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    Love Animals?  Maybe You Could Become a Pet Chaplain

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    Lort Smith chief executive Ric Holland expects to make an appointment, which he believes will be a world first, by the end of this month.

    The chaplain will be a minister who will be responsible for pastoral care for pet owners and the hospital’s staff of more than 100.

    “I believe we as an animal hospital need to provide more counselling and support for people who are anxious and distressed,” Mr Holland said yesterday.

    “If someone loses a pet it can have the same sort of emotional impact as losing a family member.

    “Helping people to come to terms with their loss, to open up and hopefully to move on, is a role best done by a chaplain.”

    Mr Holland, himself a Uniting Church minister, says that a third of all telephone calls to Lort Smith are emotional rather than veterinary.

    He said he was concerned for Lort Smith staff and volunteers, who were often traumatised by the rapid turnover of animals with serious illnesses and injuries.

    The hospital has to euthanise about 300 diseased, injured and unwanted animals every month.

    “It’s distressing for our people and traumatic for pet owners, so we need someone who can give a big compassionate ear,” Mr Holland said.

    You can read more here.

    You can't make this stuff up! This is from the Herald Sun in Australia...The Lort Smith Animal Hospital in North Melbourne is advertising for a fully ordained minister to become its pet chaplain.

    Comments

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    1. dcypl on Mon, June 19, 2006

      Ha!

      Those Australians!


      We are always seeking world firsts down here, seriously on the bleeding edge of ministry and missiology.

       

    2. Bart on Tue, June 20, 2006

      Read the article and not just the headline.  This place has a staff of over 100.  We all know that pet lovers do become emotionally attached to thier pets and this could be a very emotional place to work.  This is not a chaplain to the pets, but to pet owners and veterinary staff.

    3. dcypl on Tue, June 20, 2006

      Bart, I can read,


      My work has a staff of over a hundred, we don’t have a Chaplain.  I’m sure people know where to go to see the minister/priest/rabbi of their persuasion. 


      Some people expend more energy caring for and about pets than about people.  My father spent years talking more to the family cat than to his wife or kids.  I acknowledge the grief is real when a pet dies, but it’s just a substitute for real love in relationship.  The companionship provided is not a relationship in the human to human sense, and shouldn’t be confused or brought up to that level.

      Our efforts should be in Nursing Homes and Hospitals not at the Vet.

       

    4. shadowette on Thu, June 22, 2006

      I disagree completely.  There’s a difference between working in a 100 member organization and working in a 100 person hospital.  Be it a pet hospital or other.  Anytime you take on the responsibility of someone or something’s life, you get emotionally tied to it.  Then how do you feel when it dies, and you fail?  Do you know?  I don’t.  I chose not to when I chose to a business major over medical school.  Heck, I’ve been sad when I accidentally killed one of my plants.  I can’t imagine what it would feel like to fail at saving an animal that belonged to someone else.  Besides, don’t most hospitals in the US have staff chaplains for the same reason?  I know that’s why they have them in the military.

      As for the animal companionship, some people do treat their animals as people, and it is wrong.  But what better way to help those people see the error in their ways, than to be there when that animal dies?  Don’t they need to be ministered to as well?  Shouldn’t they be helped BEFORE they get put into a nursing home, or in a hospital?  What if we can help them when their pet dies instead of their spouse or another loved one?  There’s room for ministers everywhere.  What’s so wrong with having one here?  Especially one who’s passionate about the service he is providing.

    5. Pet Dog Blog on Sun, July 20, 2008

      I think there is nothing wrong with loving your animal. That is pretty cold way of saying things dcpl.

    6. Cheap Pocket Bikes on Wed, September 03, 2008

      Great stuff.. I could pick up a lot from this article

    7. Cheap Tramadol on Wed, September 03, 2008

      Thanks a ton for the resource. Much appreciated

    8. dog traveling on Fri, September 05, 2008

      I think that this is a great idea.  There are so many people who rely on their pet for companionship, so the loss is tremendous.  To some this may seem silly, but I bet it wouldn’t to that pet owner.

    9. Lease on Sat, September 06, 2008

      Great stuff.. Thanks a ton for sharing this.

    10. glyco nutrients on Wed, September 10, 2008

      Good post. A pet means a lot to their owners.!

    11. Grand National Bets on Tue, September 16, 2008

      Great point.!

    12. free health cards on Mon, September 22, 2008

      Hahaha, I found it funny. Free Health Cards

    13. Luis on Mon, September 22, 2008

      Great stuff.


      TV Screen Protector Blog

    14. andrew on Mon, October 13, 2008

      losing a pet can have a huge emotional stress upon pet owners.  People today sleep and eat dinner with their dogs. I have a friend you feeds his dogs bottled water. They don’t call it mans best friend for a reason


      pasadena apartments

    15. Martin on Thu, October 23, 2008

      Cool Pic. I love the australians http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/grin.gif

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