Pets causing grief

I must be quite insensitive. I am sympathetic to anyone who is grieving. Here’s a man offering care and compassion to those in grief. OK. But what are they
praying about do you think?

St. Francis loved animals because they
were God’s creatures. This looks like something quite
different.

Concentrating on persons with the same intensity
sometimes shown to pets, would be a good remedy for what ails us.

"A lot of pet owners view their dogs and cats as members of the family," said Michael Davidson, director of veterinary medical services at the school. "If they lose a pet, it has the same sort of emotional impact as losing a child or a spouse. We need to recognize that."

To Gierka, a publications manager at NCSU, the role of pet chaplain is needed in a society that has not yet accepted the human-animal bond as a valid relationship, which is often felt most acutely in death.

His approach to chaplaincy is inter-faith. Reared a Roman Catholic, Gierka is now a member of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh. He said he's careful not to impose any religious view on the pet owners he counsels, but to bring in spiritual elements if they so desire.

Last year, for example, his friend Pam Carpenter lost her cocker spaniel, Niki. Gierka offered to conduct a memorial service, playing classical guitar pieces and reciting spiritual prayers. He encouraged Carpenter and her husband to share memories of Niki.