Pet Loss Counseling

I've had many cats and dogs as my companions over the years. And each one of them has given me immense joy. There is nothing in the world that can surpass that unconditional love that our pets give us so freely.

Each of my pets, over time, has had unique personalities, their own little foibles and quirks, which have endeared them to me even more. And as each of them has died, over time, I have experienced the deep sense of loss and grief that only the passing of a close friend and soul mate can give us. I have even had to resort to euthanasia for one of my dogs, because he was grievously injured after coming under a car. I held him in my arms, speaking to him softly, as the vet inserted the syringe into his vein. Until his last breath, even though he was in great pain, he gazed at my face with his trusting, loving brown eyes, weakly wagging the tip of his tail, until it went still and limp.

In their lives and in their deaths, my pets have taught me how to get in touch with the inner core of my feelings. But, I have always had a hard time coping with the grief of their death, as I am sure most people do on the death of a pet.

Pet Loss Counseling to Help Cope with the Stages of Grief

One of the most important aspects and the hardest parts of loss and grief is trying to understand and accept what has happened. This is where pet loss counseling can help. It can help you to understand that the sense of loss does encompass your life, for a period of time, and that it is all right if it does. In fact, it is a necessary stage of grieving and letting go. Each of us has a right to feel the pangs of grief, and be allowed to take as much time as is required to first internalize it, and then to let it out, and then finally letting it go.

Grieving has many stages, although there are no hard and fast rules about any of them. The time frames differ from one person to another. In general, these stages can include: Shock/Disbelief/Denial; Guilt; Anger; Depression; Depression; and finally, Acceptance/Closure/Recovery.

Generally, each of these stages is supposed to progress from one to the next in a predictable manner. However, this may not always happen. Many people don’t experience all the stages sequentially, while some may plunge into and out of any of the stages in any which way, before the healing process actually starts. For example, you could find yourself almost at the stage of closure, when a sudden reminder may throw you back into the shock or disbelief stage. Pet loss counseling can help you to recognize that apart from it being a fact of life, it is also an understandable aspect of losing a dear pet. You will learn the importance of giving yourself time.

Seek Pet Loss Counseling to Help Cope with the Death of a Pet

If you are in the process of grieving the death of a pet, and you find that it is too painful to cope on your own, you could seek the services of professional pet loss counseling to help you through this period.

In fact, resorting to professional pet loss counseling is very common and is quite all right. Some of them also provide support groups for pet loss. At such groups, there will be other people who have experienced the same loss as you, who will therefore empathize with your grief more, and with whom you can share your feelings and experiences with your beloved pet.