Recover From the Grief of Pet Loss - 10 Myths Revealed

To recover from the grief of pet loss many people go through a mourning process that is similar to that of losing a human being. The feelings of loss are real and can be a profound source of pain in their life. Many friends of the aggrieved find the pain that the person is suffering to be out of proportion to the loss. Below are 10 myths about how to recover from the grief of pet loss:

Myth#1: Individuals who experience intense grief over the loss of a pet are somehow strange or weak people.

Fact#1: Emotionally healthy people often react strongly to the loss of a beloved pet. This is normal, healthy, and even something to be proud of. It should not be a source of shame.

Myth#2: The loss of a pet is inconsequential in comparison to the loss of human life and to grieve so profoundly devalues human loss as a whole.

Fact#2: Losing a beloved pet can be just as emotionally significant as losing a close human relationship. They are not mutually exclusive.

Myth#3: To recover from the grief of pet loss you should go out and replace the lost pet with a new one right away.

Fact#3: Each pet relationship is different and simply cannot be "replaced" by another. Before getting a new pet make sure you are ready for a new pet and the bonding process that will take place.

Myth#4: You need to be strong and mourn alone. Don't "bother" other people when it comes to dealing with your sadness.

Fact#4: It is always helpful when you are suffering if you can find someone or some group to help you with your feelings. We are all social creatures and need support.

Myth#5: People tell you that you should "just get over it."

Fact#5: This is typical advice from people who have no idea of how you are suffering from your loss. Try to ignore those people and rely on your own support system.

Myth#6: You are being selfish if you euthanize your pet instead of letting them die naturally.

Fact#6: Euthanasia is a humane way to end the intense suffering of a beloved animal. Prolonging the suffering of an animal in pain is a more selfish act.

Myth#7: To recover from the grief of pet loss you should suppress your grief and not dwell on it.

Fact#7: Grief must be dealt with someway or it will remain unresolved. It need not rule your life but going through the five stages of grief will help you recover from the loss quicker.

Myth#8: The best way to make sure you never have to recover from the grief of pet loss, is to never again have another pet.

Fact#8: This really is no solution since all relationships, including pet and human, come with the eventual probability of loss. None of us are going to live forever yet we must continue to try and build new relationships throughout life.

Myth#9: Children can handle pet loss easily and do not carry the experience over into adult life.

Fact#9: Children can react as strongly as adults can when it comes to pet loss.

Myth#10: It is better to protect children from the truth of the death of their pet.

Fact#10: The truth is always better. Kids have a tendency to blame themselves for a thing they have no control over and they may think it is their fault that their dog "ran away".

Grief from pet loss is real and the aggrieved should be treated with respect and dignity for the suffering they may be experiencing as a consequence. What makes us a good person is to have compassion for other human beings, including empathy for another's suffering even if we find it different then ours.

If you have lost a pet lately or would just like to learn more about how pets are important to our lives please visit: Pet Adoption Rescue and Loss Of A Pet Quotes

Pet Grief - How to Cope With Losing a Pet

Grief is a very unique issue. It will come and go, be absent for a month, back again the next week, long gone for one year and then become almost unbearable for a few days. Grief for a pet is real, since the relationship among master and pet is certainly an incredible thing.

Grieving means to show your own feelings, regardless how painful and it is what you do right after this loss, so that you can assimilate it as well as prepare yourself in order to carry on with living.

Grief upon losing a pet is actually a normal reaction, and a very individual one. For some people, grieving for a pet that has died could possibly be an even more difficult process than grieving for a human loved one. This type of loss may cause an individual to act irrationally and it's a must that you give yourself time to reflect on a situation prior to making the decision that you might regret.

Whenever coping with a pet's death, you have to accept all the deep sadness and profound feeling off loss that you feel. Comments like "It was just a dog", or "You'll always find another one, or "Be happy you don't have to look after him anymore" are not constructive. Instead they hurt as well as make the family's journey through grief more and more difficult.

Grief over pet death is certainly a very natural thing for you and your entire family, especially the younger children. Any little one old enough to love will be old enough to grieve. Children must be told the truth, always.

Life is not going to nicely wait for just the "correct" time to let you deal with something. For most children, pets will be more than simply animals they really are family. Your young ones might let you know in the next few weeks, and even months, that they're still heartbroken within the death of a family pet.

Kids cope with these things far better than many of us give them credit for, when we tell them the truth. The dog was ill, he died, we loved him or her a great deal and you should always remember him or her, and so on.

Here is a list of some of the traditional methods we lay many of our dogs to their finalized resting place:

Pet Cemetery

These are generally burial grounds which are usually located in a quiet, park-like place. A few of them have a special place in which the remains for the owners may be buried together with their own pets.

