Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Coping With the Loss of Your Pet - 5 Things to Do to Help

There are many things you can do following the death of a pet to help celebrate their life. Many of these can also help the family to cope with the death and emotionally heal. Every family is going to handle these situations differently, but the following are some suggestions that many will find useful.

1) Make a clay paw
An Impression of your pet's paw can be made into various types of modeling clay that can be air dried or baked. These can be then painted with your pet's name and hung on the refrigerator or framed.

2) Clip a small amount of your pet's fur
A momento sampling of fur can help many people to cope by providing a remembrance for the future akin to taking a lock of a baby's hair after birth.

3) Make a memorial shadow box
These can include the claw paw or sample of hair from above as well as a favorite toy, photos, and/or a leash and collar. These can be hung on a wall and kept indefinitely in memory of your best friend.

4) Bury your pet in a favorite place
Having a pet nearby can bring solace to many families and provide a place to visit the deceased. Other options include cremation and spreading the ashes in the pet's favorite place or making them part of the shadowbox above.

5) Hold a funeral for your pet
Many are confused about what service to provide after their pet dies, but things can be handled just like with a human funeral. If you are unsure of how to do this, in many areas there are pet bereavement companies that can help and even hold the service for you graveside.

Whatever methods you choose to help you with the loss of your pet, do what feels right to you. Providing a memorial to your pet will very likely help you to heal emotionally as well as remember the good times you've had with your four legged friend.

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