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
Deciding When a Pet Has Suffered Enough
By JESSICA PIERCE Published: September 22, 2012 ODY died peacefully last year, Nov. 29. He was 14 and a half. Truth be told, Ody didn’t just die. I killed him. I paid a vet to come to my house and inject a chemical solution into a vein in Ody’s back leg. People ask me how […]
Changes to the Way We View Pet Loss and Grief
Loss of life is never easy to deal with. Unfortunately, I have had to deal with more than I would care to in both animal rescue and veterinary medicine. Times have changed, and most people no longer consider their dogs and cats pets. Rather, they are family members or “babies”. We care for our “furry […]
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 […]
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 […]
New Animal loss support group
A new service is now available for grieving pet owners, an animal loss support group at Bundora, Melbourne , Victoria Time: 10am-11:30am fortnightly on a Saturday morning starting mid April. COST: $160 for the 6 session program About the Facilitator Bianca Lavorgna I am a Certified Bereavement Practitioner. I have extensive counselling, group work, supervision […]
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 […]
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