Pet Bereavement

Grieving For A Pet

Grieving for the loss of a pet, whether through death or enforced separation, can be a very sad and difficult experience. Life, once filled with the love and friendship of a pet, may suddenly seem very empty.

Feelings of despair and loneliness and even depression can be overwhelming. There may also be a strong sense of guilt and self-doubt, particularly when a decision has been taken to euthanasia a pet.

These feelings are normal and a testimony to the special bond between people and their pets. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this grief, and it can be a very lonely experience.

Supporting Pet Owners

Since the Pet Bereavement Support Service was launched jointly by The Blue Cross and SCAS in 1994, it has helped over 4000 pet owners of all ages and from all walks of life. Losing a pet of any kind can be very painful, and each call is treated with sensitivity and compassion.

Telephone Befrienders receive calls in their own home. They are volunteers of all ages and backgrounds and have completed a six month supervised correspondence training programme. They offer a 'listening ear' and give time, patience and encouragement to bereaved pet owners, as they work through their loss.

The Support Line

Sometimes it helps to share these feelings with someone who knows from personal experience how distressing the loss of a pet can be and who will listen with compassion and without judgment. The Pet Bereavement Support Service is a telephone helpline that offers such support through a national network of trained volunteer Telephone Befrienders.

To make contact, call the freephone number 0800 096 6606. The helpline is open daily 8:30am - 5.00pm with an answerphone outside these hours.

A co-ordinator will give out the contact details of the nearest available Telephone Befriender. Calls are charged at local rates wherever possible. All calls are treated confidentially.

If you wish to find out more about SCAS, please look at their website: http://www.scas.org.uk

When A Beloved Pet Dies

    If you want to bury or cremate your pet click here to find your local crematorium.

    Have you lost a pet, for whom you would like to have a memorial? Then why not place a memorial on this site. Click here to find out more.

Society for Companion Animal Studies Society for Companion Animal Studies
The Blue Cross Animal Welfare The Blue Cross Animal Welfare