Magnum’s Bridge-Magnum’s Final Goodbye

10/03/2026

Well, last night I realized I am on the ballot for Kiln. Thank you for the nomination 🙏🏻!!
Voting ends tomorrow night so if you have time both today and tomorrow, I'd love to have your vote.
Click on the link and it brings you straight to the voting page.
Look for the 3 small blue lines in the top right corner. You'll click that and the drop down box will pop up with all the different towns on the coast.
Kiln ➡️ Magnum's Bridge

❤️🌈🐾 -Kristen

Voting is OPEN!!🗳️ Vote for your top picks for Best Women-Owned Small Business 2026!
➡️ gcwmultimedia.com/womensmallbusiness2026

✅ The top vote-getters of each city/area will be spotlighted in Gulf Coast Woman magazine.

🏆One overall winner with the most votes will receive $1,000 in marketing services from GCW Media and a bonus prize from our participating chambers!

⏱️ Voting ends on October 4, 2026 at 11:59pm.

10/02/2026

What a blessing it is to have the unconditional love of an animal.

Today's Blessing of the Animals. 🐾❤️

Pup Cup & Treat Station from Magnum to all his friends!

08/04/2026

Pet grief
Pet loss
Reading is resourceful
Smiling is a must
Being an End of Life Stage Pet Doula is so rewarding. Being on my own grief journey with 2 toddlers(ish) since Magnum died has been hard. Helping families through my interactive children's book that explains pet loss has been amazing!

One question that I will always replay in my head is, "Mom...how will we know he got there?!"
Magnum's Pen Pals is a, "I made it" note from your furry pal from over the Rainbow Bridge!

During August, I want to send every family that purchases a book a handwritten note to be read a few days after you've said goodbye!

www.magnumsfinalgoodbye.com

Any questions, please message.
Help me spread smiles in a difficult time to our little ones. Please share with a family or friend. 🫶🏻🐾🌈❤️

05/24/2026

05/19/2026

“It’s about the timing.”

A beautiful handmade rosary from a beautiful soul came the same week as Magnum’s 3 year goodbye anniversary.

It’s hard sometimes being on your on grief journey and still being there for others. Remembering to smile during this time can make a difference.

“For every smile behind tears, there is a tail wagging for you over The Rainbow Bridge.” -Mom

04/28/2026

If you’re on a grief journey in life, stay with me.

Grief is automatically associated with words like sadness, depression, anger, BUT what if I told you that’s not true. Your grief journey does not have to be revolved around these words. Grief can have feelings of peace, laughter, spiritual fulfillment, and love.
When people grieve, many believe they are exempt from their actions-especially the negative ones. Being accountable and emotionally honest with ourselves can be very hard. What makes it harder is when you’re only focusing on the sad part of your grief journey.
“Do you get over it?” NO!
“Does it get better?” NOT ALWAYS!

You have to face yourself and what grief has to offer. You have to receive it and rewire your days sometimes, and that’s ok. It’s ok to heal on your own time. It’s ok to have those moments of sadness. This journey will always be a part of you. How you treat yourself and others while on your journey is very important. Grief can be a beautiful tool given to us to help us dive deeper into our lives and purpose. Not all grief is bad!
With my job, sometimes I take on others grief. It comes with the territory of my career and personality. This can cause me to pause in my own journey, but today…..today was a lightbulb moment for me.
My husband insisted I take a walk on the beach to just have some, “me time.” Honestly, I haven’t walked along our beach since we said goodbye to Magnum there. It’s just something I think I subconsciously avoided. While walking I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. The cutest little paw prints and foot prints. (picture below) It let me know that grief doesn’t always have to be sad. It can be a gentle reminder by something simple, followed up with a smile and a feeling of peace.
❤️ An End of Life Stage Pet Doula on my own grief journey
P.S. Stay tuned for some exciting support news

04/16/2026

Pet Haven will always hold a special spot in my heart. BUT this person here……she helped make that spot.
I had just finished my schooling in Florida and was ready to move back home to hit the ground running.

Upon arriving my new boss gave me the run down. The first thing he said was, “I don’t want to ruffle any feathers. I want to see the dynamics of you and one person in particular.”
It didn’t take me long to see who he was talking about. I was so intimated by her. The way she moved around the clinic, her technical skills, how she interacted with the clients and her patients.
It didn’t take long for us to become close and lean on each other either. I like to say we were a power house with our patients over the years.

Throughout the years we’ve saved many pet lives together, we helped bring pets into this world, we assisted in surgeries even scrubbing in, we grew together in management, we lost together, and we gained together.

In all of this she gave me one of my greatest gifts as a pet parent….she helped my boy cross over the Rainbow Bridge literally a week after she did the same to one of hers, cried with me, and took care of all end of life plans. It was only right to put Magnum’s work mom in my book. 🖤

Behind us use to be a sign that said Pet Haven. One we walked by every day. Me for 14 years, her for 25+ years.
Today was her last day to walk past that sign. Things change, and in order to grow sometimes we have to close chapters in our lives. Bek is doing just that. I’m so proud of her and the career she has built for herself. Her future is bright and she still is advocating for animals. I cannot wait to watch her grow and continue working with her as we always have. Our journeys are a little different now, but we still will cross paths. While we both have officially closed the door on the clinic that helped us grow up, we open the next one with open arms.
I’ll see you soon, but not hopefully too soon because I just went to the vet yesterday. 😹🥴

04/15/2026

When you finally get your hands on a Gulf Coast Woman Magazine and see yourself in it.
A little voice with a big message helping one family at a time!
Check it out. ❤️🐾🌈🐾

04/12/2026

As an end-of-life-stage pet doula, Kristen Brewer Kurka Griffin helps clients navigate one of parenthood’s hardest moments: The loss of a beloved family pet. 🐕❤️‍🩹

A former vet tech with 16 years of experience working with animals, Griffin wrote a book titled “Magnum’s Final Goodbye” — both to honor the “soul dog” she lost to cancer and to help those who are experiencing the same struggle.

Her message to families who are mourning their furry friends: You are not alone, and your grief is valid.

🔗 View her full spotlight: www.gcwmultimedia.com/kristen-griffin-magnum-final-goodbye