Meet Our Veterinarians
Meet the veterinarians and team at Gentle Journey – In-Home Veterinary Mobile Hospice & Euthanasia Care. We are committed to bringing you compassionate support and guidance in your time of need.
Dr. Dana Lewis
Veterinarian
Growing up on Long Island, I was the kid taking care of the baby bird that fell from the nest, rescuing the turtles from the road…
Dr. Chris Hampton
Veterinarian
As a child, growing up in Albany, New York, my dream was to become a veterinarian. During undergrad studies at Cornell University…
About Dr. Dana Lewis
Growing up on Long Island, I was the kid taking care of the baby bird that fell from the nest, rescuing the turtles from the road, walking the neighbors’ dogs for fun, and volunteering to clean cages at the shelter. I moved to North Carolina to attend Guilford College in Greensboro (where I rescued and raised an orphaned squirrel senior year) and have lived in the Triangle since graduating from Guilford. I have been a small animal veterinarian since 1997 after graduating from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
I am married and have two adult sons. While we have had many, many pets in our family, we currently have a cat and two dogs, and all 3 are rescued. First is Ginny, our teenage orange tabby that we bottle-raised with her 2 brother kittens. Then there is Luna Blu, our Australian Cattle Dog, who we adopted in 2018 after she survived rat bait poisoning as a 10-week-old puppy. She is super smart and high-energy! And finally, our Frenchie we adopted in 2023. He was almost six years old and was discarded; the poor fellow did not even know his name, nor was he house-trained. He is eager to please, very silly, thinks he is a guard dog, and knows his new name, Phineas, as well as his pet names, Phin and Phinney.
I realized while working in small animal medicine for over 25 years that being able to say goodbye to my own pets at home was much more serene than within the hospital environment. I have helped dozens of our own pets at home with my family, with both human and furry friends being able to participate in saying goodbye to our furry family members. After 13 years in private practice, I joined what was then a small (but is now exceptionally large) national company that provided in-home end-of-life care and became their first franchise, Lap of Love of the Triangle. I worked in private practice plus and helped to establish Lap of Love of the Triangle that first year. During the time I worked for Lap of Love, I became a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian after completing an 18-month Continuing Education program through the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC).
After 12 years with Lap of Love, I founded Gentle Journey with the assistance of my team so we could continue helping families locally. Positively impacting the lives of families and their pets gives me a great feeling of satisfaction. I am honored to serve families in a way that eases their grief and their pet’s life as peacefully as possible. If the pet can be kept comfortable and his or her quality of life maintained through nursing care and pain management, then pet owners may be able to extend the quality time they have with their cherished companion.
About Dr. Chris Hampton
As a child, growing up in Albany, New York, my dream was to become a veterinarian. During my undergraduate studies at Cornell University, I was interested in all areas of veterinary medicine ranging from small and large animals to zoo and exotic animals. Once I started vet school, I discovered my greatest interest was in companion animals. I graduated from Washington State University and then moved to Virginia to begin working at a small animal practice. After being there for a few years, my husband, a South Carolina native, and I decided to move our family to the Triangle for its beauty and family atmosphere.
I have always found senior care to be extremely rewarding and an important part of veterinary medicine. When I joined this team in 2018, I quickly realized that it was my calling. Being able to help pets cross the Rainbow Bridge and ease their suffering is such a privilege. It is my honor to be there for families and help them say goodbye to their beloved pets at home with love and dignity.