There’s a version of this that happens in a clinic waiting room — a hard plastic chair, other people’s pets, fluorescent lights. It’s not the worst thing. Vets are compassionate, procedures are handled with care, and most families get through it. But something about the setting makes the already-heavy experience …

My neighbour rang me last month, crying because she’d just rung three vets and none of them could come out for two days. Her old Labrador was suffering, and she felt helpless. That’s when I realised most people have no clue how to choose Gold Coast pet euthanasia services until …