Dear Dr. Gayle. Our beautiful, sweet girl Nala crossed the Rainbow Bridge on June 18, 2024.
A few months before, she developed what the vet thought was 'old dog vestibular disease' (vertigo in people). One minute she was fine and the next she could not stand or walk. She received steroids, meds for vertigo and antibiotics. She seemed to recover and was back to walking her morning mile and a half with my husband, but her little head tilted to the right and she sometimes lost her balance, but she persevered. As we weaned the steroids, she began to have seizures. Now the diagnosis goes to brain tumor. We were devastated. We managed to keep her comfortable for a couple of weeks, but soon realized it was her time. Dr. Gayle, you were amazing! You took the time to get to know a little about our sweet Nala. You gave us time with her and made her passing peaceful. You let her take her favorite blanket and her lamb chop. Lamb chop was the first toy she picked out for her very own at the pet store shortly after we adopted her from the shelter in 2013. We always made sure she had a lamb chop replacement when one had been destroyed. You went above and beyond by bringing her ashes back to us! We had 11 wonderful years with her and she will be dearly missed. Again, I cannot thank you enough for the kindness and compassion you showed us on one of the hardest days of our lives. Nala, Jeff and I say thank you!!! ~ Sharon 7/24
Dear Dr. Gayle,
We want to say thank you for helping us at a very difficult time for us. Your kindness and professionalism made Brando’s passing a little easier for us. Now we just want to get him home where we can
continue with the grieving process. He will never be forgotten and he will be loved forever. Again a big thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Bill and Gail ~ 6/2024
Dr. Gayle, I wanted to send you a note thanking you for giving our sweet Buster a good ending, but I lost your address. So an email has to do. You went above and beyond in helping me make the hard decision that the time was "now". From talking with me, being flexible with your schedule, advising me to check back with my vet and even allowing them to send you his bloodwork to help make my final decision, your assistance was invaluable. I cannot thank you enough. Although Buster put up a good fight in refusing to let his heart stop, you compassionately kept pushing on in a calm and caring manner. I pray God's blessing on you and the work you do. Our pets are family and you make a very hard decision so much easier. You were a blessing to me and gave little Buster a good ending. Thank you so much. ~ AF June 2023
April 14, 2023: HI, Gayle…. just wanted to tell you how much we appreciated your compassion and caring today, for both my husband and I, and our Sassy kitty, who shared our home for 18 years. You were busy today, but made the long drive to our home, and I'm so glad you did. You made, yet again, the passing of a cherished pet so much easier, allowing Sassy to be in her own home, caressed and kissed by her owner until she fell asleep. It's very hard, but you know in your heart it's the right thing to do. Gayle, thank you so much, for handling Sassy so gently, and us, too. And, I especially appreciated your sharing some pictures of your own pet "zoo" - that made today much less sorrowful. ~ Ellie
Sept 22, 2020:Dr. Gayle Burrell, I just want to let you know how much I appreciate the services you offer to the community. You came and explained everything to my neighbor and myself. (Her dog comes everyday for play cause she works and she helps with the dog's when Im out of town) and wanted to make sure we were comfortable before proceeding. You were so compassionate to my Chica girl, my neighbor and myself. You were very patient, professional, and kind - all good things in a person. Thank-you So Much, William E.
August 30, 2019: Hi Gayle, Thank you so much for you kindness yesterday with Abby. Words cannot express how easy you made her journey, and my journey also. I read the pamphlet last night in my very quiet house. Going to walk the beach this morning and be thankful for all the years Abby and I had together. Thanks for all you do and your nice kind gentle way of handling pets and their people. ~
March 2019 - This is my 12th time with my personal animals, dogs mostly. From the very first one it was so traumatizing for both of us and she screamed in pain with any touch. I had to now face getting her down a flight of stairs while trying to get her to the car to bring her to the vet. It was the absolute worst most heartbreaking ending, I still see her face and hear cries. I only hope that she realized it was the best I could do.
