Pet Loss and Grief

Losing my Best Friend

Are you a dog owner who is in the process of losing your best friend to illness? Or have you lost your beloved pet and you’re struggling to get over them?

Pet bereavement is tough. Not everyone can, or will, sympathise with you.

After losing her beloved boy Herbie, Jeannie Wycherley found herself lost in grief, struggling to find her way through it.

Too many friends and acquaintances told her she’d ‘get over it’ because he was ‘just a dog’ however, to Jeannie, Herbie was so much more than that. A loving companion. A soulmate. A true character. Her best friend.

She found that the more she articulated her feelings around other pet owners, the more she came to understand just how many of those people had been similarly locked deep in secret mourning for a furry friend. Feelings of guilt, overwhelm, exhaustion—even shame—were common.

And so, she wrote about her experiences. The result, Losing my Best Friend: Thoughtful Support for those Affected by Dog Bereavement or Pet Loss offers practical advice about what to do when your pet passes away, including tips on helping your children or other pets cope with the loss, designing your own ceremony to celebrate your dog’s life, and creating memorials.

In these pages Jeannie Wycherley has created a loving tribute to Herbie and delivers support with a light and loving touch that aims to validate the feelings you’re experiencing.

Reviews

”Read this after our 10 year old dog passed and it was so good to know that others felt my same deep pain and loss Best part was the dog writing the letter lots of buckets of tears”

”Fortunately, this book doesn’t try to cure your grief. Doesn’t try to push you into moving on. It offers an open hand and says, “Lots of us know how you feel. We all grieve with you in spirit.” It’s been more of a help than anything. It wasn’t an easy read – I cried plenty of buckets – but it was worth it. And if you need that assurance that someone in the universe understands, I think this book will do it for you.”

”ordered this book out of desperation in the first days of losing him because I needed somewhere to turn to cope with my overwhelming feelings. For me, the comfort this book provided came in reading about other people who had dealt with similar emotions in losing a beloved pet. It helped me to know that what I was feeling was completely within the bounds of normalcy and that other people around the world also suffered immensely when losing a pet.”

Link to Purchase

Amazon Link to Losing my best friend

Repairing the Heartbreak

A pet is not just a dog or a cat: a pet is your companion, your best friend. They loved you unconditionally. They gave your life structure, activity, and joy. But they were taken away (always too soon) and it turned your whole world upside down.

Experiencing this type of loss can feel incredibly isolating. That is why I am here for you. Together, we will get you through this tough time, heal your grief, and help you find the peace you’re longing for.

People grieve in different ways. Some people go through several stages of grief that can span over a long time. Others move on much faster – and that is okay. Everyone grieves at their own pace.

That is why Repairing the Heartbreak of Pet Loss Grief is so helpful. It teaches you to understand your grief, prepares you for the journey of self-discovery, and creates space in your heart for a new companion.

It’s time to face your grief head-on and do what your pet would want you to do – go back to living with love and happiness in your heart.

The first step is always the hardest, but we can get through it together. In Repairing the Heartbreak of Pet Loss Grief, you will discover:

The science behind the human-animal bond – discover what makes these relationships so powerful, and why the loss of a pet can be one of the most difficult things to endure. The many stages and types of grief explained in detail, so you can understand where you are with your grief and what your next steps should be

8+ stories from grieving owners that will let you know you are not alone

How to forgive yourself through understanding the essence of guilt and why forgiveness is crucial in the healing process. Where and how to find happiness – heal your wounds and cultivate a feeling of peace in your heart

How to help your children and other pets by recognizing their interpretation of the loss and guiding them through it. How to help others who are experiencing grief – if you have helped yourself, you can help others. And much more. If you are grieving your pet, this book is for you. It does not matter which stage of the grieving process you are currently in.

Reviews

“The book is very easy to read and is very comforting. The one thing I never recognized was that once my animal was gone, I lost my purpose and routine. There are so many wonderful parts to this book. Two months later, I am still grieving but at a completely different emotional level. “

”This book was such a comfort to me in the weeks after my heart dog passed away. The author handles the different aspects of this kind of grief with so much compassion and tenderness, it was such a relief to feel seen in so many ways. I am truly grateful for this book. It’s helped immeasurably through the worst time of my life.”

”My heart was broken when our dog crossed the rainbow bridge It still is but this book helped so much. It is worth reading !! The book speaks to you like a friend.”

Link to Purchase

Amazon Link to Repairing the Heartbreak

And I still love you

For those fortunate to have experienced the deep bond and unconditional love of a companion animal, the death that follows can be one of the most difficult and misunderstood losses to go through. Many times this devastating loss goes unrecognized, if not trivialized, by family, friends, and society; leaving grieving pet owners struggling to find healthy ways to cope and very few professional resources available. Written by Psychologist and renowned expert on the Human-Animal Bond and Pet Bereavement, Dr. Corbin brings the consulting room to your fingertips in the ground breaking and one of a kind book. Drawing on 20 years of clinical, research, and personal experience Dr. Corbin calls attention to the difficulties unique to the loss of a beloved companion animal and provides an interactive and compassionate guide to help you process your loss and work towards coming to a place of peace and healing. If you are interested in journal therapy and looking for a professionally written AND compassionate resource to help understand and reconcile the grief associated with the loss of your companion animal then this book is for you.

Each chapter begins with an overview and offers recommendations for coping, thoughtful reflections, real life examples, and then transitions to a set of therapeutic questions and prompts intended to elicit personal reflections and insights into your grieving process. In this book, Dr. Corbin challenges many of the myths associated with the death of a companion animal and discusses the impact of this disenfranchised loss on our emotional and psychological well-being. Providing a much needed respite of healing and comfort during your difficult time of loss, Dr. Corbin thoughtfully guides you to reflect on the special bond shared with your beloved companion animal throughout the years and provides a framework to help you express your most intimate thoughts and feelings associated with the stages of grief commonly experienced after the death of a companion animal.

Reviews

“This book is so helpful for people who are facing or have faced the loss of a beloved animal. The book points out how impactful these relationships are – certainly no less than the ones you have with humans in your life – and all the benefits they bring to one’s mental and physical health. There are a series of vignettes about the spiritual connection, health benefits, and coping methods people took with their companions.”

“I love that there are a variety of prompts in the book that help you process. Like a gratitude journal where you can mention all the good parts of your day, this is helpful for remembering the positive aspects that your companion brought you. Readers can choose which ones to engage with, and it’s really helpful so you don’t feel like you’re forgetting your pet, but helps you move on too.”

“The fact that the book has a lot of information in addition to writing prompts is one feature I loved about it. Although the prompts are beneficial and valued, I believe that before people can merely begin writing about their emotions in response to the prompts, they need a beginning point. Each chapter in this book contains some important information before offering space for reflection and question-answering. I liked this book because I think it delivered useful information by incorporating a workbook-style approach into several chapters. This idea encourages “practical action,” which may help to produce better results. Even if knowledge is power, it is merely potential power unless you move urgently to apply what you know.”

Link to Purchase

Amazon Link And I still love you