It’s been four years since my beloved furball Dusty passed away and yet sometimes I still get emotional. I could see a pet commercial or a scene from a movie and something will just trigger the tears to flow. Am I better off now than I was four years ago? Yes. Does the heartache go away? No. However as a grieving pet parent, you learn to move in a forward direction and learn to live with a whole in your heart.
Our furry friends and family members wouldn’t want us to wallow in misery but to carry on with life. Like I’ve said before we only get one life and this is not a dress rehearsal. With that said, if you have been following my blog you know the reason I started this blog was to put my feelings and experiences going through pet loss to paper so others could find comfort and validation in their own experiences. You are not alone.
However, I realize that it takes more than a few blog posts to help heal the heart, so here are 5 online resources for pet loss support.
5 Online Resources for Pet Loss Support
1. Rainbow Bridge Grief Support Center
https://www.rainbowsbridge.com/Grief_Support_Center/Grief_Support_Home.htm
This site is great. They offer services like personal one on one chat forums and even have a direct number to call if you wish to speak to someone. They not only have a small community of pet parents but also offer virtual memorial services. You can “light a candle” in honor of your beloved pet. They also offer memorial products for sale as well.
2. Pet Loss.com
This site offers chat and phone support and a community of fellow pet parents to interact with as well. This site also has a large volume of pet loss poetry and music to reflect and meditate on. Additionally, they have articles on pet loss and bereavement as well as greeting cards. This site is how I came to discover the idea behind Rainbow Bridge. They also provide a space to give tribute to your pet as well as share other pet parents stories.
3. The Association for Pet loss and Bereavement
If you desire to speak to a trained professional you can check out the APLB- The Association for pet loss and bereavement. As taken from their website
“ We are all professionally trained volunteers in pet bereavement counseling, and are here for you. Our beloved animal friends have brought us together, and in honor of them we are now all here for each other, as well. Welcome.”
This site not only offers one on one counseling , but also legal support, textbook resources and information about euthanasia options and cremation.
4. Best Friends
https://bestfriends.org/resources/pet-loss-and-grief-resources
Best Friends.org not only supports no kill initiatives and promotes adoption, they also provide services and resources for those of us that have experienced pet loss. Check out the link for additional website and text resources available to help.
5. CPC Cares
Last but not least. Have you heard of CPC Cares? Maybe you have. If you follow my Twitter feed you see I re-tweet some of their content. They are U.K.’s leading pet crematorium and one of the first organizations to reach out to me about my blog. So for sentimental (and practical reasons) I recommend you check out their site as well. They offer cremation services, online tributes as well as products for your beloved’s final resting place like urns /headstones. Also check out their blog, as they have several posts to offer support to bereaved pet parents including a few guest posts from yours truly! You can read their blog here.
Those are my five additional resources for you to check out if you are looking for support. As a grieving pet parent, I know this is perhaps the most difficult time in your life, but you know what? You will get through this. Just take it one day at a time. It won’t be easy, however just know you are not alone. Someone out there has been in your same shoes too. I hope these resources help give you some comfort and insight. If you are still searching for even more resources to help, check out two of my previous posts here:
3 Youtubers that helped me deal with grief after pet loss
8 Resources for healing after pet loss
Have you heard of any of these resources I mentioned? What resources helped you during the grieving process? Comment and share below.
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Thank you for this information. It’s only been two months since I had to say goodbye to my sweet Belle. She was the best of all of us and I miss her everyday.
Karen,
So sorry for your loss of sweet Belle. I totally understand. I’m glad this post was helpful for you.
Great post. Someone pointed me to Rainbow Bridge after our chocolate lab died, to help my husband and son. Very helpful for my son.
Thank you. I’m glad someone helped you and your son via Rainbow Bridge. That helped me too.
To many pet parents, losing a pet is as painful as losing a family member. I had a dear friend who lost his dog after 18 years together and he was devastated for months. When I lost my black lab years ago, I felt like my heart would never stop hurting. But we’ve both come through that grief and now have new pets to love. The strength of that bond is part of what inspired me to establish my own pet blog – sharing dilutes grief and enhances joy.
Lori,
Well said. I understand what you mean. Losing my sweet Dusty helped inspire this blog too. 🙂
Losing a pet affects people in different ways. Some are so heartbroken that they don’t ever want to love and lose again. Others get another pet immediately to help heal their hearts with a new joy. They know they can never replace the pet they had but they also know that that pet would want them to continue to love. Grieving lasts a long time and shows up now and then. Counseling helps ease the pain too. Thanks for sharing these resources.
Amelia,
Well said. I couldn’t say it any better. So true. Thanks for sharing your insight.
It’s been 2 1/2 years and I still miss my Cassie. It’s hard to believe it was that long ago. I have not used a pet loss support center, but it’s good to know they are available.
Sandy,
So sorry about Cassie. 🙁 I understand. No matter how long ago it still hurts the heart.
It is never easy to lose a loved one. Everyone grieves differently, and I’m glad to know that all these resources are available.
Thank you for sharing these links! It’s SO important that those grieving get the support they need. It’s so heartbreaking to loose your pet, you definitely need time to cope.
Shelby,
Definitely. I think pet parents need to know to grieve is okay and also there is no time limit on grief. You learn to live with it day to day. Thanks for your insight!
It’s been 6 1/2 years since I lost Praline, but there are still some days the emotions come pouring back out again. I sought out psychiatric help with my depression both before and after losing her. I also had the amazing support from cat bloggers I’ve met through the years. I wish I knew about these valuable resources when I lost her.
I know what you mean. I didn’t know about most of these resources until after blogging about loss. Go figure. I’m just happy to be able to share what I’ve lived, learned and discovered with others so they can find healing. 🙂 I know exactly what you mean about the roller coaster of emotions too.
Nice list of resources. As a veterinarian, helping clients through the loss of a pet is an almost every day occurrence. I will have to bookmark this article to check out the resources later. Might be nice to pass them along to clients. All to often after end of life care is complete, I lose contact with my clients for a period of time. It would be nice to have more resource to offer them in the time of mourning.
Definitely do. Would be a great place for grieving pet parents to start their journey to healing. Having a caring veterinarian like you is a blessing too. Thank you.
This is great information that will help so many. I still get teary eyed when I think of my past cats, who I miss so much. I’m going to share this on social media.
Thank you so much for sharing. I feel the same way too thinking about my girls.
Thank you for sharing this post, I knew of the one but did not know of the others and I think they are so important to have for when we do lose one of our furkids. As far as I can remember the SPCA in San Francisco also has grief counseling for those that need it.
Ruth,
Absolutely. Happy to share.
A place here offers art therapy for people who are going through pet loss. I’m writing about it soon.
I look forward to reading that post. I know painting has helped me as well. I enjoy anything creative and constructive.
Many people don’t understand how painful that can be. Only somebody truly attached to their pet can truly appreciate it. I know how much Jasmine’s passing hurt.
Jana,
I agree 100% Jana. Thanks for sharing your point of view.
This is a wonderful collection of resources to help people deal with the grief of losing a furry family member. I’m sure this will help a lot of people, thanks for sharing!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Cathy,
Happy to share what I’ve learned and found to help other grieving pet parents. 🙂
Beautiful post and great tips for support! It’s so useful for pet parents to know who to contact should they need a shoulder to lean on. Thank you Kamira!
Mel,
Thank you!
I had no idea that these resources were available! Losing a pet is devastating and so thankful for those willing to help!
Kristen,
Yes, I never knew there were resources like this until recently. Glad it can help others.