Coping With Pet Loss – The First Three Steps and Beyond
Coping with pet loss can be an extremely challenging emotional time in a pet lover’s life. Saying goodbye and grieving the loss of a pet can equal, and often exceed, that which is experienced with human loss. If you have recently lost your beloved pet, we hope that these words can comfort and guide you in this difficult time. Should you know someone that has just lost a pet, the resources found on this website can be a wonderful way to reach out and provide the support your known pet lover needs at this time.
1. Understanding the Void When Coping with Pet Loss.
All of a sudden your life has changed. The activities that involved your
pet are missing, and much of what you feel is an empty space in your heart.
The important thing to remember, is that this is a normal part of feeling
grief. Although extremely painful, it is necessary to allow these feelings
to happen. You may find, that others don’t understand what you are feeling.
You are the only one that had your unique bond with your pet. The important
part of this, is to understand that it is very normal to feel pain when
you lose a pet, and that this pain can and will indeed lessen over time
as you navigate through the grieving process. It helps to have friends
and family to support you emotionally through this very difficult time,
even if they can’t comprehend the depth of the relationship you had with
your pet. Just spending time with others who are compassionate, can make
you feel better.
2.
Allowing the Grieving Process When Faced with the Recent Death of a Beloved
Pet.
People experience grief in a very personal way. Guilt, denial, anger and
depression can threaten to become obstacles upon the path of grief. One
can occupy their mind for days with unanswered questions:
“Why did this happen?”, “ What could I have done to prevent this?”, “
How will I be able to move on?”
It is important to commit to allowing the grieving process to occur, even though it can be painful. Imagine yourself giving yourself permission to walk down a “path” in which though troublesome at times, is necessary to take, so that you can heal the pain in your heart that the loss of your pet has left behind.
3. Facing your Feelings.
In order to navigate the past of your grief, you have to find the strength
to remove these obstacles of guilt, denial, anger and depression. One
way is to logically talk your way through them, find a way to reconcile
and come to terms with what has happened. Sometimes we can’t do it alone,
and working through these questions with a friend or family member can
be of great assistance when coping with your pet loss. The important thing
is to honor your feelings as being completely normal, and to remove the
obstacles that hinder your grieving process. When confronted with what
seems like endless sad thoughts, carefully replace these thoughts with
all of the good experiences you had with your pet and cherish the life
you shared together. Feel the gratitude for having such wonderful experiences
in your life.
Additional Support and Comfort:
Coping With The Loss Of A Pet – A Gentle Guide For All Who Love A Pet
There are many facets of the grieving process that when understood make it easier to handle. The Coping With The Loss Of A Pet book outlines specific details and can provide great comfort to you or the person that has experienced recent pet loss. This small compact book is a treasured guide, its chapters acting as welcomed guideposts.
Excerpt
from Back Cover
“This gentle and caring guide was written by Dr. Lemieux to assist and
comfort those persons who have experienced the loss of a pet. Coping with
the loss of a pet was written as a “ how-to” book and contains specific
strategies to assist the bereaved pet owner and those supportive friends
who are attempting to comfort one who has lost a pet.
Much has been written on the subject of death and dying as these apply
to human beings. It is, however, also important to be aware of the special
place pets occupy in the affections of many people in this society, and
that the loss of a pet is all too often trivialize and misunderstood.
The death of a beloved pet can, and does, result in a very profound pain
and grief.
Coping With The Loss Of A Pet helps us to understand the dimensions
and the effects of bereavement with regard to ourselves and those whom
we care about. By drawing on her own background of compassion, experience,
and practical wisdom, Dr. Lemieux is able to combine encouragement with
insight as she provides help and counsel while accompanying us through
the experience of aloneness, grieving, and ultimately the process of healing.”
Excerpt from Preface
“The death of a beloved pet is a devastating emotional experience. If
you have lost a pet, you know how true this is.
This little book was written to keep you company and provide some suggestions
to help you in your time of grief. It will also give some gentle guidance
to those of you who are comforting others in their grieving.”
