Loss of a Family Member

Loss of your pet can leave a hole in your heart. Get support by reading, watching and listening to friends who care.

Open to Hope TV

  • Episode 229: Grief as a Teacher

    Posted on November 6, 2024 - by admin

    Is it possible to learn something from your grief? Join host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her co-host Alan Pedersen as they discuss how grief can be a teacher. Joining them […]

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    Episode 30: Pet Loss

    Posted on February 12, 2014 - by admin

    On This show Dr. Gloria Horsley; and Dr. Heidi Horsley discuss the death of a pet with pet loss experts Bonnie Goodman and Dr. Betty J. Carmack, R.N., Ed.D. Betty […]

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Articles

  • Loving a New Pet after the Last Pet Has Died

    Posted on July 29, 2024 - by Veronica Crawford

    Loving a Pet From as early on as I can remember, I have always connected with animals. My first pet was an orphaned lamb, Mary. I was obsessed with horses […]

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  • The Magic of a Child’s Grief

    Posted on May 14, 2024 - by Anne Abel

    Son’s Grief Opens a Door I got a belated birthday card from my mother for my 41st birthday. “To Our Wonderful Daughter,” was scripted on the front, in gold, above […]

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  • Childhood Pet’s Violent Death Still Haunts

    Posted on May 6, 2024 - by Anne Abel

    Childhood Pet was a Gift My father worked in a lab at MIT next door to an animal experimentation lab. The summer I was seven, he surprised us with a […]

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  • Emotional Responses to Grief

    Posted on February 19, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    Grief is a highly individual and complex emotional experience that manifests differently in each of us. People may express their grief through a variety of emotions and behaviours. Some common […]

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  • Embracing Grief When a Pet Dies

    Posted on February 5, 2024 - by Ken Breniman

    Embracing Grief When a Pet Dies In the midst of grieving, have you ever been surprised by a sign that you are on the right path or at the right […]

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  • Letter to a Dear Pet: One Year After Her Death

    Posted on January 5, 2023 - by Veronica Crawford

    Letter to a Dear Pet Dear Blaze, my spirited and loyal friend. It has been twelve months since you transitioned. Just twelve months, yet it feels like a lifetime ago. […]

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  • Dear Max: Last Words to a Special Dog

    Posted on January 3, 2023 - by Veronica Crawford

    Dear Max – AKA squishy, macchiato, mackie, snowy, little man, maximus and monkey. I miss you so much. So much that it hurts to think about it. I haven’t fully […]

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  • Coping With the Loss of a Beloved Pet

    Posted on December 11, 2022 - by Jacqui Coombe

    Introduction Our animal family members provide us with joy, loyalty, and unconditional love. The loss of a beloved pet can be an excruciating experience. Despite that, our society can trivialise […]

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    Five Common Pet Loss Grief Myths

    Posted on October 10, 2021 - by Wendy Van de Poll

    Would you like more support with your pet loss journey? Are people saying things to you that don’t make sense or feel supportive? If so, it is important to consider the […]

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  • Suddenly This Summer

    Posted on August 23, 2019 - by Carol Henderson

    On the evening of July 4th, 2019, I was sitting with my daughter Olivia and my son-in-law Patrick on their small New York City apartment terrace. In the far distance, […]

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  • The Loss of My Fur Family

    Posted on June 6, 2019 - by Ann Schiebert

    Lately, I have had many patients come to see me to get grief counseling over the loss of a beloved pet. Their grief aroused my grief over my past losses. […]

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  • David Meagher: Children and Pet Loss

    Posted on December 7, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

    How can you help children address pet loss? David Meagher, a professor emeritus at The City University of New York, explains that pets genuinely become part of a family. The […]

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  • Deborah Antinori: Pet Loss

    Posted on July 10, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

    Registered nurse and licensed professional counselor Deborah Antinori joins Dr. Heidi Horsley to talk about pet loss, one of the most disenfranchised losses. She’s also a drama therapist and grief […]

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    Remembering Izzy

    Posted on September 30, 2015 - by Sue Trace Lawrence

    It was a baby rat. Recently, after years of contemplating the possibility, I obtained two adult rats as pets. They were potentially to be used as live examples in the […]

