How to Cope with the Loss of a Pet:
7 Things That Actually Help
The loss of a pet cuts deeper than many expect. They aren’t “just animals.” They’re companions, confidants, and heartbeats woven into our daily rhythms. Whether your dog was by your side for 15 years or your cat curled into your neck during every storm, their absence echoes loudly. And the grief that follows? It’s real. It’s valid. And it’s something we must walk through, not around.
Pet grief is often misunderstood. It’s minimized by those who don’t understand, and even worse, ignored entirely in professional or social environments. But the love we feel for our animals is profound—often unconditional, constant, and intertwined with daily moments that define our lives.
You may find yourself stumbling through routines that no longer exist—reaching for a leash that isn’t there, listening for paws that will never pad across the floor again. It’s in those quiet absences where the pain lives loudest.
Here are seven things that can help you cope with the loss of a pet, and why they matter.
1. Give Yourself Permission to Grieve
Grief doesn’t require permission slips, but many of us need one anyway. The pain of losing a pet can feel dismissed by others, but know this: You have every right to mourn. Cry. Scream. Sit in silence. Let the waves come and go.
Some people may suggest “just getting another pet,” or imply it’s less painful than losing a human. But your grief is legitimate. Pets aren’t people—they’re family of a different kind. And that difference doesn’t make the loss any less significant.
There is no timeline for grief. What matters is giving yourself grace in the process. No one gets to define how long or how deeply you grieve. Not even you. It may surface unexpectedly—in the middle of a grocery store, while folding laundry, or hearing the jingle of keys that used to mean “walk time.”
2. Create a Ritual or Memorial
Rituals help the heart process what the mind struggles to understand. That could be as simple as lighting a candle each night, placing a framed photo on your mantle, or writing your pet’s name in your journal each morning.
At Rescued by Rembrandt, we’ve seen how memorials become sacred acts of storytelling. When you pause to honor your pet’s life, you reclaim a sense of control in the chaos of grief.
You can:
- Create a digital tribute page
- Plant a tree or flowers in their memory
- Carry a keepsake like their tag or a tuft of fur
- Design a PRAI tribute that captures their personality and legacy
- Create an altar or shelf with their collar, photos, or ashes
These small acts help us hold on to love, even as we let go of presence. They give form to absence. They remind you that this pain is rooted in love—and love deserves to be witnessed.
3. Tell Their Story
Telling your pet’s story can be one of the most healing experiences of all. It shifts grief into memory. Sadness into celebration. Silence into legacy.
Write about how they came into your life. What you loved about them. The silly things they did. The way they made you feel safe or joyful or understood. Stories have a way of capturing not just moments, but meaning.
Don’t worry about writing something perfect. Start with something small:
- A funny moment from their puppy days
- The first time they greeted you at the door
- The final goodbye
Many people share these stories with us at Rescued by Rembrandt through our PRAI Stories™. If you can’t find the words, we help you shape them.
Your story doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real. And when you’re ready, sharing that story with others can become a lifeline for someone else walking the same path.
4. Talk to Someone Who Gets It
Not everyone will understand. That coworker who says, “It was just a dog,” isn’t your people.
But someone out there gets it. It might be a friend who’s lost a pet, a support group, or even a stranger on Reddit who knows exactly what you’re feeling. Sometimes, talking to someone who has walked the same grief path is the balm we didn’t know we needed.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to:
- Pet loss hotlines (many are free and anonymous)
- Online grief forums and Facebook groups
- Therapists who specialize in grief and loss
- Local humane societies that offer support resources
You deserve to be heard. You deserve to grieve out loud.
5. Write Them a Letter
When emotions feel stuck, letters become lifelines.
Say what you didn’t get to say. Thank them. Apologize. Tell them how much you miss them. Tell them about your day. It’s a quiet conversation between your heart and theirs.
