Grieving The Loss Of A Pet
Lately, I have had several clients and students ask me what happens when their beloved pets pass away. Are they alone? Do they feel pain? Do they come back to visit? My clients are comforted to learn that their pets are met by loved ones when they cross over, are out of any pain they suffered while they were in their physical bodies and frequently, they come through from Spirit to visit. Most of the readings I do with clients involve a pet, either owned by the client or their deceased loved one, being mentioned in the reading.
Losing a pet can be as difficult as losing a loved one for some. As an avid animal lover who has had at least seven dogs, a couple of foster dogs, three cats, ferrets, hamsters, rabbits, chickens, hermit crabs and some wild life such as squirrels and birds, I understand how difficult it is. A part of my own psychic mediumship development has dealt with my experiences in losing pets. I still experienced the loss and grief but being able to mediumistically see, feel or hear my pets as they pass, and afterwards, brings a level of comfort I did not have before my abilities re-opened. With this in mind, I share these experiences in the hope that anyone who needs to go through the experience of losing a pet or has gone through it, that it will bring some comfort to know your pet is all right.
Losing beloved pets
I remember distinctly the hollow feeling I would have after losing a pet before my abilities opened up. When I had to put down one of my ferrets, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I stood there in the vet’s office with the body of my pet, whom I loved very much and just felt nothing, like he was gone forever. My furry little friend, Samson accompanied me through college. I lived in an apartment off campus so I was allowed to have a pet ferret whom I used to walk on a leash while receiving very funny looks from people.
After my abilities began re-opening in 2004, I began to see, hear, feel and know the presence of Spirits. In that time, I have had to put down three pets due to terminal illness; my Sheltie, Duncan, my foster ‘hospice’ cat, Isis and my Bernese Mountain dog, Wizard. Each time I felt the grief of losing them, I understood that they were fine in Spirit form and with me, and that brought a level of comfort which was absent when I lost pets when my abilities were not open.
Duncan had been my 30th birthday gift from my Mom in 1997. By the time he reached about 13 years old, he was nearly blind, deaf, had what I referred to as doggie dementia along with severe kidney and heart disease. The last six months of his physical life, I basically waited for him to let me know when he was ready or for the day nature would take its course. He was prone to falling down the stairs, and had to be watched carefully, and on all kinds of medication for his various illnesses. On the day it came to pass, my Mom and Dad, both of whom were in Spirit, kept appearing to me holding a dog leash. The other animals in my home would not go near him and the cats were actually hissing at him.
Duncan, Isis and Wizard
I went back and forth about the decision all day. Finally, I called the vet and the appointment was set. When the vet gave him the injection, I watched as my parents came through and I saw Duncan’s spirit leave his body and then appear with my parents. Seeing him clairvoyantly, I saw that had returned to his young, healthy, playful state and I was comforted to know he was with them, although still upset about losing him. It was rather emotional and as such I was questioning my own visions.
My parents sent me a sign to reassure me, since I had been asking for them all day. As I opened the rear of the car for the vet to place him inside, the car radio turned on by itself and played a song (called Send Me a Song) even though I had not turned the car on, and it had never done that before nor again. On the ride home, I felt Duncan jump into my lap and lick my face and then saw him in his spirit form. He also kept watch over my living pets. When my new puppy, who I adopted after he passed away, was having surgery to repair his knee, as I prepared to send the puppy healing, in came Duncan in my third eye followed by my Bernese Mountain dog puppy, Wizard. I just giggled, somewhat with relief because Duncan was keeping watch over my new baby who was being held overnight for surgery.
The next pet I lost came shortly after Duncan’s passing in 2010. I had been providing what I called hospice care for this cat I had named Isis. I only had her a few months. She had been rescued by an animal rescue group from a kill shelter. She was probably about 15 years old, had virtually no teeth, was barely seven pounds and had severe arthritis in her back and hips. She had been placed in their hospital ward, fully matted and at that point, unable to walk. Around the same time, I had a strong impression that I needed to find a white cat and adopt her and she was the second cat I saw. They had just listed her as adoptable and wanted her out of the medical unit because it had cement floors which was not good for her arthritis, and she was being bullied by an unfriendly cat. They were injecting her with a medicine which enabled her to walk a bit but she needed to be able to walk and not be caged, and it was when she was out of the cage that the unfriendly cat would pounce on her. So I adopted her.
