Why losing a pet is harder than people expect
You were not expecting it to be this big. Five reasons pet loss lands harder than people expect - and why none of them is a flaw in you.
Blog
The questions I’m asked most, answered as honestly as I can. None of them have tidy answers, which is rather the point.
There is a day for this. You don’t have to observe it.
The second Sunday of September is Pet Memorial Day. Why a date helps some grieving people and lands badly on others - and permission to do nothing at all with it.
When the decision isn’t only yours
When an animal belongs to more than one person, the decision can arrive with two people on opposite sides - why you are not seeing the same animal, and how to live with a decision that was not yours.
What if I feel guilty that life is easier now?
The relief nobody warns you about after caring for a sick or elderly animal - and why feeling lighter is not the same as being glad they are gone.
Clinic leaders: why invest in team support?
The euthanasia appointment is the one families remember for years. A fatigued team can’t consistently deliver it well - what structured support actually changes.
The story behind the name, and the logo
A tree, a heart, a paw - where Paws & Presence came from, and what each part of the mark is meant to say.
What is the human-animal bond?
Why losing an animal hurts as much as it does. The attachment isn’t sentimentality - it runs along some of the same pathways as our deepest human bonds.
They were never “just” a pet
The grief you feel now they’re gone is never just sadness. On disenfranchised grief, and why pet loss deserves real support.
What is a companion animal end-of-life doula?
An unusual job title, explained - and what support looks like before, during, and after goodbye.
How do I know when it’s time?
The question I’m asked more than any other, usually late at night. The honest answer is that there is rarely a moment that announces itself - so here is what to look at instead.