Grieving a Beloved Pet: Understanding the Difference Between Volunteer Support and Professional Counselling

The loss of a pet can be just as profound as the loss of a human loved

one. For many, pets are family — loyal companions, sources of comfort,

and daily joy. When they pass, the grief can be deep, complex, and often

misunderstood. Whether you're mourning a dog, cat, rabbit, bird, or any

cherished animal, you deserve support.

Both volunteer support and professional counselling can help,

though they offer different types of care. Understanding their roles can

help you or someone you love find the right kind of comfort after pet

loss.

Volunteer Pet Bereavement Support: Compassion and Connection

Volunteer supporters — such as those with pet loss helplines, animal

shelters, or peer-led support groups — provide empathetic listening

and a safe, non-judgmental space to share your grief. Many are fellow

pet lovers who understand how deeply loss can be felt, even if society

sometimes overlooks it.

These volunteers are not therapists, but they are trained to offer

emotional support, validate your experience, and help you feel less

alone. Just having someone say, I understand — your grief is real, can

be incredibly healing.

Professional Pet Loss Counselling: Support for Deeper Healing

When the grief feels overwhelming — when it lingers, disrupts daily life,

or brings up unresolved emotions — a professional counsellor can

help. Many licensed therapists now specialize in pet bereavement and

understand how the human-animal bond shapes grief.

Professional counselling can provide tools for navigating:

 Intense guilt (e.g., around euthanasia decisions)

 Loss of routine and identity

 Disenfranchised grief (when others don’t understand your pain)

 Past trauma or compounded losses

Through evidence-based therapy, counsellors create a supportive

space to explore and process the many layers of pet loss in a healthy,

personalized way.

Why Both Types of Support Matter

There’s no “small” grief when it comes to losing a beloved pet. What

matters is what you need — and that you’re treated with compassion.

 If you need someone to talk to today, to cry with, or to simply say

It’s okay to feel this way, a volunteer support person can be

invaluable.

 If your grief is lasting, tangled with other emotions, or you’re

struggling to cope, a professional can walk with you through a

deeper healing journey.

Both kinds of support remind us of something essential: that the love we

shared with our pets was real — and so is the grief when they’re gone.