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    Cori Bussolari and Wendy Packman: Pet Loss

    Posted on July 26, 2015 - by Cori Bussolari

    A professor at the University of San Francisco, Dr. Cori Bussolari, and a professor at Palo Alto University, Dr. Wendy Packman, recently spoke with Dr. Heidi Horsley during the 2015 […]

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    Helping Kids Cope with the Death of a Pet

    Posted on February 28, 2014 - by Linda Goldman

    All too often, pet death is discounted as not important, and those undermining words, “We’ll get you another one,” are offered as a hollow consolation. They diminish the love the […]

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    Condolence Letter on the Death of a Pet

    Posted on September 24, 2013 - by Janet Gallin

    I have watched people go through loss of a loved pet and can see how hard it is to say goodbye to those four-legged members of our families. Having seen […]

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    A Forever Decision, Part 9

    Posted on December 5, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    My Uncle Steve turned 94 yesterday. I’m very happy that he’s still with us, and very proud that he has reached such an advanced old age. We tried to bring […]

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    A Forever Decision, Part 8

    Posted on December 1, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    I feel very anxious today, more anxious than I have been since I found out that my uncle has terminal cancer. He has been in a rehabilitation center for a […]

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    A Forever Decision, Part 7

    Posted on November 4, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    It has been a week since I found out that my Uncle Steve has terminal cancer. I’ve felt sick to my stomach. I’ve felt calm. I’ve felt trapped. I’ve felt […]

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    A Forever Decision, Part 6

    Posted on October 30, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    There are certain beings in this life that I love more than anyone else. They are: my dogs Isabella and Camilla, my boyfriend Walter, and my Uncle Steve. I lost […]

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    A Forever Decision, Part 5

    Posted on October 16, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    A Forever Decision, Part 5 I am beginning to remember things about my daily life with my dog, Camilla, that give me pleasure. When she lost her sight, I would […]

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    A Forever Decision, Part 4

    Posted on October 8, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    It has been a month since I lost my beloved Camilla due to a brain tumor. Today I felt desolate. Tears sprang into my eyes when I thought of what […]

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    A Forever Decision: Part 3

    Posted on September 20, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    On Day 9 after the loss of my beloved Camilla due to a brain tumor, I think it’s important to start the day with love. Whether it’s petting my remaining […]

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    A Forever Decision: Part Two

    Posted on September 20, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    My relief is giving way to anxiety and the inability to concentrate. On the sixth day after I put my beloved Camilla to sleep after a long illness, I wake […]

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    A Forever Decision: Letting Go of a Dog

    Posted on September 20, 2012 - by Anne Hamilton

    I’m starting to realize that she is not coming back. Five days ago, I put my beloved dog Camilla to sleep. She had a tumor on her pituitary gland and […]

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    Pet Cremation Mistake: Breaking the Bad News

    Posted on March 27, 2012 - by Marty Tousley

    Question from a reader: I wonder if you could give me some advice. Recently our pet cat died and we decided to have her cremated so the ashes could be […]

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    Continuing Connection with a Pet that Has Died

    Posted on January 18, 2012 - by Wendy Packman

    “Death ends a life – it does not end a relationship.” — (Anderson, 1974) When one suffers the loss of a dear, beloved animal companion, it is a profound loss […]

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    Did My Cat Go to Heaven?

    Posted on October 1, 2011 - by Marty Tousley

    Question from a reader:  I have been grieving the loss of my cat for some time now, and the pain does not go away. I am still very sad and […]

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    Falling in Love Again after Pet-Loss

    Posted on April 15, 2011 - by Bonnie Goodman

    My beloved first golden retriever died in July 2005, The anticipated and then excruciating pain of his loss lingered for months on end, tears flowed uncontrollably and a growing yearning […]

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    Grief Following the Loss of a Beloved Pet

    Posted on March 9, 2011 - by Wendy Packman

    The Pain of Loss “This is the most terrible pain I have ever had and I feel like I will never be the same person I was before my pet […]

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