Paws To Sleep

31/07/2024

Thinking of this lovely family who we attended recently.

Margot was such a beautiful old lady but still so cheeky and true to terrier!! Absolutely adore the way this family held her as she drifted gently off to sleep - with the support of sedatives - in the comfort of her own home. Here is a lovely tribute/testimonial from Sarah (the guardian) to Sarah (at Paws to Sleep)!

'Dear Sarah and your lovely daughter,

Margot had always been a lively and cheeky girl that loved nothing more than running in the woods chasing squirrels and loudly greeting other dogs she came across. She was very nervous of any vet visits and was distressed for a time afterwards too. So when Margot reached nearly 15 years old and had lost some of her get up and go, was confused/anxious and very unsteady on her feet, we decided that we wouldn't put her through that stress any more and when the time was right we contacted Sarah to come to our home for compassionate euthanasia.
This was obviously a very emotional decision to make as a family but Sarah made the whole process easy to understand and on the day out us all at ease including Margot.
The kindness that you and your daughter showed us was huge and Margot was able to pass calmly and beautifully in my arms with us all surrounding her.
We thank you with all our hearts
Sarah, Shaun, Daisy and Sam Jewitt

If anyone needs help with end of life care at home for your dog, cat or rabbit, please contact Sarah at Paws to Sleep on 07967815802, 9-5, 7 days a week, or email [email protected] and for more information www.pawstosleep.co.uk
We cover all of Gloucestershire and surrounding areas

09/07/2024

I recently attended the home of this beautiful chap, Bailey. What a dude!! I could stare into those eyes all day! Bailey was a wonderful dog, so super-friendly, and Bethany shared with me how special he was, and it was clear how he was so loved and adored. The family were super-lovely and responsible and held Bailey so beautifully throughout the process of sedation and euthanasia. He lay in the garden with his head on Bethany’s lap and slowly drifted off to sleep. To observe this was an absolute gift.

Rose and Beth also chose to use Atypical Pet Crematorium for Bailey’s aftercare and I transferred Bailey to Ashley’s amazing care and they were reunited the following day.

A couple of days later we received super-cute cards from the family:
“Dear Sarah and Ashley,

Thank you for making the hardest day of our lives a little easier.
Thank you for treating our boy Bailey “Chunk” with such love, kindness, dignity and respect.
It has been such a comfort to know he was in good hands on his final journey.
He knew nothing but love from good people even after death.

Love from Bethany, Rose and The Hoskins family.”

I love when clients keep in touch, and Bethany was able to share with me how grateful they are for the empathy and compassion shown, and remarked how peaceful Bailey's final journey was and how I was so patient with them and they will never forget that, and more recently, that they miss Bailey deeply but they are smiling more than crying when remembering the wonderful memories. I have no doubt, as he seemed such a wonderful dog.

Thank you, Bethany, Rose and family, for allowing us to share your story. It was an honour to support you all.
With love,
Sarah and Ashley 🥰

If anyone needs help with end of life care for your dog or cat in the comfort of your own home, please contact Sarah on 07967815802 or [email protected] 🐾✨

29/06/2024

Ashley at Atypical Pet Crematorium and I recently received this lovely testimonial from C&A near Monmouth and this super-gorgeous photo.

"Dear Sarah and Ashley
It’s two weeks now since we lost Archie and this is still a very hard email to write but it’s also a very necessary one, because the work you both do is so valuable. You make the unbearable bearable.
Archie was a pretty typical rescue collie – hyper-anxious, hyper-suspicious, hyper-alert. We always knew that, when the end came, we couldn’t take him in to our vet (however lovely she might be) because his stress levels would have gone off the charts. He would have fought death just as hard as he’d fought so much of his early life. So, to have him safe at home in his favourite bed, his head on our knees, so carefully and compassionately sedated, just able to relax and slowly, gently drift away – well, it was as good as it can be. It was the last gift we could give him and you both made it possible. You are very special people and we count ourselves lucky to have come across you when we did; as lucky as we were when we first came across Archie.
To anyone reading this who might be in any doubts about calling on Sarah’s service, don’t be: she is exceptional. Her kindness and gentleness with Archie made all the difference – to him and to us.
Look after yourselves – the work you both do must come at a considerable emotional cost and is all the more precious for that.
With love and thanks
C&A"

