Losing a Pet is Different than Losing Our Human Loved Ones

[sennigoal]

Death may be part of the cycle of life, but when it comes to the loss of our pet urns for ashes there is an added element of grief that transcends beyond that of the loss of our family or friends. Those that experience this loss understand and share the emotions, and while loss of any pet or person incorporates the same stages of grief, we have a different sense of reality for our pet family members. The people that surround us are raised with a comprehension of illness and death. As difficult as it is, they understand what they or others are going through in each of the phases. However, our pets do not share this attitude, instead, they look to us for the love, commitment and care that they need. Even when we do everything that we can to try to keep them healthy, when they fall deeper into illness, we carry a heavy burden of guilt. It is in their innocence that we try to blame ourselves, feeling as if we have let them down. Their unconditional love is what we have shared with them and it is this love that we must use as a baseline to try to get through the process of grief.