Alva Review-Courier -

PITTSBURGH (AP) — While walking the corridors of the clinic, a visibly upset veterinarian takes Lori Harbert aside and confides that she must tell a longtime client that the client's dog has cancer and cannot be saved.

Harbert, a social worker at the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Clinic, listens carefully and advises the vet how to handle the situation. The vet nods her head and walks through the heavy, wooden door into the room where she'll deliver the grim news.

"I am going to meet with her (later) and see how she is doing," Harbert said. "Telling this patient the news is goi...