It’s completely normal to feel grief when you lose your pet. And this grief can feel difficult to cope with. Different people have different attitudes to animals, so it’s easy to feel that others don’t understand how you’re feeling or are being unsympathetic. This is called disenfranchised grief and it can make you feel like you have nobody to talk to, or that you’re bothering others when you do try to talk to them about your loss.
It’s important that you know you’re never alone in this situation and there are plenty of people to support you through this difficult time. Here, you can find a list of UK-based pet loss helplines, run by charities who understand just how important animal companions are, and how much their passing can impact you.
Animal Samaritans
Phone: 0203 745 9859
Animal Samaritans is a charity based in Croydon, Southeast London, that provides care and shelter for homeless animals, as well as financial assistance for pet owners in need. They now have a charity pet bereavement line, offering help and advice to anyone coping with grief around the loss of a pet. This is a judgement-free service where you can share exactly how you’re feeling. You can learn more about Animal Samaritans on their website.
Blue Cross
Phone: 0800 096 6606 (8:30am to 8:30pm)
Email: pbssmail@bluecross.org.uk (48-hour response)
Webchat: Click the chat icon at the bottom of the Blue Cross bereavement page (8:30am to 8:30pm)
Confidential form: Fill in this Blue Cross form (48-hour response)
The Blue Cross is a UK based charity who pride themselves on helping “sick, injured and homeless pets, and the people who love them”. The charity has been going since 1897 and is best-known for offering specialist care, services and support for pets, including vet treatment and rehoming. The Blue Cross help bereaved pet owners too though. If you’re experiencing pet loss of any kind, they have a fully-trained bereavement team ready to help. They offer free and fully confidential bereavement support over the phone, by email or through webchat. Here, you will find a space to talk openly and honestly about how you’re feeling. They can also offer practical information for your friends and family, to help them support you through this time. Last year, over 14,200 people contacted the Blue Cross over the loss of a pet, so they’re extremely experienced.
Cats Protection
Phone: 0800 024 9494 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Support form: Fill in this support form on the website
Cats Protection is a charity dedicated to cats and their owners. They have a designated grief support service called Paws to Listen, staffed by fully-trained volunteer listeners. While they don’t offer professional counselling, they do offer a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. The grief line is open from 9 – 5, Monday to Friday. If you call and the lines are busy, a call-back service is available. You can read more about the Paws to Listen service on its dedicated page on the Cats Protection website.
Living With Pet Bereavement
Website: livingwithpetbereavement.com
Phone: 0845 465 5999 (11am to 8pm, Monday to Friday)
Living With Pet Bereavement is a website run by Dawn Murray, one of the UK’s leading pet bereavement counsellors. There aren’t many charities for pet bereavement in the UK and most services are offered by more generalised animal charities. But Living With Pet Bereavement has always specialised in free counselling services for pet owners facing loss. You can book a free telephone support session here, whether you’re anticipating the loss of your pet, or your pet has sadly passed away. You’ll be paired with a trained counsellor who can provide you with the support you need. If you’d rather speak over email, this can be arranged. Alternatively, if you try to book an appointment and there aren’t any available, you can contact the team through their “Contact us” page and they’ll try to secure an earlier appointment for you.
The British Horse Society
Website: bhs.org.uk
Phone: 02476 840 517 (8:35am to 5pm, Monday to Friday; 8:35am to 3pm on Friday)
Email: friendsattheend@bhs.org.uk
The British Horse Society has a service called “Friends at the end”. This offers free, confidential support to horse owners, carers, sharers and loaners in the lead up to the loss of their horse, as well as after the loss of their horse. They support any feelings of loss, whether that’s your horse passing away, or the grief you may feel when a loan horse returns to their owner. All team members have received training from specialist bereavement counsellors and aim to support you, no matter what you’re going through. As well as emotional support, they can help with more practical info, such as options for euthanasia , how to arrange the burial or cremation of your horse and more.
Image by Nathália Arantes on Unsplash.
