Healing the Pain of Pet Loss [Paperback]

Kymberly Smith (Author, Editor), Smith (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Charles Press Pubs(PA) (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914783793
• ISBN-13: 978-0914783794
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book, November 22, 2000

By 

Paul Tasminy (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing the Pain of Pet Loss (Paperback)

Being a man, it is hard to express emotions of pain. This book helped me understand my grief as perfectly acceptable and that there are other males who have faced this same kind of social misunderstanding and that it is normal and meaningful to mourn the loss of one of my best friends - my dog, Ranger. So many of us don't know until we lose our animal friends just how important they were in our lives. I will always be grateful to the friend who gave me this book as a gift - it helped me so much.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book that truly helps, March 1, 1999

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Healing the Pain of Pet Loss (Paperback)

This book consists of letters written by people who have lost a cherished animal, describing their feelings and the events surrounding the loss. Many of the letters comment on the inability of others to understand why they are so upset by the loss of a pet. "It's just a cat... or dog..." We live in a society which can scarcely allow people to grieve the loss of a beloved human, let alone a beloved animal -- indeed, mourners are expected to recover by the time the funeral is over. For the person grieving the loss of a cherished animal friend, there is no space to grieve and seldom adequate support from friends and families. Only someone who has been through it could possibly understand the extent of the loss, and many in our society never get that attached to an animal so they don't know how deeply the loss hurts. That is why the author compiled this collection of letters, because she could not find a book which helped or support from friends. She was right -- it is a helpful to hear the stories of others who loved their pets intensely, and to know that others have felt what we are feeling. The community of fellow-grievers in these letters provide a support group to help the reader deal with their own loss. In addition, there is a list of resources (including on-line resources and telephone support lines) in the appendix. This book would make a wonderful present from a caring friend for someone who is grieving intensely the loss of a pet. I highly recommend it and am grateful that this book was written.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinship with others, May 4, 2004

By 

Chris Forness (SD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing the Pain of Pet Loss (Paperback)

Most people around me seem to be more polite than understanding when I talk about losing my dog, Lincoln. It doesn't matter anymore after reading this book. They don't understand the depth of our relationship, but the writers in this book do. I wish I had someone in person who knew, but going back to this book every once in a while gets me through. This book will be my rock as long as I need it.