How to Help Someone Grieving Their Pet

People with pets, often called pet parents, can feel lost when they lose a pet. Sometimes pets die of old age, other times they die early as a result of disease or accident. Friends and family want to help grieving pet parents, but sometimes their words can do more harm than good.

Here are some guidelines to help someone grieving their pet:

• Avoid euphemisms and platitudes: Don’t say, “They are in a better place,” since the only place they want their pet is in their home.

• Never say an animal has been “put to sleep,” when explaining a pet’s death to a young child. They may fear going to sleep at night. Instead, you can say “We helped him along in his dying process.”

• Be careful with Rainbow Bridge imagery. The Rainbow Bridge is a mythical overpass where grieving pet parents are said to reunite forever with their departed animals. Some people don’t know if they believe in this image, so only offer this comfort if you know it’s shared by the grieving pet parent.

• Share your pet grief story. It can help the grieving pet parent to know you’ve been through it, too, but don’t make it about yourself.

• If you knew the pet, share your memories: It’s helpful for pet owners to know their animal has made an impact on other people’s lives as well as their own. Don’t forget to use the pet’s name rather than saying, “your dog” or “your cat.”

• Rituals can be healing. Make a donation to a rescue group or plant a tree in the animal’s honour.

Article adapted from “Dealing with pet loss: How to help a grieving pet parent,” by Marlene Cimons, published in The Washington Post, 31st January, 2023.

• Topics:

• Pets and Animals