New booklet to help you help your animal!

What is one of the most difficult things for any animal lover and pet parent to hear? It’s being told by the vet that your animal’s illness is terminal. What do I do now? How can I best support my animal friend? What is the best way forward for our family? These are just a … Read more

What Does Everyone Love, Want & Need?

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I wanted to create a meaningful and helpful blog post for this holiday season, one that would apply to animals and people. I recalled a post I wrote back in December 2014 when I had my own personal blog. I thought it might be the perfect message for today and every day of the year. Although … Read more

It’s All About Love and Support, and It Starts with You!

Woman with two cats one dog

NEW BRIGHTHAVEN BOOKLET!!! BrightHaven President and Founder Gail Pope is putting the finishing touches on an important booklet called Following Your Heart: Navigating a Terminal Diagnosis. Her wish is to help you walk this often-challenging path with a deeper sense of peace, confidence and clarity. ***UPDATE:  This booklet is now available!*** Buy Follow Your Heart: … Read more

You Can Help BrightHaven Reach for the Stars!

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We’re very excited to share with you how BrightHaven’s work has been helping even more animals!     BrightHaven President and Founder Gail Pope recently recorded a presentation called “Understanding the Animal Dying Experience” for the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC), the premier industry organization. We’re really proud to say that this … Read more

What Really Matters Most Each & Every Day

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I often feel uncomfortable when I hear that an animal or person has been given a specific number of days, weeks or years to live when they receive a terminal diagnosis. When it comes right down to it, who actually knows? None of us has an expiry date stamped in ink across our forehead! Of … Read more

It’s time to bring back the dog energy!

Rosie & Ziggy-blog-Blanca Walker-5

Meet Rosie and Ziggy! They recently joined our Hospice/Specialized care unit! BrightHaven President and Founder Gail Pope shares their stories: “During the last several years as we realized the sanctuary property may be in jeopardy, we made the decision that the BrightHaven sanctuary should stop accepting new lifetime residents—clearly a good one as things have … Read more

What a Perfect Way to Help & Honor Animals!

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***THESE SHIRTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT OUR BRIGHTHAVEN STORE***: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-brighthaven-store/ At BrightHaven, we are committed to helping animals and we honor them for the many ways they help us humans. For example, how many times has a special animal shown up in our lives just when we needed them most, essentially rescuing us? And how … Read more

The New Year Brings a New Chapter for BrightHaven!

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It’s a brand-new year, and BrightHaven is starting a brand-new chapter! The Santa Rosa (Northern California) sanctuary property has been sold, and our sanctuary is officially closed. However, BrightHaven as an organization is NOT going away! We’ve been caring for abandoned animals since 1990 and we will continue our critically important work of serving senior … Read more

Bidding Farewell to Lily & Sophie

BrightHaven’s President & Co-Founder Gail Pope recently honored Lily and Sophie with moving memorials. In Memory of “Big Dog” Lily (Written December 30, 2018) “At 324am on Friday 29th December 2017 BrightHaven bade fare-thee-well to our dearest Lily dog, AKA “Big Dog” (she was affectionately called Big Dog by Blanca as she was small in … Read more

Loss of Beloved Animal or Human, Grief is Grief is Grief

As BrightHaven’s Gail Pope wrote in “The Art of Dying—What Animals Teach Us” article that recently appeared in the Natural Transitions online magazine: “The death of a beloved animal companion is one of the most difficult things we as animal lovers ever face. In my experience, sometimes this loss is more difficult than that of … Read more