There are two questions that you should ask before deciding on the pet cemetery:

Is the actual proprietor of the actual property devoted to keeping the actual property for a pet cemetery in the future? To find out,you need make contact with the county records clerk and verify the property is indeed dedicated as a pet cemetery. Or else, the company could legally exhume your dog and sell off the property.
Will this cemetery charge a maintenance charge? It's to make sure proper keeping of the burial grounds.

Cremation

Three Types Of Pet Cremations That Can Be Found:

Personal Cremation: Only one pet is cremated plus the ashes is usually go back to your family.
Private Cremation: Several pets are cremated yet held in separate chambers so that the ashes will be returned to the right family.
Common Cremation: Includes numerous pets and the ashes are not returned.

A respectable crematory need to offer you a tour of their facility as well as permit you to be there throughout your dog's cremation. Ashes which are returned to the owners can be laid to rest, spread in a very special location, or put into an urn.

Body Disposal

Your vet will probably dispose of a dog's entire body for a minimal charge. The bodies are often incinerated or perhaps delivered to the landfill. If your dog is to be cremated, request the name and telephone number of the crematorium and call to verify the facility works together with your veterinarian.

Outdoor Property Burial:

Find out the local county's restrictions concerning backyard burials for your pets. Consider this question: If you believe you are going to be moving within a few years, will it trouble you to leave behind the dog's remains?

Grieving the passing of your family pet can take quite a long time. Possibly viewing the pet following death, or even just being told the pet is dead, may offer the particular closure they want, too.

Sudden death of your pet is a very distressful period for people filled with the pain associated with letting go.

Memorials

Many people memorialize their pets in various ways such as granite headstones, wooden plaques, etched glass portraits or simply by placing a picture and comment on a website. These acts of creating memorials not only help to cope with the loss but they also keep the memories alive.

At the bottom of this article there is a website where you place a picture of your pet and a few words to show others just how much you loved and miss your pet. What's great is it's FREE service.

"All of a sudden he begins to run away from the pack, soaring across the wide open field, legs propelling him above and beyond the bounds of this earth."

The author is lifelong pet owner, trainer and breeder and has produced numerous articles on pet health care, dog training techniques and general pet care. If your interested in more pet health care, simply visit http://www.dogailmentsonline.com, a website designed for the health care of pets.

Immortallize your pet by placing a picture and comment on the Pet Memorial Page.

Pet Loss - Helping Your Child Get Through the Grief

It is always difficult to deal with the loss of a pet, but it can be even more devastating to a child. Children often find it hard to understand what happened to their pet, and older children who do understand are often distraught. When you have to help your child deal with this loss, it can be a bit more difficult for you. Not only do you need to help your child with this loss, but you also have to cope with it yourself. It is natural for your child to grieve. To help you give your child the help that they need, here are some ideas that you can use to help your child get through this time of grief.

Encourage Discussion About the Pet

The first thing you can do to help your child get through the grieving process for your pet is to encourage discussion about the pet. Allow them to talk about their pet. You should be open about your pet as well. Encourage them to talk to others about their pet too. Discussing the pet can make them feel closer to their pet, even though the pet is gone. Grieving is all about openness and talking about the pet can be very helpful to children who are grieving.

Share Your Own Feelings

Another important thing you can do to help your child deal with pet loss is to share your own feelings. You need to let your child know that you are upset as well and that you feel the pain of loss and sadness. Sometimes the best thing you can do to help your child is to shed some tears together. They will feel like you are there with them, feeling the same pain, which will help them get through this.

Try to Answer Questions Honestly

You also need to try to answer questions honestly with your children if they ask you about the loss of a pet. Sometimes for smaller children, this can be a bit more difficult. Consider the age of your children and do your best to give honest answers that are age appropriate. It may not be easy, but honesty can help them get through this time, even though it is difficult.

Take Time for a Memorial to Your Pet

Taking time out to have a memorial to your pet is a wonderful idea if you have kids that are grieving over the loss of their pet. Whether you simply have a time of silence in the back yard, you bury your pet, or have them put in a pet urn, a special memorial can help your child have a sense of closure. When you formally grieve the pet, it can help your child get through this process, feeling that they have taken the time out to grieve their pet.

These are just a few ideas that you can use to help your child as they go through pet loss with you. Use these tips to help them deal with the loss and make sure that you take time to grieve your pet as well.

http://www.PetUrns.com is build especially for those who are looking for special ways to memorialize their beloved pets. Here you can choose from a variety of products such as pet caskets, pet urns, memorial jewelry, engraved urns and other sympathy gifts.