We want to share this here (and far) to support other pet guardians to make the most supportive decision when faced with the end of life care of their pet. For compassionate and peaceful, at-home pet euthanasia and, if required, an amazing, dignified after-care service, please contact Sarah, 9am-5pm, 7 days a week, on 07967815802 or [email protected]
🌈✨

17/04/2024

Gorgeous tribute and testimonial from meltingly gorgeous guardian of the most wonderful Peggy, get your tissues ready. Much love, J, an honour to support you ✨🥲🌹💞🙏💖

“Peggy arrived in our lives as a 9 month old rescue, turning our world upside down in the best way. She was the funniest, stubborn, greediest and loving (on her own terms!) huge, leggy and beautiful greyhound. My first ever dog, and simply the finest and most beautiful girl around. She excelled in cruising by unsuspecting visitors and very gently removing anything tasty they may have in their hands. Her long legs meant that all food had to be stored well out of reach and she was known to excavate entire cakes from their tins when just out of the oven if you dared to turn your back.

We had so many adventures together with her sidekicks Bob and Molly; she was an adept camper, refused to lie on any floor unless you made a nest of coats, scarves and anything else on offer, she ran like the wind, dug the garden up constantly and returned our love in bucketloads.

We really didn’t want to let her go but we knew that, when it was time, it would be at home, in her ‘big boss’ spot in front of the wood burner, Molly and Bob there with her. We were so fortunate that the vet was unable to attend so they gave us Sarah’s number.

She was with us within a couple of hours and from the minute we met her we knew it was the best decision we could have made. She was so utterly lovely, professional and gentle with our old girl. Although we were heartbroken at letting Peggy go, she put our minds at ease immediately and seemed to instinctively know what we needed.

Words can’t really express how grateful we are to have Sarah help Peggy to leave us in the most peaceful way possible. We can’t quite believe she’s gone, but we were so lucky to have her, what a joy she was.

Sarah, you really are a special person, we can never thank you enough xx.”
J, Cheltenham

11/04/2024

😆

03/04/2024

Paws to Sleep has undertaken additional training in supporting guardians in preparing for end of life of their companion animals; and in the process of assisting pets to pass over super-peacefully, especially focusing on "bond-centred" and at-home euthanasia. This training was undertaken with Compassion Understood and Paws to Sleep has been awarded their platinum award. Compassion Understood not only provides training for professionals in this field, but has a huge array of resources available to guardians including exploring the human-animal bond, planning for goodbye and saying goodbye as well as pet loss support and we recommend using their resources alongside Paws to Sleep webpage content.
www.pawstosleep.co.uk
www.compassionunderstood.com

13/03/2024

On Sunday afternoon, Paws To Sleep received an urgent call to help Winnie. She had collapsed and D knew straight away the time, that she knew was coming, had come. I was able to go straight to Winnie who was clearly in pain and I gave her an anaesthetic injection under the skin as well as a strong pain killer and sedative into her muscle and within minutes she was relaxed and peaceful and ready for me to assist her to pass over. Ashley and I at Atypical Pet Crematorium kept in touch from the moment I received the call, so Ashley was able to come and meet us at D & Winnie's house once Winnie had passed over and support. Below is the gorgeous email from D. Thinking of you. Much love, Sarah and Ashley

"Dear Sarah and Ashley

I want to thank you both for being available when little Winnie needed you .
We knew she didn’t have long however it all happened so fast and Sarah was with us within half an hour.
This meant Winnie did not suffer any further discomfort after collapsing.
She called Ashley and everything went so smoothly.
Winnie was relaxed and ready to float away in the comfort of her own bed and home with her loved ones beside her.
I couldn’t have asked for a more peaceful goodbye for her.
Ashley was here straight after to take Winnie away and she was back with us the very next day.
This has made the grieving and loss much more bearable, she’s here til
We decide where to lay her rest.
As with many vets mine uses out of hours and being a Sunday to I knew I had to act fast so Winnie could go quickly.
We as humans do not have the benefit of such care and speed when we are dying.
So with that I want this review to be shared to all.
Make note of these 2 wonderful people as our fur babies are part of the family and the loss is as losing a close family member.
5 star review to -
Paws To Sleep
And Atypical Pet Crematorium"
Thank you, D, it was an honour to support you, and we love the pictures too xx

