DURYEA — Comforting the owner over the loss of a pet is no easy task. Luckily, some people are willing to do just that.
Volunteers of Tracey’s Hope Hospice Care Program and Rescue for Domestic Animals, Inc., are trained in lending their services to comfort grieving pet owners, and the organization is holding a class to bring in more volunteers.
“We’re trying to recruit more volunteers to help us out with the hospice program,” said Tracey’s Hope co-founder Marty Kumor.
The program will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22 at St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic Church on North Main Street, Pittston.
Marty’s wife and Tracey’s Hope co-founder, Denise, said she hopes the program will bring awareness to the community about helping grieving pet owners.
The class curriculum includes the psychological and clinical aspects of the dying pet and the grieving owner. A veterinarian, psychologist, priest and the CEO of Tracey’s Hope Organization will speak.
“They have to be trained in the most important thing, which is they do not tell someone they need to euthanize their pet,” said Denise Kumor. “You have to make it their idea and tell them it’s okay and it’s a final act of love. We have to train them on their approach with these things because you can’t go in like a bull in a china shop.”
There will also be Veterinary Tech students from Penn Foster Career School.
The cost to attend the program is $30 per person, which goes backTracey’s Hope.
Tracey’s Hope started in 2004 and is named after Marty and Denise’s Tracey, who passed away from pancreatitis.
According to its website, Tracey’s Hope is a 501c3 non-profit organization serving Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. Its mission is to counsel pet owners on how to care for and prepare them for their terminally ill or elderly pets by helping with managing symptoms and preserving happiness for the pet as long as possible.
Tracey’s Hope also brings euthanasia to the homes of pets when lifesaving treatment is no longer an option.
Tracey’s Hope currently has 47 members which consists of a board of directors, a board of advisors, an animal rights team and more.
Denise hopes this upcoming program will bring in more volunteers.
“We need to have people who can go out on a spur of the moment because sometimes that’s what it is,” she said. “(Marty and I) can’t do it ourselves.”
The organization rescues healthy pets on death row and finds them loving homes. Marty and Denise house pets in their own home until they are adopted.
Marty hopes the hospice it will help spread the word of Tracey’s Hope.
“I’m looking forward to having people come out and find out what we’re all about,” he said. “They can find out how we can help their pets and help them get over their grief. Hopefully, this will give us more people we can rely on, too.”
