My Cart
Your Shopping Cart is Empty
When Love Hurts: Introducing Pet Loss Grief Support
|
by info KORNA
At Korna Pet, we talk a lot about nutrition, health, prevention, and giving our pets the very best life possible.
But there is one part of being a pet parent that we don’t talk about enough.
The goodbye.
Every pet parent — no matter how happy and full their journey has been — will one day face separation. It is the one chapter none of us want to read, yet it is part of loving deeply.
We recently met Ciara Toddington at the Vancouver Wellness Show. She had her own booth promoting counselling services. She came over to our booth and told me about her Pet Loss Grief Counselling Service, and I immediately thought:
This is something pet parents truly need.
I have personally seen a close friend go through an incredibly difficult time after losing her dog. The grief was real. The silence after the loss was heavy. And yet, many people around her didn’t fully understand what she was going through.
That’s why I believe having professional, compassionate pet loss support available to our community is so important.
We are proud to introduce Ciara and share her words with you below.
In the near future, we are also planning to host an evening seminar with Ciara at Korna Pet to provide a safe space for conversation, learning, and connection around pet grief. Stay tuned for details.
For now, here is Ciara’s blog:
************************************************************
“Pet Grief and Loss: The Importance of Seeking Support”
By Ciara Toddington, BA, MC, RCC
Our beloved pets are some of our closest companions. They’re there when we wake up, and when we go to bed. They provide us with unconditional love, companionship, and joy. Often, we plan our daily schedules, and even lifestyle, around our furry friends.
But where does that leave us when we have to say goodbye to our pets? With the exception of some species of birds and turtles, most of the animals we keep as pets simply have shorter lifespans than us, forcing us to face a sad reality: the joy that comes with owning a pet will one day be met with a very real grief.
We tend to think of the bonds we have with pets as different from those we have with people, but the truth is, the attachment we have with pets can be just as real as the ones we have with friends, partners, or family. All of those neurochemicals that play a role in bonding humans to one another also play a role in the bond we form with our pets. The feelings of love we have for our pets are just as real as the feelings we have for other humans.
When we lose a pet, not only are we faced with very real grief, we are faced with major changes to our sense of self: Our daily schedule changes, we may feel shifts in our identity, or “who we are.” This grief can also lead to changes in mood, energy levels, or our ability to handle stress. On top of all this, we are faced with invalidating messages around our grief. We may be told it was “just an animal,” we may feel pressure to return to work immediately, we may observe those around us pressuring us to “move on,” even when we don’t feel ready. Pet grief is a form of disenfranchised grief: It is often misunderstood, invalidated, and swept aside by society, and those around us.
The good news? We don’t have to experience grief alone. One of the most effective ways we can move through our grief journey is to connect. Connection can look like talking to an understanding friend or neighbour, speaking to a counsellor or other supportive professional, or even joining a support group. Connection involves sharing our difficult feelings in a place that feels safe, and having those feelings heard and validated, not swept aside. Connection does not get rid of grief, nor all of those difficult feelings that accompany it… but it can allow us to process. To begin to move through our grief, instead of feeling totally stuck in it.
But how do we know who to connect with? And how? When pet grief already feels so tender, it can be scary to think about reaching out. Here are some ideas for some supportive resources:
-
Connect with Supportive Professionals: Directories such as “Love, Baxter” provide a wide range of professionals and services related to pet loss: https://lovebaxter.com/
(*Remember to do always do your own research before selecting a service or professional)
-
Connect with a Counsellor: In BC, you can find a registered clinical counsellor (RCC) in the BCACC’s “Find a Counsellor” search tool: https://bcacc.ca/
counsellors/
- Join a Support Group: Support groups may be found through your local hospice society or related organizations, or through a private clinic. Check out the bio below for more information about our low-cost Pet Loss Support Group, run online.
- Find Validation: Consider who in your life is able to validate your grief. Whether this be friends, family, co-workers, or even a neighbour. It is important to be heard by individuals who will listen, and confirm your feelings are real and valid.
Pet loss is a very common and often profoundly painful experience, and yet, we may feel terribly alone in this pain. Connecting with others, seeking supports, and validating your own internal experiences are all steps towards moving through our grief. When we love our pets as much as we do, it makes sense everything can feel a little upside down when they’re no longer around. We may never stop missing our furry, feathered, or scaly friends, but we can learn to live alongside the grief, creating room to honour, remember, and even celebrate the memory of our closest companions.
Ciara is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) located at Unitive Wellness Clinic in Vancouver, BC. She has worked in the mental health field for over a decade, and provides individual and group therapy for a wide range of concerns. After losing her own dog in 2025, she launched a low-cost, online “Pet Loss Support Group.” For more information, check out the following link: https://unitiveclinic.
0 comments