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
Weekend Sunrise (Channel 7) sheds lights on pet loss and grief with Dr Michael O’Donogohue
Those grieving often suffer in silence because the lack of understanding in the outside world means sympathy is hard to come by. Pet owners are often told, “it’s just an animal” or “you can always get another one” – comments which can understandably be hard to hear.
People Answer the Question: “Do Animals Have an After Life?”
Here is what they had to say: Oh, how I wish when I die my dog Skippy or my cat Peaches would meet me at the gate and we would go on like we were never apart. Life would be easier to live if after death we could all meet in a glorious place […]
What Should I Tell My Children?
Pet Ohana For Thursday, November 5, 2009 By Hawaiian Humane Society QUESTION: Our family cat recently died, and we’re at a loss on how to explain this to our young children. What can we tell them? ANSWER: If you hide your grief, children could fear that sorrow is unnatural. If you tell them that […]
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 […]
Readers answer the question “Do animals have an after life?”
Published: October 31. 2009 12:01AM We asked readers this month about animals in heaven or the afterlife. Here is what you had to say: Oh, how I wish when I die my dog Skippy or my cat Peaches would meet me at the gate and we would go on like we were never apart. Life […]
Do Dogs Show Signs of Mourning?
QUESTION: I have two dogs that grew up together and one of them is very sick. I’m worried that when she passes away the other will be terribly grief stricken, so my question is: Do dogs mourn and what can I do to help? ANSWER: It’s my experience and my observation that dogs do indeed […]
Dogs Never Die, They are Sleeping in Your Heart
When I read this piece I really loved it. It’s simple and very beautiful. I’m sharing it because I thought it might be of comfort for those experiencing the loss of a four-legged family member. Ernest Montague wrote this and says, “I wrote this several years ago in memory of Bolo, a black and white Pit […]
How You and Your Child can Cope With Loss of a Pet
Credits: Virginia State Parks on flickr By MARIA SIKOUTRIS DI IORIO April 25, 2017 at 12:58 PM Animals provide companionship, acceptance, emotional support and unconditional love. If you understand this connection between human and animal, then you understand that coping with loss and grief of a pet is no different than when a person you […]
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