PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020 - 18

FACING THE FEAR
in Saying Goodbye
By Dr. Kathryn Reilly, BSc, BVSc, DLAS, ExMBA
Founder of Farewell

S

everal years ago, I spent some time looking online for a
new job opportunity. I was feeling unappreciated and
undervalued in my workplace, and so I began looking at job
advertisements online and thinking about where the next step
of my career as a veterinarian might take me. I happened upon
some information about an in-home euthanasia service, but my
immediate thought was that it would be emotionally draining,
and it wasn't for me. I remembered a time when I had taken
Floyd, the first dog I had ever owned, to a veterinary clinic to be
euthanized, and even after so much time, the thought of Floyd
made tears well up in my eyes.

Entrepreneurial spirit
The concept of being my own boss has always appealed to
me, but owning my own practice seemed like such a huge
and scary commitment - both financially, and in terms of the
amount of time that I would have to put into it to ensure its
success. I wanted to be an entrepreneur - to stop feeling like I
was working hard for somebody else's profits. Yet I didn't want
the responsibility of having to be ever present for my clients
or be responsible for the livelihoods of multiple employees. I
imagined being able to schedule my own working hours and
determine how many clients I would help each day - to really
be in control of my work-life balance. I would be able to take
time off when it suited me so that I could travel and explore the
world.

18 | Keystone Veterinarian

A granddad's wisdom
While browsing through the job listings, my mind started
wandering through my memories of the highs and lows of my
career, and I stumbled across a memory from my late teenage
years when I was so full of pride to have been accepted
into Veterinary School. My parents had taken me to my
Grandparents house to share the good news. I entered their
home and immediately proclaimed, "Granddad - guess what? I
got in at Vet School!" I distinctly remember his reply because it
had surprised me at the time: "Good for you! It's wonderful that
you will be able to put animals out of their misery." Taken aback
I responded, "No Granddad, I'm going to make the animals
better!" I had set him straight with all the confidence of my
limited experience of the world at that time. This sparked an
idea that maybe he had been right.

Facing the fear
I wondered: Could it be that an in-home euthanasia service
might be the answer? I could see distinct advantages of such a
service in terms of starting it up as a part time business. I could
certainly schedule appointments according to my availability; I
would have no clients under continuing care to whom I owed a
service of availability, and once the visit is done, they would no
longer be my client. It could work out perfectly. My biggest fear
was that I didn't know if I would be able to perform multiple
euthanasia appointments without them getting me down.
My mind was in turmoil going back and forth between the
PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020

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