Have you ever lost your best friend in the whole world? The one you told all your deepest secrets to? That’s what it felt like when I lost my dogs, Poppy and Roxy. Their deaths shook me to my core and led me down a path I never expected—one that ended up shaping my entire life and career.
As someone who has worked in the funeral profession for years, I thought I understood grief. But losing Poppy and then Roxy taught me something different. The pain of pet loss is real, raw, and lasting—and yet, it’s often dismissed or misunderstood. Society tends to marginalize grief that doesn’t fit neatly into the “norm,” and unfortunately, grief for pets is often seen as less important than grief for humans.
But the truth is, the loss of a pet can be just as devastating as losing a family member—because they are family. They’re with us through life’s ups and downs, offering unconditional love without judgment. When they’re gone, they leave a massive hole in our hearts and our routines.
Grief experts like Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and J. William Worden have offered frameworks like the Five Stages of Grief and the Four Tasks of Mourning—models that help us understand the emotional rollercoaster we go through after loss. These theories don’t just apply to human deaths. They resonate deeply when it comes to pet loss, too. The denial, the bargaining, the aching emptiness—they’re all there.
In my own case, the most difficult part was making the decision to put Roxy to sleep. I still replay that moment in my head—was she thanking me for easing her pain, or was she asking me why I was doing this to her? I’ll never know. That question still brings tears to my eyes years later.
After her death, a friend shared the story of the Rainbow Bridge with me. It gave me so much comfort that I named my pet memorial business after it—Rainbow Bridge Memorials. My hope was (and still is) to create a place where people can grieve their pets openly and find support, remembrance, and peace.
Through my TEDx talk and my work with grieving pet parents, I’ve learned that this kind of grief needs space, compassion, and community. Whether it’s a memorial service, a keepsake, or just a conversation where someone says “I see your pain”—it all matters.
So if you’re grieving a pet, please know this: your grief is valid. Your pain is real. And you are not alone. Let’s continue to challenge the idea that only certain kinds of grief deserve recognition. Love is love—and loss is loss. When we open up space for all kinds of grief, we build a kinder, more compassionate world.
