European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 4, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Focus a pet is cause of great grief by Kay Bartlett the associated press Hen a special pet Dies no one can measure the profound grief suffered by its owner. Cone is the gentle look of recognition the softness of unquestioning Trust the curious chemistry of companionship that comes from the mingling of two lives. That grief has driven people to suicide caused others to lose jobs devastated families and marriages. / to Deal with it the majority of the 27 veterinary schools in the United states plus four in Canada Are devising new ways a hot lines for emergency emotions support groups and even therapists a to handle the singular grief of a lost pet. _ not even the vet escapes the emotional weight. Quot unlike doctors Quot says animal doctor Kelly Palm 29, now in private clinical practice in Vacaville calif., Quot a vet May have to Deal with two euthanasia a Day maybe up to 300 a year and that takes a toll Quot we Are like family practitioners we must take care of what s on the other end of the Leash Quot the English have been More attuned to the importance of that special Bond a Bond that in some cases is the Only one an individual can make. The movement to treat grieving pet owners began in the United states about 15 years ago when a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania received a Grant for an Experiment on whether there was a relationship Between bereavement toward humans and bereavement toward animals. Quot that opened a better window into human bereavement and within the last 15 years the movement just gained momentum Quot says or Alan Beck director of the Center for applied ethology and human animal interaction at Purdue University. Although some of the original premises proved to be incorrect it kicked off a tidal wave of research into the devastation brought on by the loss of a pet. The loss a be it a horse a dog a cat a ferret even that very special calf or Heifer that 4-h youngsters raise a can be As traumatic As the loss of a Mother or father. Quot i have some colleagues who think what i do is ridiculous Quot says Bonnie Mader a family marriage and Susan Cohen director of counselling at the animal medical Center in new York cuddles an affectionate poodle. Child Counselor at the University of California at Davis. She and a former student Kelly Palm were the first to establish a pet hot line similar to a suicide hot line. In february it will be 5 years old. It is manned from 6 30 . To 9 30 . Monday through Friday by veterinary students to give them training in what they will face when they begin their own practices. There Are six to 10 other hot lines either at veterinary schools or at animal shelters. Although there Are More support. _ groups and therapists on the two coasts it is widespread throughout the United states but not As extensive As the founders of the movement would lice. Jennifer Saver 43, a vet school senior at Michigan state Hopes to Start a hot line with her students by february. In her first year at school she lost a cat she had had for a longtime and did not know How to handle her own grief. Tubbs was somehow just Quot special Quot Quot special Quot seems to be the adjective that All pet owners tend to use. Frequently they can t explain Why. Quot now there Are books pamphlets videotapes available so people Don t need to feel so alone a Saver says. One of the biggest resource centers is the animal medical Center in Manhattan a teaching Hospital where Annanisa Weaver a veterinary student at the University of California at Davis takes a Call on the University s pet loss support hot line. Thi stars and stripes saturday december 4,1993