22 July 2026

They were never “just” a pet

And the grief you feel now they’re gone is never “just” sadness.

Anyone who has loved an animal knows this without being told. They meet you at the door. They sit with you, without judgment, on the days you can barely hold yourself together. They weave themselves so completely into the rhythm of your life that eventually they are the rhythm - the walk, the spot on the couch, the sound of the door that means someone’s home. The bond is real. So when it ends, the grief is real too.

The gap nobody tells you about

And yet pet loss remains one of the most under-supported griefs there is. People are quietly expected to be over it in a weekend. There’s no funeral, often no time off, no casserole on the doorstep - just the sudden silence in the house, and the sense that you’re not quite allowed to be as wrecked as you feel.

This has a name: disenfranchised grief - grief that the people around you don’t fully recognize, so you’re left wondering whether you’re allowed to feel it this deeply.

Let me say it plainly, because someone needs to: you are.

Why I do this work

I’m Jodene, founder of Paws & Presence. I walk beside families through pet loss - before, during, and after goodbye - and I support the veterinary teams who carry this weight every single day.

For families, that looks like quality-of-life conversations, support through the anticipatory grief that arrives long before the appointment does, calm presence on the day itself, and grief support that doesn’t have an expiry date. For veterinary teams, it looks like communication workshops and debriefs after the appointments that stay with everyone in the room.

None of this is about rushing anyone through grief. Grief is love with nowhere left to go, and it deserves room, and time. My hope is simply that no one has to walk it alone - and that when you’re ready, there’s space to celebrate the life you shared, right alongside the loss.

You loved them well. Let me help you through what comes next.