Dealing With Pet Loss

Dealing with pet loss can be a process very much like dealing with the loss of a loved one. To some, their pets are members of the family. Some pets live for many years and share many significant times with their owners. Dealing with pet loss and the difficult emotions that result from that loss is simply not understood by those who have not enjoyed such close companionship with a furry, finned, scaled or feathered friend.

Dealing with pet loss is not silly or childish. You should never be critical or judgmental of someone who is having trouble dealing with the loss of a pet. This is especially true in families when parents are looking to provide comfort to their children who are having a difficult time understanding why a pet has died.

One of the first steps in dealing with pet loss is to discuss your emotions and answer any questions that may be present. Again, this is especially important for children to be able to do as the concept of death may be very new to them and they may have a lot of unanswered questions. Members and leaders of your religious faith are excellent sources for counsel if there are questions regarding death and an after-life that the death of a pet may have brought to your attention.

Some people have a positive view on death and see it as a natural transition. Others suffer from feelings of anger or guilt. Denial is another commonly used term that describes a process that some go through when mourning the loss of a pet that they cared for. Such feelings can be especially difficult to deal with if the death of a pet was due to an accident close to home or if the death of the pet was witnessed. In cases such as these each individual who was touched by the death of a pet must come to terms with the fact that despite people's best efforts sometimes pets die and no one is at fault. Accidents are called such for a reason. Additionally it is comforting to many to remember that the pet is no longer in any pain once they have died. Any suffering that may have occurred is now over and the animal can be at peace.

Closure is a vital step in the dealing with the loss of a pet. There are definitely some ways that you should not use to try to help bring closure to others. One example is to dismiss the importance of the first pet by running out and buying another pet. Replacing a pet belittles the life and memory of the first pet with which there was an emotional bond. Buying a new pet to replace the old one is also confusing for children who may not understand how it is that mom and dad just went to the store and bough another "Fluffy."

Allow for a proper burial of your pet. Whether you choose to cremate your pet or to bury them somewhere on your property, do so with respect. Again speaking to parents, help your children work through their feeling of loss by allowing them to say goodbye to their pet in a ceremony of remembrance. Encourage them to highlight fun times that they all had together. You may choose to bury some of your pet's favorite toys with him or to create a tombstone or some sort of grave marker. You want to emphasize the fact that although your pet is no longer with you, that you must remember the good times that you all had together and celebrate a life rather than mourn a death.

Sometimes pet loss becomes too much for an individual to handle. In this case seeking professional help from a counselor or grief specialist is an excellent option.

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