Losing a loved one is hard, losing a pet can be even harder for us as humans.

These wonderful and amazing creatures have been our partners, our children, our confidants through everything that life has thrown at us, and they stuck with us and gave us what we needed.  Now, in their time of need, which comes ever so quickly, it is our turn to be their support, their strength and show them how much we love and loved them. Just as humans should die a prepared and peaceful death, so should our beautiful companion animals. 

As an educator and doula, end-of-life work is an extremely sacred place, not just for human end-of-life but also for our companion animals or pets. There are many resources available to us whether it be on preparing for the loss of your pet, journaling, care, legacy projects to celebrate them for years to come, celebration/memorial planning, grieving and support after they have left us. 

I cannot list all of the resources here, but in our individual conversations, I can have resources available to you for your area (where you live) and your individual needs.

Often we look for, or ask for, support from additional tools. These may be books, apps, websites, or articles. Death and Dying is subject matter that we can never ask one who has fully experienced it. I think that is why it is so elusive and possibly difficult for some to talk about. That said, as humans, we can express how we feel and what we feel, yet with our companion animals, they can’t do that. 

I have included some of what I call beautiful resources here.  Beautiful because, the people who have written or developed these articles, books and programs have created them with their experiences, their grace and compassion. They truly embody the work that we do. While I find these helpful to me, “I repeat this disclaimer, this is your journey, and it is just that, your personal journey and you may find that these are not the tools for you.”