What a Gentle Home Goodbye Looks Like

A step-by-step guide to help you feel prepared, supported, and never alone

If you’re here, you may be facing one of the hardest decisions you’ll ever make for your pet.
I’m so sorry.

A Gentle Home Goodbye is designed to support both you and your pet through this time — with calm, comfort, and care, in the place they feel safest: home.

Here’s what you can expect.

Photo: Josie’s Goodbye by Kristoffer Paulsen

1. Contact and gentle planning

You can reach out by phone or book online — whatever feels easiest.

If you’re unsure whether it’s the right time, you’re not expected to have all the answers. A teleconsult or in-home Quality of Life assessment can help guide you through that decision, gently and without pressure.

For families in Melbourne, home visits can be arranged. For those further away, phone consults are available Australia-wide.

2. Arrival and settling in

When I arrive at your home, there is no rush.

We take time to settle in, connect, and allow your pet to remain in their familiar environment — whether that’s on their bed, the couch, or outside in the garden.

You are welcome to have family members present, and other pets too, if that feels right for you.

This time is yours.

3. Comfort comes first — sedation and pain relief

Before anything else, your pet is given gentle sedation and pain relief.

This allows them to fully relax — often drifting into a peaceful, sleepy state. They are not aware of what is happening, and there is no fear or stress.

This step is what makes the process feel calm, soft, and unhurried.

4. The goodbye

Once your pet is deeply relaxed and comfortable, the final medication is given.

This allows them to pass peacefully, without pain — often described as simply falling into a deeper sleep.

You are welcome to stay with them the entire time, hold them, speak to them, and say goodbye in your own way.

There is no right or wrong way to do this — only what feels right for you.

5. Aftercare and keepsakes

After your pet has passed, we move gently at your pace.

If you would like, I can arrange transfer for cremation — whether private or communal — and guide you through the options.

Keepsakes such as paw prints, nose prints, or a lock of fur can be created on request, either at the time or through the crematorium.

For private cremation, ashes are usually returned within 1–4 weeks, with a range of beautiful urns and memorial options available.

6. Ongoing support

The goodbye is not the end of support.

Grief can feel overwhelming, and you don’t have to carry it alone. I offer follow-up care, resources, and a space for any questions that may come up afterwards.

You are welcome to reach out at any time.

A final note

There is no perfect time.
There is no perfect goodbye.

There is only love — doing its best in one of the hardest moments.

A Gentle Home Goodbye is about honouring that love, and giving your pet a peaceful, dignified passing surrounded by everything familiar and safe.