SACRED GIFTS OF A SHORT LIFE

“I’ve had a personal and professional relationship with Dr. Liz Fernandez for years, and she has loved me through many of my furry family members that had to be assisted through their transition. I’ve run the gamut from handling it, emotionally distraught, to experiencing peace and acceptance by looking at my decisions as an act of love. This book gives many examples of that very issue. What I learned for the first time though, is that every incident is different and it is okay to change my mind, even within the moment of dealing with my decision. I cherish this book and thank her for her insights.”

Dee Helsel Writer, Actress, Director

“Dr. Liz Fernandez is a healer of souls, both 2 legged and 4 legged. She understands the need to “redesign death” in a way only a person with her depth of character and wisdom can. With the loving, compassionate assistance of Dr. Liz, our beloved, beautiful calico cat, Molly gently slipped from her body while lying peacefully in her favorite spot on our bed. We were honored to have Liz guide us through this process. Liz created a space of reverence for this new spirit and a level of compassionate support for our family rarely found in her field. The death of our animals is traumatic and Liz understands and feels this at a very deep level. Brava Liz, for seeing the need to bring this subject into the mainstream in order to help so many people who have or will have to go through this life experience. Thank you again for showing me how to Be The Water.”

Mary Stec Culinary Arts Instructor, Owner Flavors Culinary Adventures

“Dr. Liz Fernandez has devoted the last ten years of her career as a holistic vet to the most challenging passage that all people with canine companions encounter -- end of life issues and ultimately, the death of their beloved pet.
Blessed with that rare gift for navigating these emotionally charged waters, Sacred Gift Of A Short Life demystifies our fears surrounding the passage towards death and its attendant grieving with equal measures of grace, clarity and deep compassion. So much of our suffering surrounding this dreaded life passage is culturally encoded and it is here that Sacred Gift shines the brightest in these real life narratives. Cast in the light of its author's insightful commentaries peppered throughout, we come to see that we do have choices. And it is in the embrace of this shift of perception that Sacred Gift allows us to find our way to surrendering resistance. And by thawing our fears that holds back the love for our canine companions that is always and already here, we ease their burden and stir a healing energy in ourselves.
For anyone facing this seemingly dark night of the soul, which is anyone who chooses to open their heart to a pet in the first place, Sacred Gift Of A Short Life is an important book not to be missed.”

Roy Rosenblatt Screenwriter

“Sacred Gifts Of A Short Life is beautifully written, in a voice that is easily accessible to lay readers. It is compassionate as well as pragmatic. The wisdom it shares is timeless and beneficial for anyone facing mortality, be it a loved one (animal or human) or our own. This work is a “classic”.”

Karon Hinshaw Retired businesswoman, Children’s advocate

"Dr. Fernandez's fierce love, experience and compassion is evident throughout this small, yet important, work. The importance of examining one's attitude toward love, kindness, suffering, fear, death and dying is stressed throughout. These endearing stories of her tender experiences with her beloved patients and their humans, makes for an inspiring book.”

Nina Angela McKissock Author of From Sun to Sun: A Hospice Nurse Reflects on the Art of Dying

"This is a very sensitive and important topic. The stories are beautiful and soul touching. Liz has put her heart and soul into this wonderful book”.

Dr. Huisheng Xie Veterinarian-Founder and President Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine

“Liz has an amazing way of capturing the essence of this life force surrounding transition in life stages. I thought I gave a ‘good death experience’ to my clients, but I now see that I can do much more. It will help me to better attend to the needs of my clients, their pets and equally important, me.”

Bernadine Cruz, DVM host of the internet based radio show ‘the Pet Doctor’

“Liz is an amazing writer and a beautiful soul and this comes out very clearly in her book. Very few books impress me as this one has. I will be recommending it to my clients, and anyone faced with impending loss of a loved family member, as well as the Specialists, Veterinarians and Technicians with whom I work.”

Kathleen Ayl, Psy.D Certified Compassion Fatigue and Pet Loss Recovery Specialist.

“Anyone who has ever shared their life with a pet is aware of the sacred space a four-legged friend can occupy not only in our home but heart as well. Because they are so connected to us, when the inevitable time to release that precious loved one comes, how we respond will make the journey for them (and us) either easier or more difficult. By reading Sacred Gifts of a Short Life, Uncovering the Wisdom of our Pets’ End of Life Journeys we can prepare ourselves to be there for our pets in a way that honors the gift of unconditional love they have given us for so long. With exquisite insight, compassion, and heart-opening stories, Dr. Liz Fernandez not only points the way--she takes us gently by the hand and personally shows us how to mindfully accompany our beloved pets through their sacred end of life journey. Read this book; it will not only change your pet’s life--it will change yours as well.”

Dennis Merritt Jones Award winning author of The Art of Uncertainty- How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It, and, Your (Re)Defining Moments - Becoming Who You Were Born to Be