Getting over the loss of a pet

Anyone who has a pet at home knows how special these little creatures are. They are always there, waiting for us after a long day at work or school, ready to give us their Love and friendship. They are so unique and special and we create such a strong bond through the years that when this bond is broken, we feel sad and our heart fills with grief.

Our pet, whether is a cat, a dog or any other animal, is not just part of our Family, it is our family. And when it dies we need time to Mourn. Unfortunately, the comfort, sympathy and offerings of condolence only come when our mum, dad or child die, and “the society” allows us to grieve. We are not judged if we cry or express our emotions because it is natural, it is what you do when you feel such a Huge Pain.

But when you lose a pet, then suddenly everything is different. Many people don’t understand that we can feel the same kind of love for our Pets than for any member of our family and mourn their loss in the same way. This insensitivity makes the mourning of a pet even more painful, because we feel alone.

Why does it hurt so much?

When we grieve the loss of our pet, according to the experts, we are mourning several losses at the same time, due to the important role our pet plays in our lives. It is our protégé, our Unconditional Love, the witness of our real selves and our Faithful Companion.

We mourn the loss of a protégé because having a pet is very much like having a child. We are responsible for their emotional and physical welfare. We take care of all their needs, we feed them, take them to the vet if they are ill, take them out to exercise, play with them and teach them good habits. In summary, we treat them as a child. We also mourn the loss of an unconditional love and a faithful companion, because pets love us despite of our imperfections, quality that sometimes is difficult to find in other human companions. With our pets we can be our real selves, they are the witnesses of all aspects of our lives through the years, the good and bad, the happy and sad, giving us the security and comfort when we need it most.

What can I do ease the pain and deal with my grief?

Patience is the key. The loss is real and causes huge pain, so you need to understand that it will take time and not try to pretend it will be all over by X date. If you put pressure on yourself you will only feel worse. If you need to share how you feel, try to find one person to talk to, a person who may have gone through the same experience and who can offer his/her support during this difficult time. You could join a support group for people who have lost pets and maybe a good starting point would be to ask your vet.

Hand on Heart Memorial Jewellery

We often get asked if we can turn a copy of paw prints into our silver jewellery. The answer to this is yes - all we need is a copy of the print emailing or posting to the HoH Studio. We can turn the image of your pets paw into Memorial necklaces, charms, cufflinks, pandora style charms and more. You can view our full range of pet Memorial Jewellery by clicking below.