Grief Support

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While the loss of your cherished friend, confidant, and cutest companion will never be easy, you can rely on us to help you through this difficult time. Always providing you with a comforting shoulder to lean on, Tracks To Heaven would like to share with you some helpful grief tools that have proven to assist in the coping process time and again.

What you can do?

The grieving process takes time but there are some things you can do that might help.

Write about what you are feeling or talk to someone who will listen.
Create a journal or scrapbook about your pet, either individually or with your family.
Honor the pet with a memorial service.
Buy a special marker or urn for pets grave or cremains.
Create a rock garden with plantings and a garden stone.
Create a memory box with your pet’s special items. For example a photo, special toy, leash or dog tag. Write a poem or story and include it in the box.
Make a donation to the humane society or pet rescue organization in your pet’s name. You can also donate any pet food or treats you have left to a shelter or make a gift bag of supplies for a neighbor pet.
Don’t rush out and buy another pet.
Understand that the grief is very real and you shouldn’t have to apologize for your feelings or be ashamed. We grieve because we love, and no one should be able to rob that love or the need to honor it.
You can post your pet’s photo and a short story at an online pet memorial website like Critters.com. ( Basic service is free)

For The Love of Your Pet

For families, the pet has become an extension of the family unit, providing mutual interest for the entire family. They provide laughs, exercise and the experience of nurturing, love and

companionship.

When a family’s pet dies, there can be overwhelming feelings of pain and loss.

The feelings of loss and grief are very real.

Families should never feel embarrassed or afraid to acknowledge those feelings.

Grief is a physical, social, emotional, psychological and spiritual reaction to loss.

Grief is natural, normal and necessary.

The grieving family can expect to experience any or all of the following:

Tiredness, unable to sleep, or wanting to sleep most of the time,

altered appetite, anxiety, empty or hollow feeling, have a hard time

concentrating.

-Sherry Williams

Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement

This is a national clearinghouse for information on mental health professionals who provide pet loss support. There are state-by-state listings of pet loss counselors Phone: (718) 382-0690 Website: www.APLB.org P.O. Box 106, Brooklyn, NY 11230
World by the Tail, Inc.

This company provides services and products for anyone who loves, lives, and works with pets. It specializes in grief support, but also provides other emotional support resources for pet-owning families and veterinary professionals. Phone: (888) 271-8444 Website: www.VeterinaryWisdom.com 126 West Harvard Street, Suite 5, Fort Collins, CO 80525
Delta Society

The Delta Society promotes and studies the improvement of health through service and therapy animals. It has resources regarding pet loss. Phone: (425) 679-5500 Website: www.DeltaSociety.org 875 124th Ave. NE, Suite 101, Bellevue, WA 98005
Rainbow Bridge: Inspirational Pet Grievance Passage

“When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.”
Pet Loss Counselors

Marty Tousley Marty is a grief counselor specializing in pet loss and offers grief-healing courses for pet owners via the Web. To sign up for classes, log on to www.SelfHealingExpressions.com. Website: www.GriefHealing.com