05/03/2024

I'm still surprised to know that many people are not aware that having their beloved pet put to sleep in the comfort of their own home is an option, thinking that taking them to the vet is the only way for their pet to have an assisted passing. I also often hear that vets are struggling to make home visits and that people then feel like they have to take their pet into the vet surgery for euthanasia. This is why Paws to Sleep was launched - so that more people could have their pets put to sleep, super-peacefully, in their own homes when your vet is not able to attend when it is needed.

Recently I attended the home of J&J to assist their gorgeous Paddy to move on in a most delicate and true way. What I loved about J is that she always knew that, if at all possible, this completion of Paddy's life would be taking place at home, and so when she contacted her vet to ask for them to attend, her vet was able to give her my number so I could attend and support. And here is the email received by myself and Ashley of Atypical Pet Crematorium, the amazing man I work with, who provides an aftercare service with absolute integrity.

Thank you, J&J, for your lovely words, and for giving us the permission to share your story far and wide because "you want the world to know how wonderful we are." We are thinking of you 🥹🥰

"Good morning Sarah and Ashley,

Well it’s been a week now without Paddy and I’ve only just managed to bring myself to write you this email of thanks.

We got paddy from the dogs trust when he was around 4 years old. He was found abandoned in Ireland and bought to the UK for re homing, when I went to dogs trust at first I walked passed paddy as all the other dogs were jumping around and barking, on my way out I noticed this dog who looked at me deep in the eyes as if to say please take me home at this moment I knew he was meant for me love at first sight.

We lived in Norfolk at the time and he loved the countryside we would walk for miles through the winding countryside and through the forest. 5 years later we got him a brother Murphy a Jack Russel in no time at all they became the best of friends. They are my beautiful boys.

Although we had paddy for 15 years towards the end his hearing went and his back legs started to go, I knew that his time was coming to an end and never wanted to take him to the vets, I didn’t want his final moments to be stressed and clinical.

Last Saturday morning I woke up to find him on the floor and we could not get him up I knew the day I was dreading was here. When you came into my home you put me at ease with the process, I can only describe you as an angel who looked after my Paddy in his final moments. Although it was a heartbreaking situation it was so beautiful as it was so peaceful and the most respectful gift I could have given Paddy.

On Wednesday we were reunited with paddy as we drove through the beautiful countryside to collect him it reminded me when we lived in Norfolk and this again felt so beautiful. Ashley again put me at ease another Angel. You both are such compassionate people and I can’t thank you enough.

So Murphy is adjusting to life without his brother and so are we but we have comfort in knowing he was looked after right up to the end.

Thank you both so much

J&J"
🥲😇

25/02/2024

Lovely review left by a lovely client recently! Thank you

24/01/2024

Email from totally devoted guardians of Duke sent to Ashley at Atypical Pet Crematorium and I, shared with permission:
"Our Dukie beagle was struggling with lymphoma.
I telephoned Sarah of Paws to sleep, she was so understanding. Dukie was never a happy patient at the vets and we didn’t want her to be upset on her last journey.
Sarah came to our home, quiet and calm. Dukie ate her favourite snacks until she fell asleep.
Forever grateful to Sarah for putting us straight in a kind way when we wavered about whether it really was DUKIE’s time to go. It absolutely was in hindsight.
We chose to take Duke to Ashley at atypical pet crematorium. Ashley was so kind and so respectful of Dukie. We knew Duke was in safe hands. Ashley took time to speak to us and we had more time with Dukie before leaving her with Ashley. We collected DUKIE’s ashes the very next day, beautifully cherished in a little jute bag with her name on in wooden carved letters.
Forever grateful to you both,
Dukie, Barb and Briar x"
Thank you, Barb and Briar, we are thinking of you 😘

13/01/2024

Received this email from a client this week with permission to share - beautiful appreciation and confirmation of the service we provide - super-adoring guardians of the gorgeous Millie 🥰💝

