Managing the Loss of a Pet
I constantly receive requests for information regarding how to personally manage the loss of a pet.
Each owner has a different relationship and attachment to his or her pet and no general answer to this question will suffice.
However, the Humane Society offers some solutions:
"While grief is a personal experience, you need not face loss alone. Many forms of support are available, including pet bereavement counseling services, pet-loss support hotlines, local or online Internet bereavement groups, books, videos, and magazine articles.
Here are a few suggestions to help you cope:
• Acknowledge your grief and give yourself permission to express it.
• Don't hesitate to reach out to others who can lend a sympathetic ear. The Delta Society offers a list of pet loss hotlines for those grieving over the death of a pet.
• Write about your feelings, either in a journal or a poem.
• Call your local humane society to see whether it offers a pet loss support group or can refer you to one.
You may also want to ask your veterinarian or local animal shelter about available pet loss hotlines.
• Explore the Internet for pet loss support groups and coping information.
• Prepare a memorial for your pet...."
There are countless ways for you to manage and accept the loss of a friend or a loved one.
Most pet owners consider their pets to be family members.
It is all right to to treat their loss in the same manner.