The services you provide to people is truly a gift given to you from above. Somewhere inside you made the decision to use your abilities for a very different specialty, in my opinion the most
important one. You help pet parents with their final journey, the last act of kindness we can give to our babies. This was the second time I called you for the use of that speciality, or gift as I
see it. Once again you help to create an environment filled with understanding, love and compassion for what is so very hard to bare. Yet once we have said goodbye we do get to see a look of peace on
our babies face that hasn’t been in a while. For you, you too get to see a difference in the peace on the face of that precious baby, not only from your time spent talking to our babies but you
witness our sense of peace afterwards. All in different ways of course.
So special a gift you were given, for you get to see and feel if only for a brief moment the purest of peace of a human being. God Bless You Dr. Gayle Burrell ?
Sincerely, Eileen Lee.
Dr. Burrell, I wanted to thank you for the care you provided my beloved dog, Spatzer. It was so hard as everyone knows, to let go of an animal you care for so much. You made the process so much easier for my family and for Spatzer. She was in the comfort of her own home, and surrounded by those who loved her. All of the follow up cremation services were in perfect order. Again, thank you! ~ David Dewees 11/2/2018
If you’re reading this then you are probably in the same difficult situation my wife and I were in the last couple of weeks. Our cat, Homer, had a large tumor where his hind leg met his body and
cancer. Due to the size, type, and place of the tumor operation and radioactivity would be very expensive and ineffective. And unfortunately due to the nature of tumors it’s almost impossible to tell
when they will grow, how fast, and how big. This was the news we received about two months ago. Homer was good for about a month and a half afterwards though we did notice the tumor growing and his
appetite steadily decreasing. Things started getting really bad when Homer began spending 90% of his days and nights hiding under the bed, coming out once in a while to eat some food. My wife and I
made the decision that it was time to release Homer’s energy back into the universe. We were pleased to learn that our vet would come and perform the euthanizing at the comfort of our home so that we
wouldn’t have to put our weak companion through the stress and trauma of getting in his cage and going to the vet. Unfortunately, they did want him to come in for a final exam... Ok, so this could go
one of two ways. You tell us he’s ready and we put him through all that stress for nothing, or you tell us he’s not (we knew 100% that he was) and then we feel terrible that we thought it was time?!?
Lose-Lose. Enter Gentle Pet Passings and Dr. Gayle Burrell. I looked through her website and gave her a call. She was sweet and understanding from the beginning. She came to our house as soon as she
could the next morning. She actually looked at her schedule and told us she could be there later this afternoon, but we wanted one more night with our sweet boy. When she arrived at our house she was
prepared, friendly, and consoling. The paperwork was already filled out, just had to look everything over, choose an option for his ashes and sign. She sedated Homer inside as she fed him treats (the
most we’d seen him eat in months! Some sort of magic treats!) As Homer became sleepy we placed him in my wife’s arms and went outside to Homer’s favorite spot. Dr. Burrell made us a plaster footprint
in a shadow box to remember Homer and she administered the final dose and left us alone for some last moments with our friend. She wrapped him in a blanket and put him in a blanket to be taken away.
The whole experience was peaceful and as nice as something like this could have been, especially after the stress we received from our local vet. The rest of the day my wife and I celebrated his life
and shared our favorite “Homie Stories”. Long story short, Gentle Pet Passings and Dr. Burrell are accommodating, friendly, consoling, and kind. She is exactly who you want to be there at the time of
a pet’s passing.
Ben Friend ~ October 11, 2018
Dear Dr. Burrell ~ We were blessed to share eight months with our senior rescue dog, Esther: a beautiful Australian Cattle herding dog who'd been abandoned. Though we could never know her
history, we knew when we adopted her that we may not have her long. She was 12yrs old with compromised health and bad hips. Though it was agonizing choosing when to say goodbye, as time went
by, it became clear that Esther's best years were behind her.
We made the decision to humanely end her suffering in the comfort of her own home, under your compassionate and skillful care, sparing Esther an anxious trip to a Vet office or clinic
with her painful hips.
We found our experience with you to be a peacefull way to say goodbye to our furry friend. Esther simply went to sleep with no pain, on her own bed.
