from Dr. Sarah Edwards, Pet Bereavement Counseling*
They tell you …
Not to cry.
He’s just a pet, not a human.
It will pass.
Animals do not know that they must die.
The important thing is not to make them suffer.
You can get another one.
You knew would happen.
There are more unbearable pains.
But they don’t understand …
How many times you’ve looked your pet in the eye?
How often did you and your pet look into the dark together?
How many times was your pet the only one by your side?
Your pet was the only one who hadn’t judged you.
How scared you were the night his moans woke you up.
How many times has your pet slept next to you?
How much you’ve changed since your pet became a part of your life.
How many times did you hug him when he was sick?
How often did you pretend not to see when his hair was getting whiter and whiter?
How often have you talked to your pet, the only one who listens?
How good you were to your pet.
Little do they know that only your pet knows when you are in pain.
What it’s like to see your old pet trying to come over and say hello.
When things go wrong, your pet is the only one who isn’t gone.
Your pet trusts you every moment, even at the last moment.
How much your pet loved you and how little he needed to be happy because you were enough.
Crying for a pet is one of the noblest, most meaningful, truest, and purest things you can do.
They don’t know about the last time you rocked him hard… being careful not to hurt him.
How you feel when you caressed his face in the last moments of his life.
* Credited without a source to Douglas Bailey. Please let me know if anyone knows him or the source of this heartfelt material. Thank you.
If you have r questions, please email them to me:
DrSarahAEdwardss@Outlook.com
