About Renee Windsor-White
With a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University, Renee is familiar with religious traditions from around the world. Renee lives in Lebanon, Oregon with three dogs: two of her own, Rudy and Takoda; and a foster dog, Zinc, who was saved from the Korean dog meat trade. Renee also has two cats: Abbie and Noname (pronounced No-nah'-me.)

Renee grew up on a farm in Illinois, and has been around animals all her life. As an animal lover and pet owner, she knows all the ups and downs that come with caring for and loving the animals who share our lives. Renee aspires to provide true service to animal lovers, and to stand beside them every step of the way in all they do to take care of their furry, hooved, and feathered friends.

What is a Veterinary Chaplain?
A Veterinary Chaplain provides emotional and spiritual support to families who may be seeking medical attention or contemplating a difficult decision for their companion or working animal. In much the same way a human hospital Chaplain supports the patient and the family, a Veterinary Chaplain supports the family as their pet goes through the medical process.

What are "the five stages of grief"?
In her 1969 book On Death and Dying, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross created the concept of the five stages of grief. The book describes the progression of emotional states experienced by loved-ones after a death.

The five stages are chronologically: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Later in her career, Kübler- Ross noted that the five stages model was "descriptive," not "prescriptive;' which means that she was describing what she saw in terminal patients and their loved ones, not saying that all grief must pass through all five stages to be a healing process.

As a grieving pet owner/parent, you may experience similar emotions as your companion animal goes through diagnostic tests, medical or surgical procedures, and/or euthanasia and death. The VTH Veterinary Chaplain is here to help you through the process.

What is "disenfranchised grief"?
During the 1980's, psychologist Dr. Kenneth Doka coined the phrase "disenfranchised grief" to describe those who are deprived, by culture or other outside influences, of the opportunity to grieve. Dr. Doka believed that every society has rules for grieving, which dictates for whom one can grieve, for how long, and even how deeply they can grieve.

Grieving pet owners/parents are often deprived of the opportunity to grieve by these societal rules. Another term for disenfranchise grief is "it's just a dog" or "it's just a goat" syndrome.

The VTH Chaplain is here to help pet owners/parents who are dealing with disenfranchised grief and support their grief journey in the face of any attempts to deprive them of the healing process.

Hours
The chaplain is onsite at the hospital on Mondays and Fridays, from 2 pm to 6 pm.
When the chaplain is not onsite, she can be reached at 541-979-1952, or at rev.reneew2@gmail.com.