Acknowledge your grief Below are a few suggestions to help with the loss of your four-legged family member.

·         Acknowledge your grief

o   Give yourself permission to grieve

o   Don’t feel bad about grieving 

·         Talk through it

o   Find someone to talk to and reminisce with about your pet

o   Children will also want to talk about the pet

o   Write about it in a journal 

·         Address any feelings of guilt

o   Don’t see it as taking your pet’s life but as a privilege and gift to spare them for the end stages of dying which can cause lots of pain and suffering (need to paraphrase better) 

·         Consider having a ceremony

o   Help children with remembrances like drawing a picture or a make a clay paw print 

·         Take your time grieving.

o   Everyone grieves differently

o   Don’t feel rushed to get over your grief 

·         Tie up loose ends

o   Talk with your vet if you have lingering questions about how your pet died 

·         Memorialize your pet

o   Find a meaningful to you way to honor your pet

§  Plant a tree in their honor

§  Volunteer

§  Make a donation to a favorite charity