Saying Goodbye to our Four-Legged Friends

5 Tips for Helping Your Child Process the Death of a Pet  Share If you’ve ever owned a pet, you understand just how much you can come to love that animal. Whether it’s a dog, cat, guinea pig, ferret, fish, turtle, or rabbit, pets have a way of  making their way into our hearts . As an adult, you have experienced loss in your life before, but for children, the first death they may go through is the loss of a pet. So, how can you help your children process their emotions and move toward healing? Honor your child’s feelings One of the best things you can do for your child is treat their emotions with respect and validity. Assure them that it’s okay to feel sad, hurt, or angry. It’s  normal to feel this way  after loss. Stay away from telling a child how they should feel or that they need to “be strong.” This exhortation may be why so many adults have learned to brush away their emotions, to stifle them, but that’s not the way to healing. It’s a form of avoidance, and...

Helpful steps to take immediately following the death of a pet. Experiencing the death of a pet is a profound experience of hardship and loss. In our modern era of technology and what can feel like an increasingly fast living pace, grieving a companion animal can quickly be overlooked.  Grief  doesn’t “come in a box” and cannot be easily ignored. In fact, ignoring or repressing our grief can impact our psychological and physical health. Below are a few guiding steps that may help directly after experiencing the loss of a pet. These steps are meant as a guide and portray what some experiences could look like. Most grieving individuals would benefit from a combination of these steps even before body care and support. Step One: Allow yourself to respond to the grief you feel and breathe. Your adrenaline has kicked into gear. Chances are, you’re experiencing high levels of varying degrees of emotion. Some people jump into “high gear” and avoid feelings of helplessness or hopelessn...

   We all know how our furry, four-legged friends are like members of the family. They are our friends, confidants, and companions. They bring us true devotion and unconditional love. Saying goodbye to them can be just as difficult, if not more difficult, than saying goodbye to a loved one.  To those of you who have experienced the loss of a pet, welcome. It is our goal that this blog page will help you and your family as you experience the loss of a faithful pet. On our page, we will share with you many different types of media, including articles, videos, and personal experience pieces regarding the loss of pets; memorialization ideas, and other helpful items you and your family will be able to reference as you journey through your loss.  We encourage you to share with us what you'd like us to feature on our page as well. This can be anything from certain topics you'd like us to talk about, to sharing your own stories about your beloved four-legged friends. ...