Welcome to Pets & People - the support network for grieving pet owners...
Loving animals is an important part of being human
Losing an animal friend can feel as devastating as losing a human loved one...
Share the loss of your pet with a therapist who will understand and support you...
Our 24 / 7 Pet Loss Support Line
Australia: 1300 431 450 NZ: 0800 114 421
PLEASE NOTE: This is a toll free number, but once connected with professional, the counselling rates will vary according to the service provider.
Understanding grief & loss
Reactions to grief can be manifested many different ways - some of which might be...
- feelings - of anxiety, fear, sadness, anger, guilt
- thoughts - such as confusion, preoccupation and disbelief
- physical reactions - like sleep disturbances, empty sensation in stomach, breathlessness or tightness in the chest
- behaviour - such as crying, sighing, hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal
These are only some of the ways that grief is manifested and everyone's experience will be unique to them and their loss.
Unfortunately, the grief associated with the loss of a pet is often the most misunderstood. Family and friends often mean well, but can sometimes dismiss your pain and distress...
You are not alone...
Pets and People was founded by Dr Michael O’Donoghue and Penny Carroll to provide a supportive process to help people through the grief experienced with the loss of a companion animal.
Counselling can help...
Not all counsellors specialise in grief and even less deal with the grief associated with Pet Loss. But help is at hand.
Our aim at Pets and People is to help connect pet owners with qualified and experienced pet loss counsellors who are ready and willing to support people in this difficult time. We have compiled a list of resources, both paid and complimentary, to help you work through your grief.
Recommended Pet Loss & Grief articles
Public Mourning of Deceased Pets Gains Acceptance
Posted: Saturday, March 29, 2014 7:00 am Associated Press | FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Because Julie Mack’s golden retriever was her best friend, roommate, playmate and travel partner, the euthanized passing of the nearly 12-year-old Clancy was excruciatingly painful. As Clancy’s head rested in her lap, Mack said a tearful goodbye in the privacy of […]
Why are Some Causes of Grief Unacceptable to Society?
By Rheyanne Weaver August 11, 2010 – 11:55pm 1 comments When you take care of something for months or even years, you can grow attached to it, especially when it brings you happiness. For example, I became attached to several of my pet rats. Of course, the inevitable happened: they died. Although some people didn’t […]
3 Steps to Making use of Creativity to Ease Grief
We do not often connect these issues with each other, easing grief with photography and creativity. Engaging our inventive facet by gathering photographs, and then creating anything new and different can have a strong impression to aid ease the grief in our heart following an animal passing away. It is just that easy, and that […]
The Traumatic Loss of a Pet Under Sudden and Violent Circumstances can Leave an Owner Feeling Powerless.
Grief over the death of a beloved pet can be devastating Ellie advises a reader who can’t recover from the death of a dog/best friend, killed by a pitbull in its owner’s presence. By: Ellie Advice, Published on Thu Mar 14 2013 Q: Last September, I lost my 3-year-old dog/best friend in a […]
What NOT to Say to Someone Who is Grieving the Loss of a Pet
Posted by Ingrid Amazon.com Widgets As a society, we are not equipped to handle grief and loss, and many people don’t know what to say to someone who is grieving. This can be compounded when the loss is that of a pet. Even people who are genuinely sorry and want to express their sympathy often […]
Helping Cats Cope with the Loss of Other Pets
Pet loss and grief can be difficult and heartbreaking for people, but it can be an even greater challenge to help the surviving pets deal with pet loss. Cats do, indeed, grieve. They cannot tell us how they feel. And the owners in the family may overlook behavior changes while dealing with their own sense […]
Pet Funerals
When Chiquita Isom’s German shepherd, Silla, died of a fast-growing heart tumor last year with almost no warning, Isom was inconsolable. She knew she needed to do something to honor the loving dog she always called “my girl.” Days later, the Rev. Pat Boone, in black robe and long shawl patterned with dogs and cats, […]
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