Autumn Care & Crossings

Dr. Schoenberg is a treasure. Our young cat Cookie, developed terminal kidney problems which don’t normally occur in cats until they’re much older. Dr. Schoenberg came to our house and taught us some techniques to help make the time Cookie had left with us as painless as possible. The assistance she gave us helped turn our original Vet’s prognosis of a week or two into several extra months that we got to spend with our darling cat. Dr. S is kind, caring, and very responsive to the needs of families going through the grieving process. She paid extra attention to our daughter’s feelings and was able to suggest some resources to help her understand what was happening.

When we were faced with the difficult decision of putting our sweet, ailing kitty to sleep, we looked into Boston-​area veterinarians that made house calls and found Dr. Schoenberg and Autumn Care & Crossings. I am so glad we did. Dr. Schoenberg couldn’t have been more helpful, compassionate, and respectful. She came to our home, walked us through the process, gave us all the time we needed, and helped our little pal pass in the calmest, more peaceful way possible. Although it is always heartbreaking to lose a pet, removing the stress and anxiety of taking him to the vet makes it so much less traumatic for both the pet and the owner.

Saying farewell to a beloved pet is never easy. A month after my husband’s 13 y/​o dog was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, it became clear to us that he had begun a rapid decline, and we agreed that we owed it to him not to drag things out. Going to the vet had become a traumatic experience for him, so we began looking for a vet who could come to the house and give him a peaceful experience at home in comfortable, familiar surroundings. I’m so glad we found Autumn Care & Crossings.
Dr. Schoenberg responded to us within a few hours of sending an inquiry, and we quickly had an appointment scheduled for the next day — a Saturday. We were very grateful that she was able to fit us in so quickly, as his health had taken a dramatic dip and we didn’t want him to suffer. She was very patient in answering our questions and explaining to us what to expect. With the appointment scheduled, we were able to focus on giving our little guy an awesome evening and an excellent morning on Sat.
When Dr. Schoenberg arrived, we explained to her that the dogs would bark and guard the house unless we made a quick trip outside, so she walked outside with us and gave the boys a few treats to make friends. Back inside, we sat down at the table together while she went over the paperwork with us and talked about what to expect. Unsurprisingly, I shed a few tears, and she was ready with a pack of tissues. She took a few minutes to get set up while we lavished our guy with some final treats and love, waiting until we were ready to begin the process.
Once we were ready to start, she fitted him with a ‘party hat’ — we knew he wouldn’t be happy about the initial the sedative injection, but she was prepared with muzzles in all sizes — and we got the unpleasant part over with quickly. I was surprised when my other dog, who was present with us in the room, charged and barked at her as she was attempting to administer the sedative. She took it in stride, I leashed the other dog and held him out of the way, and she continued with the process. I really appreciated that she didn’t make a big deal out of it, and didn’t ask us to remove him from the room — I valued the ability to have him there as we said goodbye.
Everything else went smoothly, and we were able to remove his ‘party hat’ and the rest of the process was simple and peaceful, like he was having a nap in his favorite spot. I’m more grateful than I can possibly express that we were able to let him stay at home in comfortable surroundings as we said goodbye to him. Aside from that one moment of discomfort when she administered the sedative, he was completely calm and happy. If we’d taken him to the vet’s office, he would have been a terrified, shivering, traumatized mess — and I couldn’t stand the thought of saying farewell to him like that.
Dr. Schoenberg kindly followed up via email a couple of days later, and offered us some helpful resources when I expressed some concerns to her about our other dog’s grieving. I was surprised a few days later when we got a beautiful card from her in the mail. And a day or two later, she emailed to schedule a time to return his ashes — which we were surprised to find also included a cast of his paw print.
I can’t speak highly enough for how much I valued being able to give our beloved dog a peaceful passing in the comfort of our home. And Dr. Schoenberg did a great job of making things easy for us, with everything from her simple explanations, quick response, and sensitivity and thoughtfulness around what could have been a very traumatic experience. I felt she really went a step beyond with making sure we never felt rushed, we were comfortable with what was happening at every step (as much as one can be in this situation) and with all of the thoughtful kindness to make things as easy as possible for us before, during and after the process.
Saying farewell to these longtime companions is the hardest part of loving them, but Autumn Care & Crossings made it easier to say goodbye.