Affirming a pet owner's struggle with grief when his or her pet dies, this book helps mourners understand why their feelings are so strong and helps them overcome the loss. Included are practical suggestions for mourning and ideas for remembering and memorializing one's pet. Among the issues covered are understanding the many emotions experienced after the death of a pet; understanding why grief for pets is unique; pet funerals and burial or cremation; celebrating and remembering the life of one's pet; coping with feelings about euthanasia; helping children understand the death of their pet; and things to keep in mind before getting another pet.
Understanding helps heal the hurt when you lose a pet A cherished pet gives you boundless, unconditional love and occupies a special place in your routine, your home, and your heart. When your pet dies, that warm, special place becomes a sad, empty space. This book helps you understand: * The grieving process, including typical stages of grief and techniques for coping * Grieving for a missing pet, one you had to give up because of a change in life situation, and other difficult circumstances * Children and the death of a pet * Euthanasia, including important considerations * Religion and the death of a pet, with articles by various religious leaders * Aftercare facilities, including an extensive index of pet cemeteries, crematories, and memorial gardens This award-winning book has been hailed as the seminal work in the field. And now the fourth newly revised and expanded edition offers so much more to the bereaving pet owner. This edition also includes a significant new way of considering the meaning of afterlife for us and our pets. It discusses the topic from a twenty-first–century scientific perspective that is very different from existing religious or metaphysical ones, offering a new comfort to skeptics and agnostics as well.
The purpose of this book is to provide a resource to help animal owners work through the pain anticipating or following the loss of their pet. In our society there is often a message that there must be something wrong with anyone who feels despair or " falls apart " over the loss of an animal. Because of this message, the "survivors" of animal loss are often left feeling alone and "crazy" because they are having such a strong reaction to their loss. This book serves to "legitimize" the grief following the loss of a beloved pet as well as a guide to try to make the pain of that loss more bearable.
Because our relationships with our animal companions are unlike human relationships, the death of a pet is like no other loss that we will experience. Draws on the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, the author's own experience, and interviews with dozens of pet lovers to guide the reader through the initial loss of a pet to the dawning of new hope and reassurance.
Without proper support, navigating the icy waters of grief may feel impossible. The grieving person may feel spiritually bankrupt and often the loss is so painful that the bereaved may lose faith in what they once held dear. Mindfulness meditation can restore hope by offering a compassionate safe haven for healing and self-reflection. While nobody can predict the path of someone else's grief, this book will guide the reader forward through the grieving process with simple mindfulness-based exercises to restore mind, body and spirit. These easy-to-follow meditations will help the reader to cope with the pain of loss, and embark on a healing journey. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of grief, and the guided meditations will calm the mind and increase clarity and focus. Mindfulness and Grief will help readers to begin the process of reconstructing the shattered self that is left in the wake of any major loss.
This gentle and heartwarming story captures the love between a boy and his dog, and the sadness that follows after his cherished dog passes away. Written in the form of a letter from the dog to the boy, the letter shares relatable, real life examples of how the boy (and therefore anybody who has lost a dear pet) may be feeling and suggestions on what he can do to help himself get through this most difficult time. The letter also touches on simple acts of kindness that can follow the reader throughout his or her lifetime. The message in this story is applicable to young and old, girl or boy, and to any family pet that has stolen your heart. Story starters, drawing pages, and a place to add pictures of your own beloved pet are also included in the back of the book. "This sweet and meaningful book is sure to support the whole family. The author has taken care to capture what it's like for a child to lose a friend and impart a message of hope." --Kathleen Cooney, Veterinarian and end of life specialist "Dear Brave Friend is a beautiful way to talk with children about pet loss. The story line and illustrations are powerful tools that give a child's heart permission to know that they might feel a certain way, and it's perfectly acceptable. Coupled with the practical workbook at the end, this book has it all--not only for children and parents, but for all ages! This is a "highly recommend" read for every pet lover!" --Coleen A. Ellis, Pet Loss Pioneer Two Hearts Pet Loss Center
Everyone who's ever loved an animal companion will find wisdom and solace in this book. The authors share stories drawn from decades of experience leading pet loss groups and practicing family therapy. Their recommendations for taking care of yourself and loved ones during the rough spots of grief will answer all of your important questions and help you feel well-supported. I highly recommend The Pet Loss Companion for companion animal lovers like me. - Ed Sayres, President & CEO of the ASPCA(r) The Pet Loss Companion is a wonderfully reassuring book for anyone who cares about pets. It is a loving book, full of personal and practical details about how to care for oneself after loss. The authors are sensitive pet-lovers, empathic and engaging in this moving and meaningful book. - Monica McGoldrick, MSW, Ph.D. (h.c.), Director, Multicultural Family Institute, and author of You Can Go Home Again If you have ever lost a beloved pet and have wondered if your feelings are normal, this book is a must read for you. Ken and Nancy, in this single book, have captured the emotional roller coaster that most people experience during the end stages of the life of their pet. In addition there are helpful insights into their world as bereavement counselors and how they have helped their patients deal with the experiences of death. I have practiced Veterinary Medicine for over 30 years and have finally found a book that can be given to my grieving owners after such a trauma. - Anthony Miele, DVM, CEO, Veterinary Asset Management, Inc. What a gift Ken and Nancy's book is to those of us who have cherished and lost a pet companion. They get it, and as such, gently and skillfully help to ease the treacherous journey that loss is. This gem explores the terrain of loss and grief and the vast love that surrounds the experience. Readers will be warmed, saddened, and delighted by the examples and tools that are provided to ease the necessary grief process. The experience of reading this little book leaves me feeling much gratitude for my pet companions and these authors who so beautifully convey the huge role they play in our lives. - Lynn Parker, Ph.D., LCSW, Professor, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center is proud to offer free pet loss support as part of its programmatic efforts, with Nancy Saxton-Lopez at the helm for over 20 years. Together Ken and Nancy continue to provide this valuable service at our center twice monthly and they've expanded their reach by sharing their professional training and direct pet loss counseling expertise with the completion of The Pet Loss Companion. Their compassion for both pets and the people who love them is palpable in this concise, easy-to-read guide which offers understanding, solace, and hope to anyone struggling with the loss of a cherished animal companion, no matter the circumstances. The loss of a companion animal is a unique, yet not unique, grieving process not always well understood by others. This book connects and thereby supports people at a time of what can be isolating grief, providing a life raft or light to navigate the process. It's also a helpful tool-whether as a gift or for personal awareness-for those looking for some guidance in supporting family and friends coping with pet loss. - Heather Cammisa, President & CEO, St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, Madison, New Jersey
Thoroughly researched and expertly written, this comprehensive guide is a must for animal lovers dealing with the loss of a pet. The death of a pet can cause enormous feelings of sorrow, guilt, and loneliness for children and adults alike, whether the end comes through old age, illness, sudden death, or euthanasia. Yet pet owners are often inhibited in their very real grief, even if the animal was considered a full-fledged family member, a child's favored playmate, or an elderly person's faithful companion. In Pet Loss, the authors acknowledge and encourage such grief, and assert that pet owners must learn to cope with the death of an animal as they would with any significant loss--by expressing their feelings and coming to terms with their grief. At once a practical guide and an emotional support, Pet Loss offers unique advice for owners faced with an animal's passing, from the difficult decision to put a pet to sleep to dealing with a veterinarian or making funeral or cremation arrangements. Other questions answered in this book include: Do animals go off by themselves to die? How can children be helped with their grief over the death of a family pet? When an animal has to be put to sleep, what is the best method? How and when should one take in a new pet? How much can a vet be expected to do?
