UPCOMING EVENTS

• Monthly Pet Loss & Grief Webinars
  
• 3rd Annual PLPA Conference

Monthly Pet Loss & Grief Webinars

As a pet care professional, being comfortable with the grief process and  knowing how to walk with a pet parent after the loss of a pet and in their grief journey  requires special skills. Together, the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance and Two Hearts Pet Loss Center answer your need for this learning. Join us and other pet care professionals to enhance your skills in helping a family through the loss of their beloved pet.

Upcoming dates (click on the dates to register online now or download a registration form here)

• February 16: What the Grieving Pet Parent Needs*
  
• April 19: Various Age Segments & Pet Loss*
  
• May 22: Is Your Pet Business Covered Legally?, with Poul Lemasters
  
• June 21: Proper Pet Cemetery Practices, with Bill Remkus
  
• July 19: Anticipatory Grief, with Kate Moore*
• August 16: Understanding Pet Cremation, with Jon Remkus
  
• September 20: Marketing Your Pet Loss Services, with Jodi Clock*
  
• October 18: Pet Loss Companioning Basics*
  
• November 15: How to Conduct a Pet Loss Support Group
  
• December 20: Marketing Your Pet Loss Services, with Roberta Knauf*

Each session will be conducted via webinar from 5 to 6 p.m. EST on the listed dates.

Instructor: Coleen Ellisalong with others listed above.

COST: $39 per session/$30 per session for PLPA Members.

* = Session is RACE Approved for one (1) hour credit.

3rd Annual PLPA Conference
in conjunction with the ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition
Las Vegas, Nevada  •  March 19-22, 2012

NOTE: Listed below are just specifically PLPA sessions and events. Registrants may attend any convention sessions and events they wish. To see the full program or to register now, click here.

Monday, March 19

George Orwell had it right, at least when it comes to cremation. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for pet cremation procedures. In this session, Jon Remkus will discuss some of the more unusual and difficult cases and how to best handle them. 

Jon Remkus is manager of Hinsdale Animal Cemetery & Crematory, Willowbrook, Illinois, and is a PLPA representative to the Pet Cremation Council.

3 to 3:50 p.m.
Repositioning Your Pet Loss Business for Success
Bob Jenkins
The old adage says, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." If you are ready for your business to start achieving new results, join Bob Jenkins as he provides new perspectives on how to position your business to succeed.

You'll discover how to create an RTB (Reason to Believe) within your market and how to translate that RTB into increased awareness of your business and an expanded customer base. In addition, you'll learn new ways to identify key influencers and the impact they have on your service area. Finally, you'll take a look at the effect of your GAP on your bottom line.

Bob Jenkins is president of Verde Products Inc., which produces Let Your Love Grow living memorials and is based in Wildwood, Missouri. He has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience, helping funeral service providers grow their market share and increase customer satisfaction. He has worked for funeral homes, cemeteries and crematories as well as nationally recognized companies and has led both successful sales and training teams for these companies as well as in-house training for customers.

Wednesday, March 21

2 to 2:50 p.m.
Sales: It's Not a Dirty Word
Coleen Ellis
You say you're not a salesperson? You say you don't even like salespeople? Well, guess what? You're one of them!

No light bulb gets turned on in any business in the world without a sale being made. In this session, Coleen Ellis will share how looking at sales as "education" will allow you to view the process in an incredibly positive light. You'll learn techniques for selling to both sides of your business—veterinarians as well as families. You'll walk away from this session telling the world you love sales.

Coleen Ellis is founder and president of Two Hearts Pet Loss Center in Greenwood, Indiana, and is co-chair of the PLPA. She holds a Death & Grief Studies Certification with a specialty in Pet Loss Companioning. 

3 to 5 p.m.
Pet Owners Vs. Pet Parents: The Liability Implications
Poul Lemasters, Esq.
Society has accepted the fact that pets are people too. "Pet parents" has become the accepted term. And just as parents expect the best for theirchildren, so too do pet parents want the best for theirs. Today's pet parents demand better for theirpets, from food to insurance and from health care to funerals. 

As a pet loss provider, you need to ask yourself: Who is my client? Am I serving the pet parent orthe pet owner? If you aren't serving both, it's time to wake up and step up. Pet parents demand certain things, while pet owners are entitled to others. This seminar will distinguish the legal expectations from thelegal rights and will offer you the information and tools you need to reduce liability. This presentation will:

• identify and update state laws regarding pets and pet loss providers
• analyze current pet cremation issues between providers and parents
• discuss and review current model forms and practices
• offer solutions to reduce the risk of lawsuits
• provide knowledge so professionals can help educate veterinarians

There will be plenty of time during this two-hour session for Q&A and discussion of the latest legislative, regulatory and legal developments affecting the pet loss profession.

