Veterinary Chaplaincy
Interfaith Spiritual Care for Pet Loss
Published on 2. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
472 pages
978-1-969169-10-6 (ISBN)
Description
Introducing the first-ever textbook in veterinary chaplaincy, a new field of spiritual care focused on the unique needs of the pet-keeping community. Based on the scholarship and hands-on experience of Pet Chaplain® founder and chaplaincy educator Rob Gierka, EdD, this groundbreaking book offers a foundational education in the principles of interfaith spiritual care for pet loss and practical tools you can use to support pet keepers in clinical and community settings. Veterinary Chaplaincy is a call to action for professional caregivers, people who work or volunteer in the animal care and services industry, and everyday people who wish to provide spiritually inclusive comfort and support to their family and friends.
Key TopicsAn exploration of six key competencies for veterinary chaplaincy.
An overview of the guiding principles of interfaith spiritual care.
A detailed analysis of how people make meaning in life, which is the special purview of spiritual care.
An overview of teachings and beliefs about animals in five of the world's mainstream religious institutions as well as alternative spiritual traditions, from earth-focused practices such as Wicca to humanism and atheism.
Best practices for spiritual care, including guidance for engaging in pastoral conversations with people in emotional and spiritual crisis.
A discussion of those situations that you may find emotionally and ethically challenging.
Tips for creating memorials, rituals, prayers, and reflections that honor animal lives.
A review of opportunities for practice in a variety of settings where animals and people interact, from veterinary clinics and rescue organizations to community settings such as homeless encampments.
Veterinary Chaplaincy is the final book in the Pet Chaplain® Learning Series, a four-volume set that explores pet keeping and loss in the modern West and offers instruction in interfaith spiritual care for pet loss. The series is the brainchild of Rob Gierka, EdD, who founded Pet Chaplain, a community service and educational organization, in 2004. A pioneer in the emerging field of interfaith spiritual care for pet loss, Dr. Gierka has served pet keepers and veterinary workers in both clinical and community settings. Visit petchaplain.com to learn more.
More details
Persons
Rob Gierka, EdD, is an expert in pet loss and has years of experience as a veterinary chaplain, community pet chaplain, and chaplaincy educator. Dr. Gierka holds a doctoral degree in professional and continuing adult education from North Carolina State University, with a research focus on the human-animal bond and pet loss. Rob got his start in chaplaincy in the early 1990s, when he completed an extended Clinical Pastoral Education unit at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, and subsequently served as a volunteer chaplain for two years. While in training, Rob also served for a year as a Stephen Minister and for three years as chair of the congregational care committee at Pullen Baptist Church in Raleigh. In 2004, he launched the Pet Chaplain organization and began providing interfaith spiritual support to pet keepers in his community. Between 2004 and 2006, he served as the on-call chaplain at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at North Carolina State University, and in 2006 he launched a pet loss support group at the Raleigh location of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.In partnership with coauthor Karen Duke, Dr. Gierka developed and taught an online course in veterinary chaplaincy for five years beginning in 2018. He took a sabbatical to develop the Pet Chaplain Learning Series, which is based on the written lectures developed for the veterinary chaplaincy course.