Dear Readers,
Sometimes people don’t understand when you grieve the loss of a beloved family pet. But to many of us it’s the death of a family member. It doesn’t matter if the animal is a horse or a mouse, they mattered to someone. And that someone is now left filled with sorrow.
Today I am talking to the creator of the Facebook group, Pet Bereavement.
Please welcome Zena
I’m Zena. I’m 37 with two sons n a daughter. I’m a self-employed perfume consultant ex hairdresser of 20 years. I’m very much for helping any animals n am known local as the Swan Queen lol as I fed n tend to our 14 swans that live in our harbour. I sat in -3 Temps for 3 hours with a dying Swan till help came. I run a successful bearded dragon forum. We help with advice and re homing rescues. I have a rescue in my care at this moment. All the local kids bring injured animals to me lol. I’ve sat with stranded seals n dolphins on our beach which is 5 minutes away from me
Please tell the readers a little about the group.
As a pet owners and lover I have gone through bad sad times loosing several pets to cancer in a few years. One was also murdered in from of me. I run several animal groups offering advice on diet training even rescues. I noticed there was no where for people to go and grieve. I cried me a river over the animals I have lost, I treasured them, they were my family. I nursed them through illness and was there from birth to death with them all…. I was traumatized to loose each one of them.
What inspired you to create this group?
I decided to create the group so people could just chat, cry, share stories and pictures. Somewhere people could come to grieve, away from their friends and family that didn’t understand. Sometimes people come on just to say I’m having a good or bad day.
What would you like this group to accomplish?
I’m there for everyone and hope my words can comfort them. They can understand that there are other people out there that feel the way they do. Animals are family too and a great loss when gone.
My group is there for people to feel safe, secure, and speak in private.
Thank you Zena for taking the time to tell us about this important group.
Click on the link to find this Facebook group – Pet Bereavement
*This blog post is part of the Blogging From A-to-Z Challenge (April 2017)
*The Internet is a useful tool for creating online support groups. Please lend a helping hand by sharing this blog post in the hopes it reaches someone who may benefit from this group.
*If you are interested in sharing your Facebook group with my readers please email me at pluckingofmyheartstrings@gmail.com
Books About Pet Bereavement
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~Plucking Of My Heartstrings~ 
Thank you. I have a friend who needs this now .
I was so glad that I came across Pet Bereavement when I was searching for Facebook groups to post about. Thank you for sharing this with your friend and sorry for the loss.
I cannot handle the loss of a pet. I am so thankful mine are healthy, but still, they don’t live long.
I have a cat who will be 15 this October. She was my mom’s cat and when my mom passed away I took the cat in (although I kept telling my mother I would not take the cat when she would mention being worried about the cat after she was gone). I feel like I still have a piece of my mom, maybe that sounds strange. So when this pet dies it will be harder for me than other pets of the past.
Losing a pet always hurts, but many people only have their pets in their day to day life, so it is even harder on them. Also, someone who has recently lost a person close to them and then loses a pet can grieve harder for that than the original loss. It’s as if all the grief flows,out together.
Perspectives at Life & Faith in Caneyhead
I agree that most people have their pets in their lives every day…they probably see their pets more than their adult children. As I mentioned in the previous post, I have my deceased mom’s cat. The cat will be 14 in October, although she often acts as if she’s young. I tell her that if she doesn’t calm down she might break a hip…LOL Anyway, it will be sad when this cat dies as to me she is like having a piece of my mom.
I am seeing a friend this weekend who I think will shortly need a group like this. Thank you for this one.
Sorry to hear this. I was glad to add this group to my challenge posts. I think it’s much needed.
It’s good for people to have a place to go like this. Pet loss is hard to cope with sometimes because others just don’t understand the grief.
Very true!