Where Did My Shadow Go? Coping with Pet Loss

Many know the heartfelt anguish of losing a beloved, familiar pet, yet the depth of the experience is rarely discussed in detail. The emotional burden we carry into the days, weeks, and months ahead is often given short shrift in our stressed and bustling culture. And so we shoulder the weight of our loss privately and try to keep the lingering anguish hidden as best we can. After all, we reason, it isn't as if a person died, right?

But isn't the emotional impact similarly jarring? It's a question worth considering if we must embark on this particular grief path. There are other questions to think about, as well.

How is it that human lives are so impacted by the presence of these companions? What do they bring to us in exchange for our support and attention? Do they change us, reveal parts of ourselves we didn't know we had? Make us more sympathetic, human? What feelings do they inspire within us, as they were when with us - and in their absence? What's worth remembering, always?

As much as anyone or anything, our pets have each taken permanent residence as facets of our all-too-human hearts and souls, and we are the better for it. They were there for us, as a kind of home and fireside in a stressed, if not angst-filled world.

Give yourself time when you need it for every loss as you experience it. Don't apologize for sudden tears that may appear. To deny the grief, now or anytime in the future, would be to deny the blessing of all things beautiful within your relationship.

Your beloved pet is gone from sight, but has not abandoned its cherished place within you.

If you or someone you know is feeling the stress of having lost a pet, here are a few good resources:
Coping with Pet Loss
Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement