At www.pet-memorial.net we care about the pain you are feeling over the loss of your pet. We want to offer you the following advise in dealing with your loss. So, even though this is an “About Us” page, it is really “About You”. More accurately, it is an “About You and Your Loss” page.

Losing a Pet can be extremely difficult. Often times, people will say that they have become attached to a pet. What are they really saying when they say that? They are emotionally attached. In other words, they love that pet.

There is nothing wrong with that. But by masking our feelings, we often set ourself up for a deeper broken heart.

Make no mistake about it. When we lose a pet, we go through a grief process similar to when we lose a relative or friend. There is a complete process that must be worked out.

In looking at the grief process in modern terms, there are 5 distinct areas of grief. There is denial, guilt, anger, depression, and healing. Some theorists substiture guilt for bargaining, but if you examine their reasoning behind it, you will see that they are referring to the same thing that we are calling guilt. If you have recently lost a pet, where are you in your grief process?

These steps must be worked through. Sometimes people will say “It was just an animal.” That simply isn’t true. While that pet may be an animal, it isn’t a “just”.

We develop deep bonds with our pets. The depth of the bond between the pet and the individual can greatly affect the way in which we grieve. Don’t be afraid to show your emotions. That may very well be what you need in order to move forward in your grief process. At the same time, don’t be afraid to move forward with life. That may sound like silly advise to some. For others it will make perfect sense. People often take time off work as they are so upset. Sometimes they can feel depressed, anxious or angry.

Often times people will even need grief counseling to handle the emotional pain of losing a beloved pet. If that is you, do not be afraid to get that counseling. It is perfectly normal. Just as with any other type of grief, you must do what is right for you. No two people handle any type grief the same way. Experience the freedom from your grief by doing what you need to do to handle your personal grief.

Listed below are some steps that may help you in your grief process.

• First acknowledge your grief.- That may sound silly. But sometimes people are embarrassed to admit they are grieving over a pet. Realize first of all that the relationship you had with your pet was a personal relationship and thay you do miss that pet. Even if you can’t admit to someone else that you are hurting over your loss, admit it to yourself.

• Give your self permission to grieve.- Whether other people understand the way you feel or not is not important. What is important is that you allow your self to move through the grief process. This will take a decision on your part to allow your self to grieve.

• Share your grief.- You really need to reach a point where you can discuss the pain you are feeling with someone else. This is important. Nothing is more therapeutic than sitting down and talking your feeling out. Make a decision that you are going to heal from your grief and then take the proper steps to bring about that healing. use the valuable tool of communicating your feelings in that process.

• Remember Your Pet.- Think about those good memories that you have of your pet. It may be difficult at first. But once again, grief is a process. When you are able to do so, start thinking back on the memories that you have of your pet. Take time to enjoy those memories. What about the time that he destroyed the chidren’s swimming pool? Or what about the walks that you took with your pet? See, there really are some good memories that you have of your pet and the more you are able to remember these times in a fond way, the better you will be able to move through your grief.

• Don’t try to replace your pet until you are sure that you are ready.- Many times peope will try to replace a pet right away. This may be right for some people, but it is not for most. Remember that first break up as a teenager? Remember how devastated you were? And remember the results when you started dating someone else “on the rebound” as we called it when I was a teenager. It usually does not work. It is the same way with replacing a pet too soon. You need to reach a place where your emotions are in check and you are able to realize that your new pet is not your old pet. It is important that you are not on the rebound. That is the only way you will establish the kind of relationship with your new pet that you had with your old pet.

We, at www.pet-memorial.net hope that the information in this page will aid you in your grief process.