Bentley Veterinary Services In-Home Euthanasia: Our Story

Welcome to our blog for Bentley Veterinary Services In-Home Euthanasia. If you’ve stumbled upon this blog by accident or have landed here searching for information about end-of-life care for your pet, I hope this can become a source of both comfort and information. We aim to provide resources that can help pet owners feel at peace with the difficult decision of saying goodbye to a beloved pet, while also helping you understand who we are and why we chose in-home euthanasia as part of the broader field of veterinary medicine.

Bentley Veterinary Services In-Home Euthanasia is a husband-and-wife team. Dr. Amy Smith is the one who first conceived the idea of offering end-of-life care for pets near our home in Franklin, Tennessee, and to the surrounding area. I (Ryan) came on with the company after a year and am the first person someone will talk to when they call, text, or email. When Amy first floated the idea of going into homes, providing this end-of-life service, I was apprehensive. The thought of her going into people’s homes in a moment of great grief and sadness gave me pause. The idea floated but wasn’t moved on for two years as jobs, kids, moves, etc. had us chugging along. Over the course of those two years, Amy kept formulating how it would look if she were to leave private practice and move into the in-home euthanasia subset of veterinary medicine. In January of 2024, we took the leap and started Bentley Veterinary Services.

So who is Bentley? I’ll have to admit that over the course of the past few years in business, I’ve been called Mr. Bentley or Amy has been called Dr. Bentley by clients. Sorry! Bentley is in the picture on the “Team” page of our website, our “old man,” and the first pet Amy and I ever owned together. Amy rescued Bentley as a senior dog from a clinic she worked at in Huntsville while she was still living in a dorm in college. So, where did the dog live, you ask? Ah, with me, her then fiancé, who had recently graduated and had his first “bachelor pad” all to himself. Now adorned with a small, white, elderly “designer” dog. Bentley quickly became my buddy, although I always knew where I stood with him when Amy would come visit. Bentley was present through the first six years of our marriage, two moves, and the entirety of Amy’s vet school experience at Auburn. As time went on, we had a few close calls with him as he aged. Over time, declining health and cognitive awareness made us increasingly aware that his quality of life was slipping, no matter how much we cared for him. Like anyone who reaches out to us for in-home euthanasia or those who have said goodbye to a pet, the hardest part is usually the decision to move forward. We dealt with the “is it time yet?” decision and the guilt that accompanies the decision. Amy’s “Heart Dog” crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in July 2018. His name, legacy, and end-of-life care stand at the center of what our company is about. We wholeheartedly believe that euthanasia for our pets is our final gift to them. To take away their pain and suffering in the comfort of a familiar place, while at home, surrounded by those who loved them most.

This company has existed, at the time of this blog post, for just over two years. Amy graduated from Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016, and we moved back to Nashville. She spent seven years in corporate and private practice before transitioning into a relief veterinarian role. If you’re unfamiliar with what this is, think of a traveling nurse, but for veterinary hospitals needing a doctor for things like maternity leaves, vacations, and such. I joined the business part-time in January of 2025 and then transitioned to full-time that May. My background was in education, having taught middle and high school students in both private and public schools. Amy and I have three kids, three dogs, a cat, a turtle, and a fish. If that sounds like a lot of people, pets, and things to keep care for, just ask our neglected garden its fate. Our favorite thing to do is to go camping as a family. Hopefully, our kids will continue to enjoy it as they get older. We live in Franklin and believe it is important to invest and be an active part of our community. There are a number of choices, and quality ones, for euthanasia and in-home euthanasia in our area. Our hope is that we can become a trusted member of our community that is known for care and comfort for families as they give their beloved pets a graceful goodbye.

That's who we are in a nutshell. As this blog goes on, the hope is that we can provide insight into the field of in-home euthanasia. We understand that euthanasia is a hard decision for families to make. The goal of these posts is to educate, inform, comfort, and maybe provide a laugh to families walking through a hard place with their pet.