"When you trust me with this moment, I don't take it lightly."Our promise to you
California has no state oversight or licensing requirements for pet cremation, beyond air quality regulation. Every credential below is entirely voluntary. I hold them because this work deserves the training, not because anyone requires it.
A longtime local.
This is home.
My family came to Nevada County in the 1980s, and I've lived here ever since. I know these roads, these communities, and the people in them. When I say I'm committed to serving this county, it's not a brand statement, it's just true. This is where I live, where I raised my family, and where I intend to stay.
Goodbye at Home has been a trusted name here for many years, built by Dr. Linda Montgomery. A deeply loved provider who served this community with compassion and care before relocating to Texas. When Dr. Montgomery was ready to pass the business on, I was honored to carry it forward.
Animals have been at the center of my life for over twenty years. I raised bottle babies for Sammie's Friends, our local shelter, and traveled to respond to disaster relief efforts including animals affected by Hurricane Katrina. Those experiences shaped how I approach this work: with steadiness, with tenderness, and with complete focus on the animal in front of me.
A word about credentials: California imposes no state licensing or oversight on pet cremation, beyond air quality regulation. Anyone can open a crematory here with no training, no certification, and no accountability. I hold a Certified Pet Crematory Operator credential through the Cremation Association of North America, a hospice and palliative care certification through IAAHPC, and membership in IAOPCC, all entirely voluntary. I pursued them because this work deserves rigor, and because the families who trust me deserve to know that someone has verified my training. When you're asking me to care for an animal you loved, that matters.
I'm not a veterinarian. What I bring is more than two decades of hands-on animal care, a deep knowledge of end-of-life and a genuine understanding of what it means to love a pet through the hardest part of their life.
I'm proud to carry forward what Dr. Montgomery built, and to serve Nevada County from our Grass Valley facility. When you trust me with this moment, I don't take it lightly.
Selene Haley
Owner, Goodbye at Home · Grass Valley, CA