How Can You Help A Grieving Dog Parent?

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16 November, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

As a pet parent, you may understand the good, bad, and ugly sides of grieving the loss of a pet. Pet loss is one of the most difficult things anyone can go through in their life, and while moving forward to a place of healing is possible, no one said it would be simple. It makes all the difference to have a strong support system. Take note, however, that when the time comes when a loved one is grieving the loss of their pet, you may not know the courtesy or good sense to sympathise with your circumstances.

Every significant shift in our life entails some level of pain.

This loss is typically acute for pet owners. When others are unavailable, pets are there for you. It’s possible that the pet was their sole actual buddy. When they are suffering with other losses in their lives, friends may have advised them how or how not to feel, but their pets listened without any outward analysis, criticism, or judgement. The fact that these pets were constantly there for them on a daily basis and in times of crisis may have made them more valued to them than their human pals.

Many people are unable to comprehend the profound loss felt by some pet owners. Planning a pet memorial or looking out for the keepsakes including other things can be difficult. The intensity of their emotional anguish following a loss is proportional to the importance of that relationship in our lives. If we have never had a comparable bond to an animal, it is impossible to fathom how devastating the death of this friend is to the griever.

What can you do to aid someone who has lost a pet in a meaningful way?

Never tell a pet owner that you understand how they feel. These remarks have a strong negative impact on grievers, regardless of the nature of their loss. You may have experienced a loss comparable to yours, which gives you an idea of how you felt, but you can never completely understand another person’s suffering. At best, you can acknowledge how much it hurt when you lost your pet, but then urge them to speak the truth about their own suffering.

Don’t dismiss their sorrow. There’s a strong urge to try to rationalize why that friend shouldn’t be hurting so badly. Friends and family members frequently tell grieving relatives that the person has gone to a better place. That may be reasonable, but sorrow is an emotional experience, not a rational one. Grievers interpret such remarks as urging them to hide rather than express it. You won’t be able to solve the problem no matter what you say since their pet will still be dead. Instead of trying to fix them, grieving people need someone to listen to them.

Do not attempt to assist your friend by destroying all signs of the pet/existence. Consider what would happen if your spouse or child died and a well-meaning friend came into your home and disposed of all of their clothes and personal belongings in an effort to spare you the grief of having to live with the continual reminder of the one you lost. Is that something that would make you feel better? While it may be tempting to provide assistance by packing feeding bowls, toys, bedding, or cages, do it at the griever’s leisure to save them for your pet memorial. When they are ready, they will decide which items to discard and which to keep.

They were already old. The fact that they are elderly does not diminish the value of their lives.=

You still haven’t moved on? No, you don’t get over it as quickly as you would with any other horrific occurrence. Everyone grieves in their own way and at their own pace. Grief has no time limit, regardless of how much time you spent together.

Here are things you can do to aid a mourning pet parent.

Send a bouquet of flowers or a fruit box with a note – Sending a bouquet to a friend or loved one is always a thoughtful gift. You can never go wrong with a great floral arrangement or fruit basket to show you care and are thinking of them.

Send a sympathy card with a heartfelt remark – A simple handwritten card is another way to show you care. When a person receives a few touching cards during such a horrendous time, they feel better to know that their friends and family were thinking of them. You can also send out personalized cards with dog memory quotes written on them just to make it even more personal. This could be a good choice for individuals who are bashful and don’t want to talk to the mourning pet parents directly. Grief and loss is a difficult issue, and not everyone feels comfortable discussing it openly, so a handwritten card may be the best option.

Making a donation to an animal shelter or charity to honor their pet – Making a donation in the name of the departed pet to a local pet charity or shelter is a thirst option to show you care. It is an extremely surprising way to show your support and is an extremely thoughtful, one-of-a-kind way. It’s something that your loved one will never forget.

This concludes our recommendations on what to say and what not to say to a bereaved pet parent. I hope you find this list useful and will return to it when the situation arises. It’s never easy to deal with the loss of a pet. It’s difficult and embarrassing to have a friend go through the same thing as you. May the information we’ve provided in this post will assist you in finding beneficial and comfortable ways to express your pity and compassion for someone who is in need of assistance.