Why I Work with Pet Grief

There are a number of therapists who work with grief. I choose to work with only pet grief because I know from personal experience that some people, therapists included, do not understand the wonderful and special relationship that people have with their fur babies and the devastating loss that they/we experience when we lose that loved one.

In 2003, I lost Jazz. He was 13. I sought help from therapists who worked with grief. They could not understand how someone, especially a counselor, could not just move on because, after all, it was only a pet, right? No. My Jazz was my first baby. We had been together since he was 4 weeks old. We were together during and after college. We lived in 4 different cities together. He was small in size but he was my big boy who protected his mommy from danger. One night after class, tired but hungry, I decided to fix something to eat. I fell asleep and woke up to a kitchen filled with smoke. The fire detector never went off. It was okay because Jazz was my protector who barked at me until I woke up. He literally saved my life.

It was not until 2010 that I reluctantly got another dog for my son. It was his 8th birthday and she was his birthday present. That birthday present was Sasha, and she was one of the greatest gifts that God bestowed upon me. If you know a little about Dobermans, you probably know that Dobermans can love everyone in the family, but they usually have one person whose side they are always by. (Dobermans can be “velcro-dogs”.) Sasha was definitely my velcro dog. She was smart, loving, loyal and brave. She was also a perfect diva who loved to wear dresses everyday, especially to daycare. I lost her on October 31, 2021, and it was like losing a child, because she was my daughter.

So seventeen years after the loss of Jazz, I would think that someone would have been able to understand my devastation after she passed away. Finding someone who was licensed in TX was a challenge that I was never able to overcome. I worked through many of my feelings alone.

I want to be to others what no one could be to me. It would be my honor to walk with you as you learn to live without the physical presence of your fur baby.

(The pictures above are all of Sasha.)