Pets are Family

I don’t know if any of you have experienced pet loss but I am not ashamed to admit the most recent loss of my family dog had me hiding from my children, playing “In the arms of an angel” by Sarah McLaughlin on repeat and weeping like a little baby infant. It was so painful I actually googled “is it normal to grieve harder for a pet than a person” and I actually found a ton of resources that said many people do grieve harder for the loss of their pets than for actual humans they have lost in their life. Maybe that sounds a little weird to you, morbid even? I know not everyone thinks of pets as a member of the household and that’s okay. But for those of us who cook our children hot dogs and make an extra for our little fluffer nutter doggo – it logically makes sense. Pets are there for us day in and day out, unconditionally providing you with a constant ever flowing resource of love and affection, even when we forget to fill up their food dish or yell at them for peeing on the new, dry-clean only duvet I had just put on my bed… I am referring specifically to dogs and cats but I’ve heard of strong bonds between humans and other pets too.

Pet Keepsakes

There are some things you can do to help ease the difficulty of pet loss, especially when young kids are involved. I let my kids each pick out their favorite picture of our girl, Nika. Then we went and they picked out their own frame for the picture. It was a small trip that meant a lot to them and really helped them heal. I’ve also heard of friends who had small pillows made of their pet or a custom pet portrait made. All of these are beautiful ways to honor a pet. If you’re looking to create a keepsake of your own pet, start by finding a picture of them that really embodies their personality, that will make it so much more memorable. My pup Nika was white with brown spots and I would often dye her hair pink and blue for fun so that was the image I found to be the most comforting to me.

Dealing with a Loss

Nothing prepares you for the day of loss, that’s for sure. I personally binged funny dog videos and watched them for hours, ugly crying and eating cookie dough ice cream but watching videos of other people’s pups may not do it for you, grieving is so different for everyone. Some people follow the typical stages, starting with denial, then anger builds, guilt washes over them, depression sets in, and then eventually acceptance. Others find grief to be a more cyclical experience, like a series of highs and lows. This was me personally, my fuse was so short with everyone and I just bawled my eyes out every time I even thought about my girl not being there. Then gradually the lows will become more bearable as time goes on. If you or someone you know is currently in this sad, sinking pet-loss boat, please let them know that true dog and cat lovers really do love their pets more than some humans and according to google, which we all know NEVER lies, is totally normal and natural.

Really the only thing that is for certain is time heals, as cliché as that sounds.