Esther left her own indelible mark on our hearts.....
We are so grateful to you Dr. BurRell for enabling Esther to have a "gentle passing". Sincerely, Gini, Mike, and Meghan Downey ~ June 1, 2018
Gentle Pet Passings provided the most compassionate and caring and loving experience that one could have with the difficult task of letting my precious Zoe go. I will appreciate her forever. ~ May 23 via Square
Dr. Burrell, Just wanted to thank you for yesterday. I was soooo torn on the right thing to do. Buffett was a very big part of my life and to know that I was having to do this was just so hard. I know he is in a better place. I know you were extraordinarily gentle and loving. Thank You for being there for me. and my husband and Buffett. ~ 4/11/2018
We just wanted to thank you for making what was possibly one of the most heartbreaking moments in both of our lives. We have lost animals in the past but as we have grown older we have become not only better companions to our dogs but have deeply entrenched them in our family and lives. When Bart began his slide into his final days we spent all our days worrying about how and when his final day should come. We wanted him to go out on a high note, comfortable, and as stress-free as possible. We couldn't stand the thought of taking him to a clinic where his last thoughts and feelings would be ones of fear, confusion, and stress. The sheer emotional stress of it all forced us to look for alternative ways and we found you. You were more than just a professional, you were a wonderful person who was able to send Bart on his way in such a peaceful calm way that it comforted us both knowing he passed in the best of possible ways. I would never consider sending an animal on in any other manner ever again. You truly helped in this emotional rollercoaster in so many ways that we just wanted to thank you and wish you the best in all you do. ~ Scott and Michelle Pennell for Bart. ~ March 27, 2018
Dear Dr Burrell, Thank you so much for the kind and sensitive approach you take to helping families make this difficult decision with their fur babies. This was the first time I had to decide to put my baby down. You were so warm and sympathetic. I am so happy you came to my house and am so comforted by the way my Mik crossed the rainbow bridge. I will highly recommend you to anyone who needs to make this difficult decision. Thank you again! ... Lelia ~ March 21, 2018
Our family just wanted to thank you for making us comfortable while we said goodbye to cocoa today. You made us feel so at peace with our decision, and we truly appreciated your compassion. Being able to say goodbye comfortably in our own home and in cocoa’s favorite place brought us a lot of joy in such a tough time. Thank you again, so much. We cannot tell you how comforted you made us feel saying goodbye to our sweet girl.
Thank you so much Dr. Burrell, for helping our greatly beloved Corgi, Bell, to move on to a place where she could run, and hop, (we called it her bunny hop) without any pain. You treated her with dignity and repect. She was our queen, so we were so pleased that you treated as such. We are still adjusting to life without her, but we are glad she is no longer burdened with her failing body. You had me at your voicemail, when you said that you knew that this call was the most diffucult thing for me to make. It was. You made a very painful situation as comfortable as possible by allowing us to tell you how special our dog was. As I am sure all your contacts do the same. Thank you, again.
June 13, 2017: Dear Gayle, First let me say that I really appreciated your quick response to my inquiry. This was my first experience with using an at home service. My Pearl hated the vet and I really didn't want to put her through more stress of having to go to the office. This was such a wonderful and peaceful way to let her go at home where she was comfortable.
Thank you so much for your kindness and compassion during a difficult time. Your assurance that I was making the right decision helped me feel better about it. Pearl had been deteriorating and was in pain and I knew it was time, but still one tends to second guess themselves, especially in this situation. For anyone who is contemplating this decision, I would completely recommend Dr. Burrell and her services. She was wonderful with Pearl and made the whole process a truly gentle passing for both of us. Thank you for the wonderful card and the sincere note that you wrote. ~ Marj Tavares, NSB, Florida
April 12, 2017: Dr. Burrell, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your compassionate care when we lost Miles last week. It was so peaceful for him and us and your caring nature was a consolation to us. He was a wonderful cat and we'll always treasure our memories of him. Thank you again for your kindness during such a difficult time.