Start simple:
“Dear Max, the house is too quiet without your paws on the floor. I still check the window where you used to nap…”
We’ve seen people include letters in their PRAI Stories or attach them to a tree in their backyard. These acts of expression release unspoken weight. And in some mysterious way, they bring peace.
Writing helps you keep the connection alive while honoring the shift from presence to memory. It helps you listen inwardly. And sometimes, that’s where the healing begins.
6. Don’t Rush to "Replace" Them
There is no “next dog, cat, hamster.” No replica. No emotional substitute for a creature that took root in your soul.
You may eventually adopt again. And when you do, it should be out of openness—not obligation. Give your heart space to heal, not pressure to perform.
If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. And that’s okay.
But also—if your heart is drawn to another animal, don’t feel guilty. Sometimes we adopt again not because we’re trying to replace, but because we’re honoring. Many people find comfort in rescuing a new pet as a tribute to the love they shared. You’re not forgetting them. You’re carrying them forward.
You might:
- Foster a dog in transition
- Donate to a shelter in your pet’s name
- Adopt an older animal in honor of your bond
The heart has room to love again—but only when it’s ready. There’s no race. There’s just rhythm.
7. Read Something That Knows What You Feel
Sometimes the only thing that eases grief is knowing someone else has been there. That’s why we created When the Leash is Empty.
It’s not a how-to manual for grief. It’s a soft companion for the moments you don’t want advice—just understanding. Download it for free and share it with someone who needs it.
You might also find comfort in:
- Pet loss poems (like Rainbow Bridge)
- Grief memoirs and blogs
- Guided journals to process loss
- Quotes that speak what you can’t yet articulate
Words become echoes of healing when we can’t form our own. They make space for emotion to breathe. They let us know we’re not invisible in our grief.
You Are Not Alone
Grief is not weakness. It is love with nowhere to go.
The absence you feel is the space they filled so beautifully. And though that space may never be fully occupied again, it can become a sacred part of who you are.
That empty spot on the couch, the quiet where barks once echoed, the paw prints still imprinted on your soul—these are not voids. They are reminders that you had something worth grieving. That your life was blessed by a presence so meaningful, it left a lasting impression.
In time, that ache becomes less raw. But the love? It stays. It softens into gratitude. Into small moments where you smile at a memory instead of weeping. Into stories you pass down. Into the gentle way you look at other animals, knowing what they might mean to someone.
Your grief honors your love. Let it shape you, not undo you. You are not broken—you are in transition. And just as your pet loved you through everything, you now carry that love forward.
You are not alone. Not in your tears. Not in your silence. Not in the moments when it feels like too much.
We see you. We hold space for you. And we’re here when you’re ready to write their story.
Mantra: “Grief doesn’t leave. It transforms. And in time, so will you.”
If you need help telling your pet’s story, we’re here.
Order a PRAI Tribute or explore more grief support through Rescued by Rembrandt.
When You’re Ready to Share Their Story
When the time feels right, you can honor your pet with a custom-written memorial through our
Forever Pets storytelling service—licensed by the PRAI Storytelling™ framework and offered
with care by Rescued by Rembrandt.
(You’ll be guided through a simple webform to help us tell their story beautifully.)
The Rainbow Bridge (Reimagined by PRAI Storytelling™)
Somewhere just beyond the noise of the world we know, there is a place where the sun is always warm, and the fields never end.
It’s quiet there—but not lonely.
They run, untethered. No pain, no age, no fear. Their paws are light. Their eyes are bright. Their spirit, whole.
They remember your scent.
They remember your voice.
They remember the way you laughed when they were silly, the way you whispered when it was time to rest.
And when the time is right—on a day not marked by calendars—they will pause mid-run, lift their head, and know:
You’re coming.
They’ll race to greet you, full of joy, full of light. No leash, no barrier—just reunion.
This place we call the Rainbow Bridge isn’t far.
It’s where love waits. Where memory lives.
Where the leash is never empty again.