“Thank you so much for your kindness and for the professional yet very caring way you helped Millie and us. We are so fortunate to have found you as you made it all so much more bearable. Your obvious love of animals shone through from the moment you approached Millie – she was immediately at ease and that made so much difference to us. You didn’t rush anything and gave all the time that was needed to do things kindly and gently, talking to Millie the whole time. We are so grateful.” 🥹🙏❤️

Anyone who would like their pet to pass over peacefully at home when that time comes can contact us on 07967815802, PM or [email protected] 🐾💗

10/01/2024

Here is a tribute sent to us from a lovely couple in Monmouth area. They were the most gorgeous guardians and Meg was entirely devoted to them. 🥰💕🐾

“We said goodbye to our beautiful Meg last Saturday. She was the most loving and gentle dog and we count ourselves very fortunate that twelve and a half years ago, she chose us. Saying goodbye was incredibly difficult, however with the kind and considerate support of Sarah we were able to help her leave us calmly, quietly and held by us to the end. We are thankful for the love and joy Meg gave us and we hope that she felt the same. Anyone who has lost a family dog will know the hole that is left and how difficult it is to make the right decision, but Sarah’s professionalism, empathy and compassion certainly helped us say goodbye and we would highly recommend her to anyone who has to make a similar decision. Thank you Sarah, we miss Meg terribly but we do know that she is resting peacefully now.”

17/12/2023

Gorgeous tribute sent to us today from Ceri in South Wales. Thank you, Ceri, for sharing. Molly was precious indeed. Such a beautiful girl.

"Just four days ago we had to say goodbye to our best friend, our soulmate Molly 😢 we had this sweet girl for nearly 14 years . We loved her dearly every single second, she was such a sweet companion who never left our sides. Molly was there through all our dark days and the good she was always there wanting cuddles and kisses but as the years passed her little cheeks started turning silver and she began to become an old lady 🤍 she plodded on as best as she could until she could do no more 😢 Wednesday morning we made the tough decision to call Sarah at paws to sleep to see if she could help us . Sarah came to us that day , she talked us through the whole process she was so gentle and loving with Molly ( we could see that Molly took a shine to Sarah straight away) well myself and my husband included. I hated the thought of having to take Molly out of her own home to somewhere so clinical and cold but all that was taken away from us . Molly was home in our arms when she peacefully went to sleep 😢 it made a sad , upsetting situation easier for all of us 🤍 we will be forever grateful to Sarah for what she has done for us all 🤍 love always Ceri , Dale and our Molly 🐾🐾🐾"

14/12/2023

Paws to Sleep offers at-home euthanasia for dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Sarah comes to your home, gently sedates your pet so that they can fall asleep at home with minimal stress. Many people hope that their pet would fall asleep at home on their own accord, but, in reality, the vast majority of our pets have an assisted death to alleviate suffering, which is our absolute responsibility to take care of when the time comes. Paws to Sleep makes the euthanasia process akin to your pet falling asleep at home, surrounded by their guardians, by using sedatives first and then allowing your pet to lie down and fall asleep, before proceeding to euthanasia; and you are able to remain close to your pet or hold your pet throughout if you would like to. Sometimes vet practices find it difficult to attend your home during busy clinic hours and this is why Paws to Sleep was set up, to support vet practices and their clients and pets alike. We are available seven days a week, including Bank Holidays, and can usually visit same day. And as much as we hope you don’t need this service on Christmas Day, it does sometimes happen, and we are there to support you. You can contact us 9am-5pm, and we do have evening appointments too. www.pawstosleep.co.uk for further details. Please PM us or contact us on 07967815802 or [email protected]

We offer euthanasia of cats, dogs and rabbits in Gloucestershire and surrounds

10/09/2023

I have the absolute pleasure of working with this amazing man! We work together to help people and their pets at this difficult time. It could have been hard to find someone who can work with clients in the same way I do, who holds as much integrity and respect, empathy???…nope, Ashley is all of that and more and he was right there and we love working together supporting each other and others around us …Sooo blessed. 💫✨♥️

10/09/2023

Gorgeous Nana and some of what she shared with, and inspired in, her beautiful family. Very lovely to meet you all, Catherine, an honour to help to support Nana to have a very peaceful passing and always love working with Ashley from Atypical Pet Crematorium - he’s such a gem 💜

We said goodbye to this beautiful lady on Sunday evening. Nana, our very special girl decided it was her time to leave us. I'm trying to smile more than cry; she's left us with lots of precious memories and I will be forever grateful that she chose us.

