Here are some coping strategies to help ease your grief and celebrate their memories, as more of us come to regard our dog, cat, or other pet as a valued member of the family, its death takes a greater personal toll on us.  The healthiest way to honor your pet’s memory is to recognize that you need to grieve before you can heal.

1. Give yourself permission to grieve.  Denying these natural emotions can elevate stress and physical fatigue and can even suppress healing.

2.  Dismiss and ignore comments from individuals who may trivialize your loss.

3.  Seek out friends and family members who share your compassion for animals.  Focus more on their good intentions and not necessarily their words.

4.  Recognize that your departed pet is one of a kind who can never be replaced.  “When you are ready to have a new pet, embrace him for his uniqueness and avoid comparing him with previous pets.

5.  Treat yourself well.  Eat nutritious meals, and get ample sleep and exercise.

6.  Fight through blue moods by exercising.  Physical activities helps to raise endorphins and other feel-good hormones in your body.  Take longer walks, for example, in scenic areas.

7.  Never say “Never again”  Avoid declarations such as “I will never get another pet.”  These statements hinder healing.

8.  Spend time recalling happy memories of times that you shared with your pet, with these you can come to terms with the loss in a gentle and loving way.

9.  Consider writing a letter to and from your departed pet.  According to expert the human brain can suppress and repress a lot of thoughts, and this letter-writing technique is a way to bring out creative thoughts.  Seeing these words printed on a page can help in your bereavement process.