By The Humane Society of the United States
How to take care of yourself, your family, and other pets when you've had to say goodbye.
Read on www.humanesociety.org
CLEAR ALL
Coping with the impending loss of a pet is one of the most difficult experiences a pet parent will face.
Mourning a pet may not only be painful because of the loss itself, but deeper due to the potential loneliness of this type of grieving.
Your animal companion is a member of your family. So, much like the death of a parent, sibling, spouse, or dear friend, the grief over the loss of an animal companion can be overwhelming and even debilitating.
In 1998, photographer Preston Gannaway and her college roommate answered a newspaper listing that advertised kittens. They drove out to a house and found a man waiting in the driveway, carrying a kitten in each arm.
For as many people who don’t get it, there are just as many who do, but this divide poses a challenge when a pet is ill, lost, or dies. On the one hand, there are those people who understand the depths of the loss, on the other, there are those who think you are crazy.
At long last, Lisa Wolfe had an hour of uninterrupted work time. Then her 3-year-old son came to her in tears because his turtle died. What's a mother to do?
A pet can be a child’s closest friend, a faithful companion and comforter sharing the child’s joys and disappointments.
Losing a pet is a subject most pet owners never want to think about, but unfortunately must deal with at some point. I personally had to deal with the loss of two dogs, both more than six years ago. I can honestly say that I have never gotten over it — I've just gotten used to it.
It is not uncommon to blame ourselves for our pet’s death even if they died from natural causes. Grief brings about all kinds of painful thoughts of what we could have done or should have done to prevent their death.
When a beloved pup passes away, the loss can feel unbearable. In fact, sometimes that loss can feel as bad—or even worse—than the loss of a human friend or relative.