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
Pet Cemetery Offers Final Resting Place for Beloved Animals
By Gerry Smith – Tribune reporter – October 26, 2009 About once a month, Carl and Ann Christoff visit the cemetery where Mindy and Buttons are buried. As Carl clips and sweeps grass around their graves, his wife uses vinegar to wash bird droppings off the marble headstones. Before they go, they leave decorations: flowers, […]
Book – Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates
Do all dogs and cats really go to heaven? Yes, they do! The death of your beloved pet can be one of the most heartbreaking losses you’ll ever endure. But recovery isn’t only about closure. You also want to know where your best friend has gone. After the intense, unexpected grief he experienced following the […]
Questions about Pet Loss and Grief
Am I going mad? If you have regarded your pet as a friend, family member, beloved companion, then it is not unusual to be very distressed at the death or impending death of a pet. Who can I talk to when he/she dies? Talk to someone who understands the bond you had and who […]
Readers answer – ‘Should Pets be Shown that Its Partner Pet is Dead?’
By ‘Cow’ This already happened, but I’m still not sure if I made the right decision. I love my cats very much, and when one of them, Smokie, died of cancer, I didn’t want the second one to always wonder a) If the cat had abandoned us, or b) If the cat might come home […]
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