February 11, 2017: Dr. Gayle, Thank you so much for helping our beloved Diesel pass with the dignity he has earned and deserved. It was very peaceful and helped me to cope with the hard decision we had to make. I will recommend this to anyone who is in this situation and we appreciated how you handled this difficult task as if it was your own pet. Thank you so much. ~ Rod and Deanna Hoak
February 5, 2017: Dear Gayle: In Church this morning, I was thinking of the things I'm grateful for & you were top of the list. I've lots of memories of Chrissy. But seeing how gentle you handled her made me understand that you have perfected your way with animals because that is the way you have treated your own. Seeing her in a round basket with a blanket & then you putting her on the front seat of your car...well, these are good memories I will always be grateful for. I know, if she could, she would also thank you. ~ God bless you. ~ Orrie Amos & family.
January 20, 2017: Just wanted to say "Thank You" for your services and being so compassionate and caring during what is a very difficult time for most pet parents , even though our heats still ache for our" Lucy Girl "the at home experience was such a better option and so personal and peaceful for Lucy and ourselves opposed to the dreaded drive to and from the vets office. We will always be grateful to you Dr. Gayle Burrell for what you do . Thanks Again- The Fitzwaters
January 9, 2017: Dear Dr. Gayle, Just a huge thank you for allowing our baby to go to sleep in her own bed. Always a difficult decision for us animal lovers, but we need to put their needs first. You were more than wonderful, thanks from the bottom of my heart This was not the first dog I have had put to sleep but I will recommend you to any animal owner. ~ Best regards, Joyce and Bruce
December 30, 2016:
Dear Dr. Burrell, thank you so much for your kindness when you came to us. We are both so mourning the loss of Honey and still look to see her everywhere. Your kind card has helped.
We so appreciate all that you did and how you were so gentle and sweet to her. Just as though she was your kitty. Thank you for all of your kindness to us as well as Honey. ~ Ann and Carl
November 10, 2016: Thank you for the cares you provided to us today. We appreciate your services and we felt totally comfortable with your helping our dog out of her poor state of health and age related difficulties. You are kind, compassionate, caring you do your job with such comfort giving aura. We could never have managed having our dog euthanized without your expert experience and helpfulness and with as much ease as could be in this situation. We highly recommend you to anyone else facing the loss of a pet..So much easier at home than going to some other facility.
Palm Coast, Florida
Dear Dr. Burrell,
March 13, 2016:
You were simply wonderful with Calley, and we thank you again and again for your compassionate service to him and us. It was so loving of you to send the card and message, and the wild flower
"bait" is such a precious idea. We will plant it and enjoy the remembrance, knowing in an unguarded moment Calley would have gobbled them down in the wink of his eye.
In recent years, any time we had fresh flowers in the house, it was necessary to keep them atop the refrigerator. Before that and when younger, Calley loved to jump on the counter next to the
refrigerator, and then onto the "frige" to lie in wait for the next person opening its door to be startled by him peering down at us.
When we adopted Calley, his name was Calvin, which just didn't fit him. I think now that name change may have led to his need to avenge by the staged attacks that resulted, and thus taking him
seven months to recover the good graces he lived out.
God bless you, Dr. Gayle, for all you do to make the parting of pets and their families so much more tolerable. The Gentle in your business name says it all! We have already become additional
"words of mouth" for you and your work. Those we've talked to say right away they have seen your advertisement in the paper, just as we had, so rest assured you are stored in many memory banks
for future needs. ~ With much appreciation - Eddie and Laura Smallwood
Dear Dr. Burrell,
Jan 25, 2016
Our lives are back in order after house guests, and we have had the chance to reflect on the events surrounding Sadie. Your presence at this sad time is so deeply
appreciated. Your kind, calm, comforting manner was so very helpful, and you made a very difficult situation as pleasant as any could be. I find myself feeling guilty for
not experiencing more sadness as when we have lost others. But you made the entire procedure an easy one by your attention to Sadie and your positive attitude and attention to
every detail, and we feel the decision was the right one. We cherish Sadie’s footprint and her pretty box. And we thank you for including Trumpet and Whitie; they are adjusting
very well, and we believe it was because they were aware of what was happening. I carry one of your cards with me and tell others about you and your service. I only hope that when
the time comes for Trump and Whitie that we are here in Ormond. Best regards and a sincere thank you,
~ Steve and Pat Cato
Dr. Burrell:
Jan 18, 2016
We wanted to thank you for helping us to ensure that our family pet "Stinky" of 17 1/2 years was able to have her final moments in a non stressful surrounding, to be able to comfort her on my lap as
she always loved was in turn most comforting to us at that hard time. We are so grateful for your understanding and compassion you showed even from the first phone call to you. We couldn't have asked
for anything more.
