For many pet owners, pets become like members of their families. These pets which keep us company or become an important part of our family life can mean every bit as much as a family member does to those who have no-one. Imagine waking every morning to be greeted by that dog who depends upon you, and to a certain extent you depend upon to give you reasons to get up a greet another day alone. Pets and people live together in harmony, and it isn't hard to realize that when a pet dies, to some people that bereavement is every bit as real as for another fellow human. They miss the friend they made, and their faithful companion.
*Stages of grief.
*No-one to share it with.
*Need for help in order to move on.
The stages of grief are very similar when losing an animal as they are when we lose a family member or friend. Suddenly, there is a gap in our lives and although busy people may manage to fill that gap with other things, those who are on their own or dependent upon a pet to love them and to be there for them will have feelings which need to be sorted out and understood.
There are those who mock the thought of people feeling so badly about the loss of a dog or cat, though it is essential to understand that the pet if often the lifeline for that pet owner who needs to be needed just as much as those people who have this demonstrated to them in their everyday life. The stages of grief are very similar to when a human friend or family member is lost. Sadness, disbelief, anger and eventual acceptance all play their part in the natural grieving process.
Having someone to share that grief with isn't easy or straightforward. Often those who depend upon their friendship with a pet do so because they don't have a lot of people in their lives to understand and listen to them. What little interaction they do have with others can often be surface. It's a sad fact of life that people don't want to know us when we are unhappy and part of the grieving process is letting out those feelings, and being able to talk. Often people grieving for a pet will keep their feelings inside which prolongs that grief, making it inconsolable.
Grief counseling helps in that it gives them a place to talk about their loss to someone who is prepared to listen and to understand that grief needs addressing. Professionals also have experience of how people feel and will be able to help the pet owner to come to terms with their loss, based on that experience and on their qualifications, and the combination helps them to act as a mirror for all those negative feelings to bounce off, making them easier to bear.
Counseling doesn't have to be too invasive. What you will be able to get through is knowing your feelings are normal and that loss is important and the counseling will help you to understand why you are so upset, and help you to understand how to move forward with your life and accept the loss of that dear friend.
People go to grief counseling because they seek solutions to a very difficult element of human nature that is hard to cope with alone, and by doing so face up to their problems with professional help and support, allowing them to get back to their normal lives, and reach a level of acceptance where they can enjoy the memories instead of remembering the painful experience of loss itself. Their pet was worth it, and the help given is a valuable resource in the effort to move on.
Grief is hard for anyone to face, and the grief felt for that little creature who was a valuable part of your life is very real and needs support and understanding. You may never hear their bark again, or feel their presence, though what you have at the end of the grieving process is a wonderful memory of all the time they spent with you, and nothing can take that away, keeping that pet alive for ever in thoughts and memories of happier times.