Blog Post 1 : Animal Loss
As a person with a small rescue farm, I have been confronted with a lot of loss. Each loss of an animal has come with its own distinctive ending and unique honoring of their end of life. Some of our animals have had more extreme circumstances upon rescue, but regardless of how they came to us, they each have their own unique journey. Over the years I have done my best to honor each end of life with an ending that represented the animal. That has come in many forms. The specifics of a life’s end can play a role. Some animals have died in their sleep, some animals have required specific care amidst sickness and pain, some endings have been long while others shorter, some we saw coming and others we were caught off guard. Each has had a unique impact and emotion.
In the summer of 2023, we lost our beloved dog, Logan. He was the first animal to join our family and he was our only animal for a very long time. He was not a rescue, but as the saying goes….he rescued us when we didn’t even know we needed rescuing. Over our fifteen years together he would become my kindred spirit. This particular goodbye hit me in a way that I could never have been prepared for. The loss was so expansive and the emotion ran so deep. In Logan’s memory I became a Certified Companion Animal End of Life Doula. Part of that decision was to assist my own grief, part was to honor Logan’s Life and the other part was to be there for others to validate that animal grief is valid and real.
Animal loss falls under a category called disenfranchised grief. (A loss that is not fully recognized or supported by society.) The loss of a beloved pet can often be one of the significant losses a person experiences. Often people express that the grief they experience regarding an animal feels like the strongest grief they have ever felt and yet they tend to withhold those feelings with others. I am here to validate your loss and create a space where you can share your feelings and know you are not alone. All situations are different, and no two animals, humans or losses are the same, but joining with others who can hear you and recognize your loss is comforting. There is no one way to grieve and no right way to grieve.
I hope you will join me at one of my Animal Loss Connect Groups. We will learn about animal grief and share about our animals. Please click on the WORKSHOPS button on the homepage to learn about animal loss groups.
Comments