How many of us feel empty and at a loss after we lose a beloved pet? It can be devastating and there can even be a void that remains for years and years. I see it every day and have experienced it deeply myself.

The simple fact is that pets have entered our lives. They are our companions, our friends and our family. However, society has not yet caught up with knowing how to manage this and deal with their loss or how to honor and show reverence for their gifts and all they gave us during their life.

What happens pet dies, is that we have to integrate their loss in to our lives. During this time, we go through an ‘Evaluation’ stage. Sometimes after a pet death, we realize we were given much more than we ever realized. We want to say thank you and give back to one who has given us so much. We know this inherently, even if not consciously, as it just plain feels good to say thank you and return the love.

In healing from pet loss, the ‘something missing’ is often a way to express honor, thanks and reverence for this beloved one and the value they had in our lives. This is true with any loss, and especially true with pet loss as we have very little in our society to help us with this.  Not knowing what else to do, we can remain stuck. We don’t know what to do or how to give back since the loved one is no longer here with us in the physical, and we can no longer interact with them the way we used to.

There are, however, still ways we can express thanks and give back.

What we can do is something to honor them, their soul and the value they brought to our lives. Give some time to think about what this would be for you and your beloved pet.

Choose something of meaning that links the two of you and dedicate it to them, in their honor. This could be volunteering, starting a new career, quitting smoking, exercising, eating better, praying more, writing a book or anything else you wish to do which feels right to honor your pet and help you during this time. One of the simplest, but most profound activities, would be to hold a ceremony or memorial service event just to honor your beloved. Why is this?

Honoring is an important element in healing because recognizing value helps us ‘own’ what is important to us. Coming to understand this deeply, is sole reason I offer many different types of service around this. I hold a Monthly Pet Honoring & Memorial Service (free), orchestrate private pet memorials, as well as dedicated grief healing sessions, for when more is needed.

Exercise to try: Take a few minutes to think about one you dearly love, a beloved pet, who has passed. ‘When’ the death occurred does not matter.   Choose someone you miss having in your life. Bring this loved one into your awareness. Now, pause for a moment and think about dedicating a time just to honor them…a time to recognize and appreciate their divine qualities and all that they meant to you. A time to, in a meaningful and special way, say thank you…thank you to this one you love so much.

Notice how you feel, notice how it makes you smile and the joy it brings. Notice how happy it makes you feel. Notice how meaningful it feels.

Think about how good that would feel to send a gift to them of honoring the value they held (and still hold) in your life.

Because the gift and the giver are connected, this connection with them increases in your awareness and being. It becomes easier and lighter for you to make this connection with them in your heart.

Expressing honor and appreciation can also help us move away from feeling sad and empty about the relationship. It can connect us back to the love and wonderful qualities of the relationship and can provide an anchor (in time and experience) for reconnecting. This anchor is in our heart and our memory. It is a life experience we can have, hold dear to our hearts and have with us to refer to for always.

Showing gratitude is a great heart opener. And with an open heart, we can be in a place which is beyond time and space. With an open heart, we can connect in eternal time, experience love and healing. Honoring is a special way to share love and gratitude which will forever exist in time.

Check out PetHonoring.com to learn more about the free Monthly Pet Honoring & Memorial services, private pet memorial services and grief healing energy sessions. Let me help you honor your pet, heal and restore love.

in kindred spirit,

L. Leigh Love

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L. Leigh Love is a Spiritual Counselor/Teacher, Animal Communicator, Certified Intuitive Counselor and Certified Life Coach. She is a Reiki Master Teacher and Advanced Pranic Healer. As well, she draws on over 20 years of training in Psychology, Spiritual Studies and the Healing Arts. She has a passion for helping clients heal and live their best lives. She holds a non-denominational ordination and is the author of the award-winning children’s book, Roly-Poly and the Light. Author website is LLeighLove.com Spiritual website BrightStarStudio.net

Pet Honoring is a division of Bright Star Studio, llc.

Copyright 2023© Bright Star Studio, llc

All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or review and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

Mattie flopped her head on me the other day. She actually does this quite a lot. It is one of my favorite things, mostly because there is such an expression of affection and tenderness. My heart melts every time.

This time though, she looked up and held her gaze a little longer. I felt the energy of the words sweetly as “I love being your doggie-daughter.” It made my heart smile and got I choked up.
I think she knew I had been feeling sad about some choices I made which caused us some very unhappy times. And though, that is past us and it has been a while, I had deep regret about the whole thing and still feel we are regaining ourselves.

During an animal communication session, I apologized to her for it all. I feel I failed her…and myself and I had been struggling with that.. Her response was so incredibly gracious. She said she knows that I love her, said it was ok and that life is about being partners and sharing life…all of it, mistakes included. She reminded me that it was for a short period and wanted me to be gentle with myself.

At that moment I felt the deepest level of connection and support from her.

Mattie embodies what true partnership is. It is love. It is commitment. And it is support. It is being there through thick and thin and sharing life. It has made me more committed than ever to returning the favor and doing my best to give her a happy, healthy and loving life.

Interestingly enough, it has also expanded into other aspects of my life. It has made me look closer at what partnership means and how I can improve this in my role with others, as well as with myself.
People can say what they want about pets. They can say ‘it is just a dog.’ They can choose not to be open to the miraculous love, relationship and gifts our animal companions offer, but not me. To quote ‘Pack of Two’ author Caroline Knapp: “I unapologetically love my dog.”

In fact, all of my pets have been amazing partners and teachers. I truly get the value our pets can have in our life and it is why I do the work I do.

People close to their pets know they have a sense of humor. Pack-of-two, Mattie and I, were walking around the neighborhood at night recently and I was smiling thinking about her saying she loved being my ‘doggie-daughter’ and how it touched me.

Then, strutting down the street, Mattie looked back, ran towards me with a gust of energy of saying “…and you my Human-mama”, (the same way someone would say ‘baby-mama’). I think I laughed out loud.

If Mattie had a page in Ted Andrew’s book, Animal Speak, which covers spirit totems of animals, one of her themes would be ‘Partnership.’ Her soul, and mission in life, is to help bring out divine partnership, with yourself and others. Then there would be a statement something like ‘if Mattie shows up in your life, even if just briefly, here are some questions to ask. Are you being a good partner to yourself? Where can you better support yourself? How are you a partner to others? Do you give too much without taking care of yourself? Do you know how to protect yourself? Do you know how to nurture yourself?’

Wow, I love that dog. Every day, I get to say “I have my very own Mattie.”

She has made me a better person.

If we are open, our animal companions can be the most amazing teachers and partners in life. They can not only show us what we need and what can help us, but they also can help us feel how truly connected and loved we are.

How is your pet a partner? How have they helped you? What qualities to they promote? I’d love to hear!

warmly,

L. Leigh Love

Check out PetHonoring.com to learn more about the free Monthly Pet Honoring & Memorial services, private pet memorial services and grief healing energy sessions. Let me help you honor your pet, heal and restore love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

L. Leigh Love is a Spiritual Counselor/Teacher, Animal Communicator, Certified Intuitive Counselor and Certified Life Coach. She is a Reiki Master Teacher and Advanced Pranic Healer. As well, she draws on over 20 years of training in Psychology, Spiritual Studies and the Healing Arts. She has a passion for helping clients heal and live their best lives. She holds a non-denominational ordination and is the author of the award-winning children’s book, Roly-Poly and the Light. Author website is LLeighLove.com Spiritual website BrightStarStudio.net

Pet Honoring is a division of Bright Star Studio, llc.

Copyright 2023© Bright Star Studio, llc

All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or review and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.