How Cremation Urns For Pets Can Help Children Cope With the Grief of Losing a Pet

Talking about cremation urns for pets is never easy, because it implicitly means that there was a loss of a pet in the family. Particularly if children are around, this is something very difficult to process. Children are unusually those in the family that have a strong bond to their pet and losing their dear friend is bound to affect them to no end.

When such a tragedy happens in the family, you need to let the children deal with their grief in their own time. They cannot be rushed and simply buying them a new (even if very similar) pet will not help them. Actually this might just aggravate the situation at times. So what to do when a pet belonging to your kids died, how to cope with it and how to help your kids cope with it as well?

This is where pet cremation urns can actually help as they are quite effective in helping children heal, and this is why.

First of all when you buy the cremation urn for pets, make sure that your child is involved in the process. Let them pick the urn that mostly symbolizes the pet, that mostly reminds them of the dog or cat's character, personality. This will ensure them feeling that they are part of the process somehow, that they are involved and not only pushed aside.

Also having a pet urn will convince your kids that the pet will not simply slip into being forgotten, but they will be always part of your life and your children's life. The urns should be place in a visible area (on a shelf, for example) in the house, where the kids can have easy access to always seeing it. The children usually feel comfortable knowing that the urns will always remind them of the fun times they had with their beloved pet.

Also they will have a first sense of the afterlife. This is a rather difficult concept for small ones to grasp, so having a first understanding of it will help them later on deal with their grief easier when a family member will pass away. The child might have various questions regarding the afterlife, so be prepared to answer them to the best of your abilities.

Your children can help you in choosing the best pet cremation urns either at the local funeral parlor or online at trusted shops like Amazon. There is a wide selection of these beautiful urns for ashes and your little ones will have a sense of fulfillment when they are part of something important that will keep the memory of their dear pet alive somehow.

Understanding Human Grief in Dealing with the Death of a Pet

My aunt was a cat lover who lived with us up to the time when I was six years old. She brought in all the strays and tended to them in the spare room downstairs or inside the enclosed porch. I don't quite remember grieving over a pet at that early age, probably because--earlier at the age of three--I had had a fit and cried for days after witnessing a stray dog kill a baby chick. After that incident, my family became overly protective of me.

Later, when my grey tabby cat died, some people made fun of me when I became too sick with sorrow to attend school for a while, even though I was a good student and didn't like missing school. I had other pets in my life during the following decades, but I could neither forget my Smoky nor the disappointment I felt for being misunderstood.

When a human passes away, grieving is understood and even expected. Yet, there is little or no understanding of the sorrow we feel when our pet--to whom we feel as close as or even closer than a family member--dies or has to be put away.

For many people, a pet is not just a pet, but an extension of the person, answering our need of being needed. Our pets provide us with playful companionship, and through their special sensory abilities, they understand and commiserate with our struggles and challenges in life. Pets are therapists in their own right because they deal with us on a one-to-one basis, and in addition, they are the best medicine for the elderly. Taking all this into account, when the bond with a pet is broken in such a sad way as death, isn't it normal to fall apart and mourn?

In the writing site I belong to, there are many animal lovers who sometimes lose their pets. When that happens, the other members listen to the deceased pet's owner, empathize, and then, validate his or her grief. In such a case, or in any other kind of mourning, validation of grief is the most important aid one can give to a friend. Suggesting to the friend to get rest and to take it easy for a while is the next step in the right direction of guiding him to learn to live life without his pet.

When it comes to grieving over pets, children are the most vulnerable. Hiding a pet's disappearance with the hope that the child will forget is the worst thing adults can do, since children can carry inside themselves many hidden sorrows that may taint their lives for a very long time. If a pet is terminally ill and it has to be put away, letting the child know of the pet's condition ahead of time is the correct thing to do. When children feel and express their sadness publicly in a supportive setting, they can accept future losses better.

When a child loses a pet, it isn't a good idea to force another pet on him immediately, unless he asks for it. Otherwise, he may grow up feeling that a loss from a death is not meaningful, and everyone is replaceable including himself.

If you are the friend of a pet owner whose pet has died, send a card or flowers to validate your friend's feelings, and then, spend more time with him. Never ever say that the pet that died was only a pet and he can get another one just like the pet he lost. Instead, let him know you are there for him, should he feel like talking. Encourage him to attend to his personal everyday care. If you hear or know of a pet-loss support group in your area, encourage your friend to attend. If there is one place where misery loves company, it is in such a group.

May you and your pets live a long and happy life.

This article has been submitted by Joy Cagil in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for Pet Forums. Joy Cagil is an author on http://www.writing.com.