Today's episode (part 2 of 2 with Dr. Katherine Compitus) is on a tough but important topic, pet grief. If you are struggling with this or will be in the future, we hope this episode helps you through the grieving process.
Our Guest:

Dr. Katherine Compitus, D.S.W., is a licensed clinical social worker in New York. Her research focuses primarily on clinical social work, the social determinants of health, and the human-animal bond. She is also the founder and chairman of Surrey Hills Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization providing veterinary social work services, including trauma-informed animal-assisted therapy for abuse survivors. Katherine has a Master’s degree in social work from NYU and also a Master’s in Education and a Master's in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter College. She received her doctorate in Social Welfare (Clinical Social Work) from New York University.

Katherine is especially interested in crisis intervention as it relates to the human-animal bond; Recently she has published articles on the clinician’s experience of conducting animal-assisted therapy and the welfare of therapy animals. She is the author of the Zooeyia (zoo-AY-uh) blog at Psychology Today, discussing the myriad of benefits that we get from interacting with animals. She designed and currently teaches the human-animal bond course at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work. Katherine was a teacher prior to becoming a social worker and has almost 20 years of experience working with children and families. Katherine is currently an adjunct lecturer at New York University, Fordham University, and Columbia University and owns Wiggly Pups in New York City, providing training, daycare, and boarding services.
References:
- Dr. Katherine Compitus's Research
- Dr. Katherine Compitus on Twitter
- Dr. Katherine Compitus's Blog on Psychology Today: Zooeyia
- Surrey Hills Sanctuary
- Wiggly Pups (Dr. Compitus's NYC Doggy Daycare)
- Losing Lulu (a Facebook support group for people who have done behavioral euthanasia)
- Brian's memorial tattoo of Sammy (who was found as a stray by Yankee stadium):
- Pet Loss Companion Guide