Loss Changed How I Understand Death and Dying

I was 17 when I had to make the difficult decision to euthanize my horse, Tim. I remember feeling the weight that I was ending the life of my best friend.

What made it even harder was that I was completely alone in it.

My parents didn’t have the capacity to discuss or support me emotionally, and they said the decision was only mine to make. All of us were floundering in fear, helplessness, and overwhelm, without understanding the gravity of showing up. I didn't have words for all that was happening inside me then, and it's now how my adult self understands my 17-year-old self felt abandoned in one of the hardest moments of her life.

I desperately wished someone had been able to hold space for me, so I could hold space for Tim.

Instead, I shut down. My body grieved what I couldn’t express. I stayed in bed for two weeks. I barely spoke. When I went to school, I felt numb and disconnected, like a ghost moving through the day. I had nosebleeds for four days straight. Looking back now, I understand my body was carrying grief that had nowhere to go.

Navigating Overwhelm: Returning to Balance With Your Beloved Animal

Overwhelm has a way of arriving quietly, when emotional reserves are already low. It can surface after difficult news, noticing a shift in your animal’s health, or when life asks more of you than your heart or body has capacity for. Sometimes it’s that one small request layered onto an already full emotional plate. And you may find yourself trying to hold everything together, searching for answers, or pushing forward even when you're stretched thin.

In these moments, overwhelm is never a personal failing; it’s a nervous system response to your body saying, “Please slow down. I need support.”

Learn Your Pet's Distinct Body Language

We all want to better understand and relate to our pets and our pets do the best they can to navigate our world and language when they live with us. What we don't realize is the depths that our animals communicate back to us with their body. Becoming familiar with the role of their body language in your communication with them will ensure that their important messages won’t be missed. Let me teach you how to learn your pet’s distinct body language!