Guest post courtesy of Angela Worley. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and do not necessarily represent the views of Val Heart & Heart Communication Enterprises Inc. 

What do you give someone who lost a pet?

Giving gifts to people who are grieving the death of their pet is challenging, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

If you’re trying to figure out what to give someone who recently lost their pet, here are some gift ideas that might be helpful and/or thoughtful.

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Empathy Gifts

The best thing you can do for someone who’s experienced loss is to be there for them.

Let them talk about their feelings, give them space if they need it, and don’t rush them through their grief.

One of our readers shared an important reminder in our comments: Please don’t feel like you have to make anyone feel better.

Showing up and sharing your heart with someone else is enough.

This leads us to… gifts!

One way of showing support during difficult times is with these thoughtful pet loss gifts that say “I’m here for you”.

Activity Gifts

If your friend or family member recently lost a pet, you’re probably looking for gift ideas that will help them through their time of grief.

You can help with that.

If your loved one enjoyed spending time with their furry friend by playing fetch or otherwise engaging in physical activity, it may be appropriate to give them something related to those activities.

If they liked hiking, gift them with some equipment or items to enhance their next trip.

Or maybe they have other hobbies that involve pets – like horseback riding – so consider getting something fun for them and their new pet (if they have or are getting one) together.

Perhaps they’ve got another type of pet now that’ll love having new toys as well!

Book Gifts

Don’t underestimate what books can do for mourning pet owners.

When you lose someone close to you, many people give flowers or a tangible gift like chocolate or jewelry.

Although those are nice gestures and will definitely be appreciated, your loved one might find solace in reading about others who have experienced similar losses.

Here are some of our favorite titles that touch on mourning pets:

• Losing My Best Friend by Jeannie Wycherley
• Dog Heaven by Cynthia Ryland
• Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet by Gary Kowalski

Something personal

If you’re not sure what to give, then something personal may be in order.

Some people don’t want anything that reminds them of their deceased pet, though, so it’s a good idea to check with them first..

This could mean giving them photos or mementos from when they had their pet.

A picture is worth a thousand words and these memories might help ease some of their grief. Plus, it may encourage them to look at old photos and preserve those memories for future enjoyment.

For example, if your friend has plenty of older photographs or home movies featuring his dog before he passed away, then putting together a DVD slideshow that includes those images might make for an appropriate gift: just make sure to check with your friend first before you start going through all his family albums!

Service gifts

If you’re looking for gift ideas for loss, try thinking about providing service instead of giving something tangible.

Consider your time and talent as gifts.

The idea is to show them that you care—and nothing shows that more than taking action rather than sitting on your hands waiting for something perfect to come along.

Because you don’t have much time to think about it, coming up with ideas for gifts to give after a pet has died can be challenging.

I hope these few gift ideas help you out.

Remember: what’s most important is that you’re there for your loved one who is grieving the loss of their pet, regardless of the gift you choose.

Did you know that you can still communicate with pets who have crossed over?

When an animal makes their transition, their Soul still exists in spirit form. They are still “alive”, they just don’t have an earthly body anymore.

You can learn to communicate with them just as easily as the pets who still live with you, OR, you can hire a professional communicator to communicate with them for you.

Are you interested in learning how to communicate with animals yourself?

Then you’ll want to check out The Heart School of Animal Communication®.

Click Here  to see the courses – take a look and choose what most appeals to you.

If you are a newbie, then we highly recommend starting with the Beginning Core Foundations Course.

The Advanced Animal Talk Mastery Course is awesome and includes many student favorite, powerful healing techniques along with specific training topics that every animal talk student needs to know how to deal with successfully.

If you’re still not convinced of all the benefits of communicating with animals, click here to learn all the great reasons you should begin learning how now!

Enjoyed this article? Here are a few other popular posts you might like:

4 Gentle Suggestions for Coping With the Loss of a Pet
Coping with Pet Loss: Understanding Death, Dying & Transitions
Are You Highly Sensitive and/or Empathic?

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