Losing any family member, even a beloved pet, is a very traumatic experience. Feelings of sadness and grief, or even depression and despair are common. Take heart that you are not alone in these feelings. And that there are organizations, as well as individuals, who empathize with these feelings and have special training to help you in this time of need. These people and places are called grief counselors and grief support services and they offer psychological and/or spiritual services from different therapeutic and cultural perspectives. Grief and support counseling aims to help people deal with the heartache and mourning […]
Euthanasia
Grief can be the most overwhelming of all emotions. It can leave us feeling completely lost and helpless regardless of whether we grieve for the loss of a person or a pet. Unfortunately, there remains some stigma over getting help for grief and other emotional distress, particularly as it pertains to the loss of a pet. It is easy today to find a variety of resources on grieving in general and grieving over the loss of a pet specifically (see the end of the article for links to many resources). A variety of people and professions say that they are […]
We all love our pets and want them to be with us forever. We sometimes forget that we will live much longer than most of our pets. It’s important that we know what to do and how to handle the death of a pet. This article will divide the subject into two parts, mental/emotional preparation and practical preparation. Mental and emotional preparation Mental and emotional preparation involves helping everyone in the family understand that death is a part of life.That everyone dies and that it’s okay to be confused, scared and sad or to feel any other emotion about the […]
When we bring home a furry friend for the first time, we are entranced by the new little life in our home. The comical antics and pitiful cries are met with our “coos” and smiles as we happily scoop them up. As our pets grow, we cherish the experiences we have together—first walks on leash, going to the dog park, chasing toys or the laser pointer, cuddling. When we bring home a furry friend for the first time, we are entranced by the new little life in our home. The comical antics and pitiful cries are met with our “coos” […]