Holdays & Pet Loss - How to Cope

All of us feel at a loss for how to help a friend, family member or client who is grieving from the loss of a beloved pet. What can we do or say that might help ease the pain of the loss? The passing of a pet is felt even more deeply during the holidays. Memories of furry loved ones no longer with us, the clicks of their paws as they run down a hallway now silent, finding your dog or cat’s stocking in a drawer not hung on the mantle, their food bowl no longer in its rightful place on the kitchen floor or quiet walks in the snow without your beloved companion all tug deeply at the pet family’s heart.

How can you help to lessen the pain for someone missing their special fur-baby during the holidays, or for that matter every day all year? Remember the loss they feel in their heart isn’t just around the holidays. It is felt in the first bloom of spring, the splash of the early summer rains, in the falling of the leaves and in the softness of winter’s first snows. Help those hurting to create new rituals and traditions for the holidays and days to come that will not only honor the memory of their pet, but will also keep their pet’s memory alive for years to come. We created Pet Perennials, the only sympathy gift that creates a rainbow of flowers from a pet’s ashes for this very reason – to help folks deal with the loss of a pet – to tell our friends and family and co-workers or clients that we know it hurts and that we care. Pet loss is hard because pets are family. Our Make-it-Yourself Pet Perennials craft helps children and adults alike celebrate the life of their beloved pet.

Gifting a MiY Pet Perennials Kit is only the first step toward honoring a pet’s memory.

Pet Perennials wants to share some heartfelt ideas this holiday for anyone dealing with pet loss to consider:

• Decorate a wreath with tokens that belonged to your pet, for instance their collar or special toys and hang it in a garden or along a path where they loved to romp.
• Choose a special candle to light in memory of your beloved pet. Let your candle burn while you are crafting the Pet Perennials planting wafers in the shape of hearts and paws with the make-it-yourself kit. Don’t forget to close your eyes and send a special prayer toward the rainbow bridge.
• Share stories about your pet. Talking about your fur-baby is very important in moving through the grieving process. We need to give ourselves permission to talk about our fur-babies and if others don’t understand, seek out pet grief groups on social media. Facebook has several groups where you can share photos and stories about your pet and others will understand and be accepting of your feelings and share in your sorrow. Or share a photo and memory of your pet on our Pet Perennials Tribute Page. Knowing you are not alone is not only helpful, but healing. Pets are family. We pet lovers understand … and you’ll never hear from us … “just a pet”..
• Don’t forget children often view a pet as a companion, or even a “sibling” and their grief is real and deep. Encourage children of all ages to talk about their feelings and share their sorrow. The MiY Pet Perennials Kits allow you to sit with your children and talk while you craft. Our logo says it all, Love-Seeds-Life and no matter your spiritual beliefs, you can discuss loss, life and what follows with an outward display of renewal of life as the wafers turn into a garden of wildflowers. During the craft, you can also draw pictures or write letters to the pet, then place them on your Christmas tree or in the pet’s stocking so they still feel near and remembered. Or bury a letter to your pet in the garden where you plant your wafers. Be creative.
• If you celebrate Chanukah, remember your pet each night with a short memory as you light a candle.
• Remember a gift of Pet Perennials gives back to a veteran organization helping train dogs as companion animals for veterans in need. So, by gifting a Pet Perennials Kit you’ll be helping others along with helping your friend or family member…

We all grieve in our own way and in our own time. There isn’t a limit to grief. It might come in waves, be gone for days or even weeks and then something triggers a memory and it is back … Give yourself permission to feel sad. And if you know someone that is missing a beloved pet… acknowledge their grief and listen.

Pet Perennials was created to help people cope and heal after the loss of a pet. Our make-it yourself Pet Perennials Kit is the only sympathy gift for pet loss that creates life from loss by crafting planting wafers that may be used to seed a flower garden or mark a special walking path. A portion of the pet’s ashes may be mixed with the matrix during the crafting process, or not.