Poul Lemasters is principal at Lemasters Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a coach with the ICCFA Cremation Coaching Center at www.cremationcoach.com. He is a licensed funeral director and embalmer and is admitted to practice law in both Ohio and Kentucky.

Thursday, March 22

9 to 9:50 a.m.

The Secret to De-Stress (or, How to Help Yourself so You Can Continue to Help Others)
Corrie Sirota-Frankel, M.S.W., P.S.W
Day in and day out, you help others through a difficult and emotional time. This can take a toll on you, mentally, emotionally and even physically.

In this workshop-style session, you'll learn how to identify your biggest stressors, examine your reactions to stress and learn how to cope with stress in both your personal and professional lives. Presenter Corrie Sirota-Frankel will share her expertise on the stress cycle, the role of brain function as it relates to stress and the mind-body-spirit connection. 

Corrie Sirota-Frankel is a clinical social worker and is dean of student life at Hebrew Foundation School in Dollard Des Ormeaux, Quebec. She holds a graduate degree in social work from McGill University as well as a graduate certificate in Loss and Bereavement, and she recently published an article on "Helping Children Cope with Death” in Living Legacies: Inspirational Stories by Contemporary Jewish Women.

 

10 to 10:50 a.m.
Pet Cemeteries 101: Providing a Final Resting Place
Bill Remkus
Pet loss services are becoming increasingly prevalent, but they certainly are not new. No one knows this better than third-generation pet cemeterian Bill Remkus. In this session, Remkus will take a look at the history of pet cemeteries and their significance in providing a permanent resting place for families' beloved pets. He'll share traditional and emerging options for memorialization.

Bill Remkus is owner of Hinsdale Animal Cemetery & Crematory in Willowbrook, Illinois, and is co-chair of the PLPA. He was instrumental in the creation of Illinois' Companion Animal Cremation Act.

 

 

 

 

11 a.m. to Noon

Achieving Common Ground: Roundtable Discussion with Veterinarians

When a pet dies, veterinarians and pet loss professionals share a common goal: to help the family navigate their loss. So why is our relationship sometimes contentious? What steps can we take to break down the barriers to communication and cooperation? How can we work together to best enable families to grieve, memorialize and heal? A panel of veterinarians will share their thoughts and answer your questions.

 

1:30 to 3:20 p.m.
Best Practices Panel

Gillenson	Clock
Dwyer	Knauf
Bluse Ward	Moore

Join us as six of the most successful pet loss providers and suppliers in the profession share best practices to help you better serve families and build your business:

• Claire Gillenson—Pet grievers generally fall into three different categories: the Life Partner, the Empty Nester and the Family Bunch. Your pet loss company can benefit from providing different services, and in particular different aftercare packages, for each of these groups. Gillenson is a grief recovery specialist with Luxepets LLC.

• Jodi Clock—Want to promote your business without spending a dime? A little public relations can go a long way. Jodi Clock will share how her firm's simple, targeted press release grew into a front page newspaper article and an online video, and how her call to action in each venue led directly to more business. Clock is owner of Clock Life Story Funeral Home and Clock Timeless Pets, Muskegon, Michigan.

• Joe Dwyer—How do your react when darkness or disappointment surfaces in your life? Dwyer will share lessons from one of his pets, Daniel the "miracle beagle," who survived a gas chamber in October 2011. Dwyer is founder of Peaceful Memories Pet Loss Center in Nutley, New Jersey, and is author of "The Dog Ate My Homework—Or Did He?"

• Roberta Knauf—Hillcrest-Flynn's annual pet food drive benefits pet rescue shelters throughout Mercer County, Pennsylvania. In addition, this community project serves as an effective public relations and marketing tool for the company. Knauf is the pet funeral director for Hillcrest-Flynn Pet Funeral Home and Crematory, Hermitage, Pennsylvania.

• Tracie Bluse Ward—Using a guided interview process to help your clients share the memories and stories they enjoyed with their dear pets helps them cope with their loss and can help you enhance their memorial tributes. Learn how to become an effective pet story facilitator. Tracie Bluse Ward is president and founder of Celebrations of Life and MyBPFF (Best Pet Friend Forever), St. Paul, Minnesota.

• Kate Moore, CFSP—Often, your first contact with a potential client is over the telephone. You either earn their trust or send them away shopping for another firm. Moore will share best practices for handling families calls in a way that inspires confidence and puts their mind at ease. Moore is founder of Beyond the Rainbow Pet Hospice & Memorial Center, Benbrook, Texas.

 

NOTE: Listed above are just specifically PLPA sessions and events. Registrants may attend any convention sessions and events they wish. To see the full program or to register now, click here.