Losing a beloved pet is one of the most difficult experiences a pet-owner can face. You may feel a sense of isolation—because friends and family may not always fully understand how deep the bond was.
At the Janesville Veterinary Clinic, we understand first hand. You can see some of the photos of our besties who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Here are some tips and resources that have helped us navigate our own pet loss.
Practical Tips for Walking Through Pet Loss
1. Acknowledge the loss and the depth of the bond
It’s ok — and important — to recognize that losing a pet is a real loss. The grief you feel is valid. Many people feel guilt, relief, sadness, bewilderment. Understanding that these are real emotions helps. The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement notes that pet loss grief is often not always socially recognized).
If your pet was a daily companion for walks, routines, cuddles—remember you’re mourning more than an animal, you’re mourning part of your daily life.
2. Create a safe space for the grief
Allow yourself time and space. You might choose a quiet spot in your home or yard (for example your pet’s favorite window vantage or yard run) to sit with your thoughts. Let yourself cry, remember, talk aloud to your pet, journal your feelings. Many find writing a letter to their pet healing.
3. Rituals and memorials help
Think about a way to honor your pet’s life. Maybe it’s planting a tree or shrub in your backyard, or creating a photo album or keepsake box of favorite memories—favorite toys, a collar, paw‐print, photos. These tangible items help to anchor memories rather than try to erase them.
At the Janesville Veterinary Clinic, we host a free Pet Memorial page on our website. It’s a way to honor pets in Rock County, and you don’t have to be a JVC client to submit your memorial. Once the memorial is published, you can share the link on your socials, and your friends can leave expressions of sympathy and comfort for you.
4. Seek support — you don’t have to do this alone
Even though grief is personal, being alone with it often makes it heavier. Reach out. That might mean a friend who gets it, joining a support group (virtual or local), talking with your veterinarian, or a counselor familiar with pet bereavement. The key is finding someone who will listen rather than minimize the loss.
5. Watch out for complicated grief
If weeks turn into months and you notice: inability to function, sleep or appetite severely affected, persistent guilt or self-blame, or even thoughts of self-harm, then it may be time for professional help. Pet loss grief can trigger or overlap with larger grief/loss issues.
6. Take care of your physical well‐being
Grief can also show up in your body: fatigue, headaches, digestion issues. Make sure you still try to eat, sleep reasonably, get outside (and maybe walk in one of our amazing Rock County’s parks—even if you don’t have your pet beside you). Gentle activity helps.
7. Honor the routine you lost — but allow adaptation
If you were used to walking your dog at, say, Rotary Park in Janesville or along Rock River paths in Beloit, that routine may feel hollow now. You might still walk those same paths (as a tribute) or choose a new route. It’s okay if the routine changes. It’s part of adapting.
8. Consider involving children, if relevant
If you have children who also loved the pet, include them in the ritual or remembrance. Use age‐appropriate language. Avoid ambiguous euphemisms like “went to sleep” (which may confuse small children). The article by Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital gives some good guidance to parents/caretakers: massvethospital.com
9. Create a memory project
Whether it’s a scrapbook, digital slideshow, planting a garden, or writing a blog entry of your own (you’re doing that by reading this!), memorializing helps transition the relationship: from “my dog is here” to “my dog was here and still lives in my heart.”
10. When you’re ready: think about the future
There’s no “right time” to adopt a new pet; only when you feel ready. Some people feel guilty or feel disloyal—know that your love for the past pet doesn’t disqualify you from loving again. And for others, a new pet might not be right—and that’s fine too. The key is honoring your own pace.
11. Local connection idea
Consider visiting a pet cemetery or memorial site, or make a small tribute at home. Check out the local south-central Wisconsin nonprofit Pet Loss Resource Center.
12. Be kind to yourself
There is no timeline for grief. Some days will feel better, others worse. Celebrate progress: maybe you can now remember your pet without fresh tears, or you laugh at a memory rather than just cry. That’s a sign of healing. But healing doesn’t mean “forgetting”. It means integrating the loss into your life story.
Some Excellent Resources for Pet-Loss Support
Here are ten highly recommended resources — many virtual and accessible, with a few also especially relevant for Wisconsin / Rock County region:
- Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
National nonprofit with chat rooms, support topics, directory of services. aplb.org+1 - Pet Loss Resource Center
A local nonprofit 501(c)(3) supporting pet-owners in the south-central Wisconsin community (which includes Rock County) with support groups, resources. - Best Friends Animal Society
National resource with articles, books, videos to help parents cope. - Letters to Pushkin
An interactive site that offers the opportunity to use letter writing as a constructive tool in coping with the loss of a loved one, animal or human. - Lap of Love
Free weekly virtual support groups and paid individual sessions (national) for pet-loss grief.
Final Thoughts
If you’re reading this because you’ve lost your pet, we are so sorry. Your feelings are real. Choosing to care for your emotional self is a powerful move. You may not “get over” the loss; instead, you will carry the love forward, still changed by it, still richer for having known your pet.
If you live in Rock County and ever feel alone — reach out to the local center listed above (Pet Loss Resource Center), talk with your vet, find a local support group. You don’t have to go through this grief in silence.
