For some, there isn't any time between diagnosis and compassionate euthanasia. The diagnosis is the end. Those moments come as a heart shock, a surreal wave of disbelief and urgency as you try to grasp what's happening. Your head swims with questions, and you're trying to make sense of the news. Your nervous system naturally kicks into overdrive, doing its best to keep you moving through something that feels impossible to process.

If you've experienced this type of loss, I am genuinely sorry for your loss and experience. This loss is where everything happened too fast, where you barely had time to say goodbye—please know you are not alone. This kind of grief is complicated to process, as the reality of what happened often takes time to settle in fully; each moment brings a new layer of a deeper awareness of your pet's loss and, with it, a fresh wave of grief as the loss of your pet lands more deeply and integrates into reality.

There is no perfect way to move through this kind of loss. There is only the deep, tender attempt to show up in love while holding the weight of heartbreak and shock. Please know that at the time, you did the best you could with what you knew, in the time you had, given your circumstances, and all of this under an urgency you never suspected and immense pressure.

Read more…

It is normal to feel disconnected after losing a beloved pet. After they are gone, you deeply long for some connection. There is a strong desire to receive a message from them, as you want to know they are okay.

I want to share three common blocks people experience after their pet's death that keeps them from feeling connected with them in the afterlife and common signs your pet may be trying to send you.

Anticipatory grief is the grief you experience as you reconcile yourself with an anticipated loss, in this case, the death of a pet. One way anticipatory grief can manifest itself is through grief bursts. In this video, I will give you 5 steps to help you work through anticipatory grief & grief bursts.

It is common to experience highs and lows in your pet's physical and mental well-being as they enter their senior years and end of life. In this blog, I offer four reasons behind these ups and down to help bring you more clarity during your pet's end-of-life journey.

Most of us would do anything to feel the presence of our passed pet around us again. I want you to know that yes, you can receive messages from your pet on the other side. But sometimes in your deep pain and grief you have a hard time hearing their messages. Here are 5 steps to open you up to receiving messages from your pet in the afterlife.

Grief expands your existing emotional repertoire. You can choose how you want it to join you. It can close you off from yourself and others as you try to hide and protect yourself from it, or it can deepen your empathy for yourself and others. Grief is felt on a deep soul level. It is a journey that is unique to each individual, yet, the intensity of the journey is common to all of us, which allows for connection and understanding.

When we view our animals as having a soul, we can reach inside for more profound gratitude and appreciation for our time with our beloved pets and the amazing gifts we received. If we remain open to love and gratitude in this time of deep grief, we can walk through our pain from their loss and find courage, healing, and a new self we never knew we had.