Honoring Our Animals | Navigating Pet Loss & Finding Hope After Goodbye

Key Wellness & Self-Care Strategies for Pet Loss Grief (and Anticipatory Grief)

• Use grief as a “special category” needing specialized support

  • Pet grief can involve emotional experiences that may not be fully addressed by standard therapy approaches.
  • Consider seeking support from providers trained in grief—especially pet-loss grief counseling.

• Adopt a “toolbox” approach to grief

  • Healing often requires multiple tools/techniques, not just one.
  • Build strategies over time so you can better handle waves of sadness, guilt, anger, longing, and identity shifts.

• No strict grief timeline (focus on integration, not “getting over it”)

  • Grief doesn’t disappear; you learn to adjust to it and integrate it into life.
  • Milestones (weeks/months/anniversaries) can intensify feelings again—this is normal.
  • If you feel stuck, don’t assume you “failed”—seek additional support.

• Prioritize self-care early—especially in anticipatory grief

  • A major risk in anticipatory grief is neglecting your own mental health while caregiving.
  • Support can prevent burnout, compassion fatigue, and caregiving fatigue.

• Lean on community and ask for practical help

  • Ask someone to sit with your pet so you can:
    • take a walk,
    • shower,
    • rest,
    • reset your mind and body.
  • Avoid isolation—social support can stabilize you during uncertainty.

• Take breaks and maintain work-rest balance

  • Use shorter, manageable time blocks away from caregiving to help your nervous system reset.
  • Avoid the “I can’t go on vacation at all” mindset—rest is part of staying sustainable.

• Keep routines “normal” for your pet

  • Your pet may not process the situation the way humans do.
  • Maintain familiar patterns (snacks, cuddles, play) rather than constant hovering.
  • Avoid “helicoptering” behaviors that can increase stress.

• Center the pet’s experience

  • Frame the caregiving period as their end-of-life story and meet them where they are now.
  • When decisions (euthanasia/treatment) are involved, emphasize agency and dignity.

• Ground yourself in the present moment

  • Techniques mentioned include:
    • grounding practices,
    • breathwork,
    • meditation,
    • any approach that brings attention back to “right here, right now.”

• Build ongoing connection with your beloved

  • Use concrete, personal practices to feel connected and honor the relationship:
    • reflections and daily inspiration,
    • rituals with photos/objects,
    • memorial items that create comfort.

• Self-compassion and identity rebuilding

  • Grief can trigger intense self-criticism and guilt.
  • Re-learning who you are after loss is often part of grieving (identity loss is a core grief symptom).
  • Practice self-compassion to reconnect with yourself and others.

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Self-Care / Coping Tools & Honoring Practices Highlighted

Daily guided inspiration

• Beth’s book format
  • Short daily entries + a small action step.
  • Includes sections for grief symptoms (e.g., guilt, anger, jealousy, comparison, longing) and self-compassion.

Memorial services / community witnessing

• Monthly Instagram Live memorial
  • Names are read and a bell is rung.
  • Includes support for anticipatory grief and ongoing participation regardless of how long ago the loss occurred.

Comfort objects & “meaningful reminders” (choose what feels supportive)

• Examples mentioned:
  • stuffed replicas/cuddle clones (e.g., Petsies, Cuddle Clones),
  • jewelry or clothing with your pet’s name,
  • memorial pillows/portrait photos,
  • “photo watchers” (place an image/object where you’d expect to see them—e.g., car seat, shower routine),
  • custom pillows with a pet pose/photo,
  • painted rocks with a name (e.g., kindness rocks),
  • tarot/oracle decks themed around the beloved,
  • “Where’s Waldo”-style book/find-the-pet game.

Permission slip: If an object is not supportive, you’re allowed to discard it—supportive only, no guilt.

Reframe “spiritual replacement” thoughts with the least harmful story

• If someone believes a baby is connected to a lost pet (or that reincarnation/signs are involved), Beth suggests choosing the least harmful story that brings comfort.
• The guidance is to believe clients’ experiences and allow flexible spiritual meaning-making when it soothes grief.

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Presenters’ “Origin Story” and Implicit Wellness Lessons

• Anticipatory grief counseling can be transformative

  • Beth credits anticipatory grief work with:
    • reframing emotions,
    • deepening connection with her pet,
    • improving coping during uncertainty.

• Purpose can emerge from lived grief

  • Her work evolved from personal counseling and supporting another grieving pet parent during a crisis.

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Presenters / Sources

• Beth — Honoring Our Animals (pet-loss grief counselor; Instagram / Therapy / Newsletter)
• Lauren — interviewer/host
• Marian Silverman — Beth’s pet-loss grief counselor (mentioned as providing anticipatory grief counseling)
• Dr. Pauline Boss — coined the concept/term ambiguous grief (mentioned)
• Megan Devine — referenced phrase: “go with the least harmful story” (attributed as a first source Beth heard it from)