Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet

This is a great book for anyone who has lost a pet. I found it helpful after my pet passed away and I was letting go. It helped me understand better what the last few months were about, too, although during those last months I was not prepared to read this or anything that wasn't directly about how to manage! I will likely give this as a gift to any friend who loses a pet. A kind book.

I lost my best friend a few months ago. He was my soul dog, and I still cry just saying his name
I have no children, so he was my chid.He was so smart,so mellow, so loving.
There will never be another. The book helped me come to terms,that I will see him again....

So glad to have gotten this book!. I ordered this book because my beloved cat and best friend of 15 years suddenly became sick. I rec'd my order so quickly within two days, like someone figured if I was ordering this book I needed to get it right away. Ultimately I had to put my cat to sleep, which caused be a great deal of pain and guilt but having this book taught be how to deal with it a bit better, I recommend it anyone who has lost a pet.

Throughout my life I had the pleasure of many pets at my side, and family around me. With the loss of them, both pet and family member, I grieved the loss and managed to move on. The recent loss of my dog, Pal, has been very hard to bear. For the first time I was left alone with the decision to have him euthanized, which I handled humanely albeit with much sadness. A close friend had recommended Rev. Gary Kowalski's book to me to read, and I am still reading it through again. I found it to be closest to understanding that my decision was the kindest I could have made for my best friend, Pal.

As recommended by Kowalski, I learned to heal, with time, the loss of Pal's companionship, by not avoiding the emotional pain. It hasn't been easy, but it was necessary to deal with the loss by taking care of myself first. Many people have done what I did, which was to join the local animal shelter as a volunteer, to give my time to an organization dedicated to finding homes for the homeless pets. As time went on, I found walking nature trails drew me closer to spirituality, remembering all of the beauty God has created. During the time I read the book, I enjoyed reading the historical aspects of how pet ownership evolved, as well as the many readings and poems, a chapter dedicated to how people dealt with euthanasia (the "good death"), and many insightful stories of people dealing with the death of their beloved pets.

This book was well written, thought provoking yet calming. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in the process of losing of pet, or lost a pet to prepare for the healing process.

It has been 3 weeks since I lost my little doggie. I had found some books from which reading gave me comfort. However, I really wish I knew about this book before Chipper ever started showing signs of succumbing to old age and illness. The book described what to expect when your pet faces illness and/or old age, how to care for one’s pet as it nears its last days, and ways to somewhat assuage your grief and the grief felt by family members and children. I highly recommend this book to anyone who owns a pet whether their pet is young, middle aged, or old.