She showed me so much - how to be fully present, how to always be optimistic, how to rest and how to be loyal and trusting. She really was a wise soul.

I don't know how to thank Ashely from Atypical Pet Crematorium and Sarah from Paws to Sleep enough - just knowing you were there to help her last moments in this life and help us make the hardest decision ever really was an incredible support to us all this weekend. You made it possible for her to pass over at home, surrounded by love, dignified, calmly and gently. You treated her and us with love, compassion and true empathy and thanks to your service we were able to bring her home the next day to be back with us while we grieve together - thank you.

08/09/2023

Beautiful sharing by Linda Knight - we helped her gorgeous Oscar to pass very peacefully at home in one of his favourite spots 💫 and lovely Ashley extends the integrity of our work by collecting Oscar super respectfully and reuniting Linda and Oscar 24h later ♥️. We are thinking of you and your family, Linda 💗

First I want to thank every lovely person who sent me messages on the passing of my lovely Oscar. I hope I acknowledged or answered everyone. He is already back home thanks to the lovely people who helped me at this saddest time. I would like to mention both of them on here as what they offered me was so special. They are independent businesses who team up if that is what you want. Paws To Sleep is the lovely vet Dr Sarah Clayton who only carries out at home euthanasia. Oscar was able to pass lying on my lap in the sunshine in one of his favourite places. Then the lovely Ashley from Atypical Pet Crematorium arrived and when I was ready to let Oscar go after we had cuddled him and talked to him he carried him gently away. He was cremated and returned to me just 24 hours later. I still can’t believe I had to let him go but it was the right time for him and Sarah and Ashley made it much easier for myself and his human sisters. Thank you Senior Staffy Community for your love. The picture is Oscar and his fur sister Juno a year ago enjoying a puppy ice cream. ❤️

31/07/2023

Here is a beautiful testimonial: an email I received from Ellie after I helped her "Best Boy," Joe, pass over last week. I melted when I met this pair. So very gorgeous, also, to receive photos of Joe in his prime.

"I just wanted to say thank you again for what you did today - I was so nervous about the whole process having never had to go through it before but you made everything simple, explained what you were doing and were so gentle. I thought I would be in floods of tears throughout which I didn't want, but because we were able to have a chat about your dogs and have a bit of a laugh it put me at ease so I could be brave for him. The fact that he could have his last moments on his own couch, that I didn't have to cry in front of strangers in a waiting room, and that he could sleep on his favourite scratchy old blanket, meant the world to me. I loved Joe to the moon and back and will miss him so much (crying now!), but we couldn't have asked for a more peaceful ending. You were professional but importantly you were so friendly and empathetic too. Thank you for making a painful time easier."

16/07/2023

We offer euthanasia of cats, dogs and rabbits in Gloucestershire and surrounds

11/07/2023

Beautiful review left for us by Caroline Edwards after we supported her gorgeous Viszla, Bean, to pass over. Thank you, Caroline, for sharing.

09/07/2023

This is a tribute to our awesome beautiful wise 20 year old rescue collie cross Katie who for 16 wonderful years was the best friend in the world to everyone in our big family. She was the perfect gentle loving pet who never showed impatience nor aggression and who loved everyone in our family as much as we loved her. She watched us all closely and always knew if any one of us was upset in any way…and provided love and comfort to all of us at all times. She saw us through the very worst and the very best of times. When her time came she was in so much pain (although never complained) and finally couldn’t really eat nor drink. She always hated going in the car and going to the see the vet, (although tolerated it for our sakes). So…..thanks to Sarah and her very humane, personal, gentle and responsive service Katie’s suffering wasn’t prolonged… she died relaxing… sleeping in her favourite shady place in our garden surrounded by the family she loved. So peaceful…. She just went to sleep and we all had the chance to say goodbye and to thank her and tell her how much she was loved. No other agency I contacted (in desperation to help our beloved pet) were as personally supportive.. and none were flexible enough to respond to us as quickly. Thank you so much Sarah for this precious gift. GM ❤️❤️❤️