Our pets are usually considered to be fully fledged members of our family. The kids see them as another brother or sister. They are a playmate, a confidant, and even a best friend. Having a pet brings so many wonderful benefits to the whole family too. Every morning, they are part of your routine. Feeding, grooming, cleaning up after them is part of your lifestyle. When the time comes to part ways, it can be devastating for the whole family.
The death of a pet is never easy to accept. You wouldn’t be expected to get over the loss of a child or sibling easily. Don’t feel obliged just to get on with life after the passing of your four-legged friend. You gave your pet a lot of love over the years, and they returned it in bucketloads. You can’t just move on from that in the blink of an eye. Of course you are going to miss them.
There are ways you can celebrate their life with you, and commemorate all that they brought to the family. Some people hold a funeral or memorial service for their pet’s passing. There are formal pet cemeteries, or you can bury them closer to home in your yard. It can be a good idea to say a few words about how they brightened your days before saying goodbye.
It’s not unusual to write a letter or poem to your pet as a thank you for their love. In fact, anything you would do as part of a grieving process or funeral service for a human is acceptable for your pet too. You might want to scatter their ashes over your yard. Or you might want to put up a memorial plaque or stone. None of these things is wrong if they help you in your grieving process.
Some people are turning loved one’s ashes to diamonds for wearable jewelry. This helps keep your lost loved one close. This service is also available for pet ashes. It can be a lovely way to feel like your beloved pet is still so close to you every day. A photo in a locket is a traditional way to keep a loved one close. Jewelry is often a lovely reminder of someone you love.
With such good cameras on our smartphones and tablets, we have far more photograph reminders of our pets and loved ones than ever before. We so rarely print them out, though. You might choose to upload them to a photo printing website and have them made into a photo book. It can be quite emotional to look back over photographs of our pets who have passed. But sometimes those tears are an important part of the healing process.
Your children may find it incredibly hard to grasp the concept of death. Helping them to understand isn’t easy, but the concept of heaven up in the clouds has long been a useful way to describe where a pet might be after death. Grieving together is important. There’s no rush to move on or buy another pet. Let the kids lead the way with that. Time does heal, but there’s no need to forget.
