WAYS OF COPING WITH THE LOSS OF A PET
While many people hope their pet will pass quietly in his sleep, it may not happen that way. As an owner, you may need to face the possibility of euthanasia. Many pet owners struggle with feelings of guilt at having to make that choice for their beloved friend. Don’t think of it as taking your pet’s life, but see it as a privilege and a gift to spare them from those very hard end stages of the dying process, when there’s a lot of pain and suffering.
ADDRESS ANY FEELINGS OF GUILT.
It’s important to go at your own pace. Deal with your grief as long as you need to, and don’t feel rushed to “get over” your sorrow. Everyone’s grief is an individual process. We all find comfort in different things. If there are muddy foot prints on the back window and fur on the floor, and you’renot ready to givethem up yet — then leave them right there.
TAKE YOUR TIME.
Find a way that is meaningful to you to honor your pet. Planting trees or memorial gardens, volunteering, making a donation to a favorite animal charity or installing a plaque in the yard are some ways to keep your pet’s memory alive. Among the myriad other options are cremation or memorial urnsand placement in a pet cemetery.
MEMORIALIZE YOUR PET.
Many people find great comfort in gathering with friends and family to remember their cherished pet, either with a ceremony before or during euthanasia, or after their pet has passed. A lot ofpeople handle euthanasia as a memorial service or funeral. It’s a time for them to say goodbye and also celebrate the pet’s life. The ceremonies can be gut-wrenching, butalso very cathartic.
CONSIDER A CEREMONY.
CHILDREN AND PET LOSS
Children, as well as adults, need distractions from fixation on the death of a pet.
The following is a list of ways to creatively memorialize a pet.
Encourage children to express their grief by drawing pictures of their pet, and sharing what the pictures mean to them. Always listen to what they have to say, and praise them for their thoughts.
If a child would like the picture put in his/her room, then honor that wish. It could keep the pet closer to the child at bedtime until the grief has subsided.
Make a scrapbook or log with photos as well as drawn pictures of the pet and family members.
Write memories beneath or beside them. Humorous instances should be included on the pages – which can help develop associations with happiness each time the book is opened. Other small items such as a dog tag, or small toy, can be included, as well as sympathy cards, and letters. You can find some very nice packages on the market, for making scrapbooks.
If a pet has been cremated, a special place can be arranged in the home for the urn – as well as just a few pictures and mementos of the pet. Some people keep those things on the mantle of a fireplace, or utilize a special part of a bookshelf. In choosing and designing this, make sure that children are allowed to participate in the decision-making process. If the ashes are to be scattered let the child feel he or she was part of the decision-making. It will be more meaningful if this is done at a place where the pet loved to go. Ask for suggestions about this. It is important that a child be made to feel that his or her thoughts and feelings are important to you.
Planting a living memorial, such as a tree or bush in memory of a pet, can feel very satisfying. Making a small flower bed in a spot that was favored by the pet can also be a fine memorial that brings some closure to the grief. Placing a picture memorial with a written message to the pet on our website is another way of bringing peace of mind and comfort to everyone in the family. It assists with coming to some sense of resolution, and accepting the transfer of the pet to a beloved memory. That can be especially helpful to children when they and their friends visit and honor their beloved one, there.
GENTLE SLEEP - In Home Pet Euthanasia
Proudly serving the greater Atlanta area since 2012
We know that pets are four-legged family members, and we love your pets as our own.