With Sincere Appreciation Thank you!! ~ Mike & Lynn
Dr Gayle Burrell:
11-22-2015
We just want to say "Thank You" for your kindness and compassionate help with our dog, Kody, this past Monday. He had been getting worse daily, however, it wasn't until late Sunday and early Monday that he got really bad and we realized that he hadn't long for this world. Your ability and willingness to come on such short notice and your kindness and patience during his passing made the situation more bearable.
Kody was a rescue dog who became such a great companion and a much loved pet. He was very much a part of the family and we miss him a LOT!!! As you said in your kind card, he will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
Thank you again for your timely and merciful services. We will gladly recommend you to anyone who should sadly need your help. ~ The Stevenson Family-
Subject: Beamer
9-29-2015
I wanted to take moment and thank you once again for helping to get our beloved Beamer safely home. As you know through our numerous phone calls, it was not an easy decision. But, we know
it was the best decision. While we still mourn the loss of our beloved and constant companion, we know his legs and hips do not bother him anymore and that he has been made whole once
again.
After you left, I located a photo of me sitting on the floor and holding Beamer the first night I brought him home from the SPCA. Little did I know, this was the same way I would say goodbye to
him a little over 11 years later. You provided so much compassion, care, and comfort to Beamer, my family, and me during the process. You are a true blessing to many who have to face this
difficult decision.
"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." - From a headstone in Ireland. Love you Beam!
Paul C. & Family
Subject: Diesel
9-17-2015
Dr Burrell,
Thank you so much for making my boy Diesel's trip to the Rainbow Bridge as good as possible. It was exactly what I had in mind. I don't think he was really even aware of what was happening. I believe he told the other dogs at The Bridge "man - I could swear I was just eating ice cream and treats". Your advice, kindness, and compassion helped me get through one of the worst situations we as pet lovers have to face. Thanks again. ~ Karen Morgan
"Until one has loved an animal, Part of one's soul remains unawakened". ~ Anatole France
April 5, 2015
I want to thank Dr. Burrell so much for responding so quickly to my distress call on Saturday, March 26. My cat, Zack, had taken a turn for the worse from complications due to FIV. Had he not been euthanized that morning, I know in my heart that he would not have survived the day, and I would have been horrified to find him gone on his own.
Thank you, Dr. Burrell, for the compassion showed to both me and my buddy, Zack. You took the time to listen to me talk about him, and then you talked to me and explained what you were doing. It broke my heart to think of him leaving me; but just looking at him, unresponsive and unmoving, I knew it was the right thing to do. He passed with dignity and in peace in the comfort of his home surrounded and loved by family members and a wonderful friend. The respect you showed for both me and Zack will never be forgotten. The tenderness with which you took him from me, wrapped him in a blanket and placed him in a lovely basket for transport truly showed me your love for animals and your passion for helping them transition peacefully from this life.
The calming and gentle effect of this process has helped me with the guilt normally associated with making a conscious decision to euthanize. I felt that Zack was going to a better place. It was handled so beautifully, and those present were very impressed. I hope when Zeena's time comes in the very distant future that you will still be available doing this wonderful work. Thanks also for going out of your way to make sure that I was completely satisfied with the cat urn I chose for Zack's remains. I can't thank you enough.
I would definitely recommend Dr. Burrell to anyone looking for a compassionate end of life experience for their furry friend(s). ~ Louise Gagnon