought about it. The vet’s office is a completely cold, unfamiliar environment. There are unknown dogs barking, unfamiliar people moving around, and no scents that he would be used to. When a friend later told me that she had used Lap of Love on her dog she had nothing but gushing praise for them.
My guy had a great quality of life up until about a week and a half ago when I really started to notice him slipping. I was changing my mind hourly about what I was going to do. I called Lap of Love on Saturday and the woman I spoke to was compassionate and patient with me as I asked questions and she explained how they work. She went ahead and took down all of my contact information then because that would not be something I would want to do when I was an emotional wreck. I made the decision Saturday night that Sunday would be the day that I would say goodbye. I called back on Sunday and chose a late afternoon appointment, which was wonderful and horrible at the same time. I told my friend that I didn’t understand how a day could be so excruciatingly long and lightning quick at the same time. I spent a lot of time sitting with him and we did have a great day together. Before I knew it the vet was calling me saying that he was on the way. We discussed everything outside because I didn’t want a strange man’s voice scaring him. I instantly felt at ease with Dr. Barry. He was thorough, compassionate, and let me do everything at my own pace. I went inside and put my guy in his favorite spot. I petted him while the vet came in and quickly gave him a shot containing a sedative. There was a quick, «Hey who are you moment?» but then he gently put his chin down. I got on my stomach and looked into his eyes. While he was falling asleep I was petting him and telling him how much I loved him. While we were waiting for him to fully fall asleep I shared some stories with Dr. Barry about how this dumb animal came into my life. Dr. Barry then gave his paw a spray of cold to see if he would react. He was still breathing but did not react to it at all. That made me feel better because I knew that he wouldn’t be experiencing pain. If you’ve been under anesthesia before you know how that works. Once the vet made sure he was asleep and was not reacting to stimulus he administered the overdose of anesthesia that sent him on his way. Dr. Barry warned me of the natural reactions that could happen from this, but there weren’t any. There was no pain and no reaction. Just a peaceful sleep in his favorite place. After he passed Dr. Barry stepped out so that I could bawl my eyes out in private. I thought that the event would be traumatic but in a way seeing him pass away so peacefully actually helped me. I didn’t want to say goodbye, but since I had to this was exactly what I would have wanted. Him passing away in my living room wasn’t horrible. It was a beautiful thing. He didn’t die alone. He didn’t die in a scary place surrounded by strangers. He died completely stress-​free in his favorite spot looking into my eyes. It hurts right now but it makes me happy that I could give him this one last gift to thank him for all the love and companionship he gave me over many years. I would choose in-​home euthanasia again in a heartbeat.
Lap of Love’s services aren’t cheap, but considering that a veterinarian is coming to you I think that they are fair. I chose the private cremation option, which meant that Dr. Barry took him and would ensure that he was cremated alone. Not having to deal with that was a weight off of my shoulders. I had previously researched pet crematoriums that would come to your house and retrieve your pet. Lap of Love charges a fee that was comparable. You do have to pay extra for Lap of Love to come to your house on a weekend, but that is also understandable.
I thank Lap of Love and Dr. Barry from the bottom of my heart. I’ll tell everyone I know with a pet about them.

I want to thank Lap of Love from the bottom of my heart for providing the best and most peaceful way for our old girl Kamir to move onward.
The vet who came to our house on Monday August 4^th was incredibly caring, kind, and patient. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Far superior to the cold and scary environment of a vet’s office.
I will recommend this service to anyone with an animal that is at the end of their time. It was so amazing to be able to let our dog pass away in her own bed, in our living room, surrounded by everything she knew and loved.
The price is extremely fair and comes with a clay paw imprint. I don’t think I could ever opt for anything but in-​home euthanasia from this point forward.

Sadly, last year in August, my 14 year old soul pet, Solomon (a chow/​shep mix) was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer. While he was seemingly healthy and still happy at the time of his diagnosis, I knew i had no choice but to emotionally prepare myself and also develop a plan for his inevitable and imminent passing.
I had decided that when the time came, i wanted it done at home where Solomon was his happiest and not at the vet’s office where he was always anxious and trying to leave. I couldn’t bring Solomon to his least favorite place for his final moments. It just didn’t seem right.
Through some Google searches, I stumbled upon Lap of Love and I filled out the online form giving info about my situation and Solomon’s predicament and even sent them a photo of Solomon because the form offered the option to submit a photo of your pet. Within hours of submitting the form, Dr. Mary sent me an email that was no «stock, auto-​response everyone gets it» message. It was a lengthy and very personal message from her… she complimented Solomon’s obvious good looks :)… and also offered some kind and supportive words. I honestly felt immediate comfort knowing that these people really existed and were going to be there to help when I needed them.
Over a period of about 4.5 months, Solomon had mostly ups but some downs squeezed in between. Solomon was the first dog I ever had and so this was the first time I ever needed to try and evaluate quality of life and to know when the time was «right». I turned to Dr. Mary at least a dozen times for some advice, some opinions, and sometimes just for an attentive and sympathetic ear. She offered all those things, she always was available and she was always exactly what I needed to feel better. On one occasion she even spent over an hour on the phone with me, an hour of unpaid time that she gave just to me — just because she understands, just because she gets it, and just because she’s a genuinely caring, animal loving person.
On Christmas day, I could really tell for certain and for the first time that Solomon wasn’t himself. He was tired and just wasn’t feeling so good. On December 26^th when he was still not seeming himself, I contacted Dr. Mary told her that I felt like the time was soon. We agreed to meet face to face, a meeting that i dreaded for months, on December 28^th. Dr. Mary arrived at our house at the time scheduled that day and she met us for the first time… only she wasn’t a stranger and Solomon, oddly, didn’t treat her like one. He was not a big fan of strangers, especially in his house, but he immediately greeted Dr. Mary and plopped down next to her on the floor where she sat on my family room rug and looked at an amazing scrap book, a tribute to Solomon’s life, that my sister gave us as a Christmas gift. Dr. Mary listened to stories about him and brought all of us comfort while we all sat sharing Solomon’s last hour of life.
She waited until we were ready. She was in no rush. She very kindly gave Solomon the medicine that made his pain go away forever. She made paw prints for us– one for me and one for my niece and snipped some fur for us to keep… And she took Solomon with her when she left. I can’t even type this without crying and not a day has passed that I haven’t felt heartbroken over missing Solomon. That was a hard day for many people in my family, but I swear I could not have made it through in one piece if I would’ve done it any other way. Thanks to Dr. Mary and the service that she and the rest of Lap of Love provide, I can at least feel good about Solomon passing with dignity and in his favorite peaceful environment rather than on a cold floor/​table in a vet’s office.
Face it, losing a pet just plain sucks but unless your pet outlives you, the day will come when you will say goodbye. Dr. Mary did something huge for me and for Solomon that day. It can’t be easy to watch and assist treasured pets pass away on a daily basis but she does it anyway. She sees people on their worst days and pets in their weakest moments– the service Lap of Love offers is priceless. It made an unbearable experience… bearable. The cost of this is hardly more than what a vet’s office would charge. But again, it’s a priceless service.
I wish I could give them 100 stars, but five will do. I’ve recommended Lap of Love over and over and I will continue to suggest their services every chance I get and to anyone who will listen.
— Jennifer :)