While I was driving I asked Spirit what her name was and a Spirit came through and said something but all I caught was the ‘ess’ part so I named her Isis. I fell in love with that cat and she promptly took over my bedroom, as her regal nature showed through. I had to hand feed her and of course give her injections. When it came time, I noticed she was not feeling very well. I called the vet to bring her in and opened the cat carrier case downstairs, intending to go up and carry her down since she had not come down the stairs for about two months. Before I had a chance to go up to get her, she came down the stairs on her own and jumped in. I just shrugged and said, “Oh, you are ready.”
Still hurting from losing Duncan, I was dreading that appointment. When I arrived, she laid limply on my chest but very regal again. I brought her in and the vet said that it was time based on her age and overall condition. As he injected her, we noticed she had evidence of internal bleeding and she passed much quicker than expected. I realized of course, she had been ready. As I sat there with her on my lap, I once again saw her Spirit leave her body and she jumped into the arms of an older female Spirit who I had never met, and who said to me, “Thank you for taking care of my cat, princess” and with that they vanished. Isis has, however, come back for visits and even blended with my big black cat who I thought always had a crush on her while she lived here.
Wizard Sighting!
Lastly, there was my Bernese Mountain Dog, Wizard, who I lost last October. This one really hurt. He was only three and a half years old when he came down with cancer. This was the dog entered my life with a history of many medical problems. Despite efforts to surgically remove the cancer, it was the fast growing kind which had already spread before the tumor manifested and alerted us to a problem. With Wizard, I had to use a different vet’s office and was not allowed to be in the room with him when they gave him the injection, which also hurt. I was very close to Wizard, not only as a pet owner but energetically. I was what you would call energetically linked with him which I can do as an empath.
When he passed, I felt his Spirit leave his body. There was a gentle energetic movement rising up my body and out my crown chakra. During the experience, I was with my brother and he witnessed me take a gasp. I felt the energy and then clairvoyantly saw Wizard, free from his body and the pain of the cancer. As his owner, I was devastated in losing him, especially since he was so young. With Duncan, Isis and all my other pets, they had lived their full years of life so although it hurt to lose them, it was a little different with Wizard because he was only three an a half years. And, of course, following his death, I met a number of people who told me they had Bernese Mountain dogs who passed from cancer at ages as young as two years old. I felt that the people that showed up who experienced the same thing, was Spirit’s way of trying to comfort me.
Wizard would frequently visit me following his passing as I would post in Facebook, Wizard sighting! When I took my daughter’s Pomeranian to the groomer, the Pomeranian who is terrified of people would shake from the fear of being brought there. The Pomeranian was also best buds with Wizard when he was alive, and he showed up and walked in the door as we entered. Wizard was there to support his little doggie brother and it would bring a smile to my face to have him visit, despite my grief of losing him.
Comfort in knowing our pets who cross are still with us
So when clients ask me about what happens to their pets that they have lost, I share these stories as a way to bring them comfort. Frequently, their pets also come through readings. My Wizard even showed up at someone’s talk and mediumship demonstration I attended but unfortunately, I had to leave before the demonstration part to pick up my daughter. A friend was in attendance and delivered the message that a really big, black, multi-colored dog showed up which no one else could claim and he fit the description of my Wizard who was 107 lbs when he passed.
Even though we suffer from losing our pets, it brings comfort to know they are still with us and they themselves feel a lot better than they did when they were here. I did not understand this before my abilities opened as I mentioned in the beginning when I wrote about my ferret, Samson’s passing. Having experienced losing a pet both as an active empath / medium and a non-active person, being able to connect with them on a soul level brought me comfort even though I still felt the grief. I hope sharing these experiences brings some comfort to you or someone you know who has lost a pet.
And on a positive note, I hope you felt a sense of comfort when you read about how my deceased dogs would come back to look after my new dogs, even ones that were not here when they were. I only mention that because some people have told me they feel guilty adopting another pet after one passes. My experience shows that our pets in Spirit not only continue loving us but love and look after our new furry friends who share our hearts and our lives. Always remember that your pet is just as much a deceased loved one as anyone close to you.
Notes:
This article was originally published in the Afterlife Magazine by The Otherside Press which has sinced joined the PDN group.
Header image source: Canva
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