Customer Reviews

Pet Loss: Thoughtful Guide for Adults and Children, A

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was glad to see the previous reader found great solace in this book. I am glad I bought it because at the time it was the only book I could find as I dashed to the airport, and it was better to have something on this topic than nothing as I grieved the new loss of my dear Kitty. But I would not recommend this book highly -- and if you are on Amazon you have a lot of books available at your fingertips. This author is a psychologist and takes a distinctly psychological approach to the subject. I was seeking a more spiritual/emotional approach, particularly because my Kitty died very young and under mysterious circumstances. The psychologist author identifies the process of grief and frequently discusses what is appropriate or inappropriate. If that interests you, this book will be helpful. Personally, I was not at all interested in clinical definitions of inappropriate grief when I was feeling overwhelmed with my own. But everyone is different, so this book may be helpful to you; we each grieve in our own way. I at least was grateful to have a book/person to validate my grief, which so many people seemed to want to dismiss with the attitude "It's only an animal."

An author whose approach I found much more spiritual/emotional and comforting was James Van Praagh. There is one chapter devoted to pet loss in his book Healing Grief : Reclaiming Life After Any Loss. I was surprised to discover he is a medium, as I normally don't go in for psychic stuff. But the chapter on pet loss in not weird or New Age-ish. It is steeped in love, and the author writes with gentleness and sensitivity of the eternal souls of our beloved animals and the mutual bonds of love that endure beyond mortal death.

I took this trusty volume off of my book shelf for the second time in three years this week. Its wisdom, advice, and understanding tone is a great comfort when the most innocent member of your family has made their final exit. Mimi, in my case, was only two years old, making this read extremely difficult, but extremely necessary. I thank the book for helping me understand that what I'm experiencing is natural and necessary in order to start the healing process. With information on the stages of grief, the emotions one experiences, and the consolation that the hurt will get better, Pet Loss has helped me once again say goodbye to a loving dog.

This is the most cathartic experience I've EVER had, for it releases unconscious emotions which need to be unharnessed, leading you gently toward healing. Please be good to yourself and read this book, which has been a true God-send to me!

I found the book encouraging in that it gave me a feeling of not being the only one who ever suffered from the loss of a pet. I just do not know if I am ready to get over it yet as the book tells me to. I guess I was hoping for more - but it delivered what it promised, so I cannot complain.

Helpful info for adults and older children but I had purchased this book hoping it would have more detail for helping young children deal with the loss of a family pet.

We lost our dog unexpectedly, in searching for ways to help our then 2.5 year old deal with the loss I stumbled on to this book. It has great information, ideas, and suggestions. I do rec'd reading this before the loss occurs, but let's face it, that's really not something we want to face any sooner than we have to or we may not even have the option to prepare for the loss... Anyway, I do rec'd this and I have loaned my copy to many friends to help them and their children.