Pet Loss Support Groups

Pet Loss Support Groups

Pet loss support groups are a really constructive option to consider when trying to deal with the pain of losing your pet.

While some people are more comfortable dealing with the loss of their pet by themselves, you may want to consider going to a pet bereavement group -- many animal shelters and rescue organizations organize these support groups free of charge.

Pet loss support groups are an excellent idea if you think they will benefit you – attending one will give you a chance to spend some time with people who understand exactly how you feel because they, too, have lost a pet. Many people, both relatives and friends may not understand why you’re so upset at the death of your pet – after all, it was "just" a pet.

Talking about your pet and your experiences with other people in pet loss support groups, who understand how you feel, can be a great way to understand your own feelings and where you are in the grieving process. Pet loss counselling may also be available from trained pet loss counsellors - people who understand the pain you're going through.

Pet loss support groups will help you evaluate exactly where you are in your grieving process. Counsellors at pet loss support groups will probably recommend that before you run out and get another pet to replace the one you have just lost, you take some time to grieve and think. Are you really ready for another pet? Even if you pick a pet of the same breed, sex, and age as your old pet, they cannot ever replace the pet you have lost.

Don’t necessarily rush into getting another pet right away; give yourself time to de-stress after the extremely emotional time you have just been through. Pet loss support groups can help put all this turmoil into perspective.

Here is a personal story from Aimee Amodio, a young friend of ours. As you will see, she benefitted from, and strongly recommends pet loss support groups.

Aimee says ......

After my Miko passed away, I started attending a bereavement group offered by the Rutland County Humane Society in Rutland, Vermont. The group was small; only three other people and the representative from the shelter who acted as counselor.

I was the only one who had lost a pet suddenly. Miko had passed away in his sleep one Saturday morning without any real warning beforehand. Everyone else in the group had nursed their pet through a long and debilitating illness. Some made the choice to euthanize their pet to end suffering; some had the choice made for them when the illness won out.

During the course of the sessions, I had two “AH-HA” moments. The first came when I realized I was jealous of everyone who had a chance to say goodbye to their pets. As I explained that to the group, a woman who had lost her cat turned to me with wide eyes and said that she was jealous of me because my pet hadn’t suffered. It wasn’t until that point that I realized that there is no good way to lose a pet. Whether your pet lingers through a long illness or passes away without warning, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

My other big revelation came when we were talking about our other pets. Two days after Miko passed away, I went to the shelter and found a new dog. I was afraid to be in the apartment alone; since Miko had picked me out, I hadn’t spent a single night without him in four years. I brought home a lively Boxer mix named Lally, and was having some issues with her. The real issue, the one I didn’t realize until I talked it out with the bereavement group, was that I was angry with my new dog for not being Miko. After I discovered that, I had a much easier time with Lally.

I would never have learned these two important lessons if I hadn’t gone and talked to people about my feelings and experiences with losing a pet. So even if you don’t choose to go to an official bereavement support group, talk to someone who has lost a pet. They will understand your situation like no one else can.

Please do consider pet loss support groups as one very important option when you're dealing with the death of your pet.

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