Honoring our Pets

This act or ritual of honoring our pets can be a healing experience for ourselves when the time is right. This is not to disregard the devastation or the heartbreaking rollercoaster of emotions we go through when we are struck by the shock of our beloved companion’s physical presence disappearing. I have found comfort in knowing that Porter is still present, even if I can’t see him. I know I can feel him, and I even talk to him as if he is there. This has helped ease the pain of loss and grief, allowing it to slowly settle into my body rather than remaining an all-encompassing, omnipresent feeling, or the sense that his tangible life force was utterly dissipated.

I have spoken to several pet parents who have shared their own experiences of what has helped them get through each passing day after their pet is gone. One person mentioned that they pretend their dog still gets up in the morning with them. They go into the kitchen, close the doors since it’s early and they don’t want to wake the rest of the house, make breakfast and coffee, and just sit together. She continues this daily ritual as a way to honor her pet’s energetic presence that is still around. Another person shared that they visualize their pet walking with them on walks and hold gratitude for the memories of all the walks they had together. Some people set up altars with their pet’s hair, collars, pictures, urns, and other items that contain the energy of that particular pet. Others visit the favorite places their pet loved spending time in and sit in silence, reminiscing over those precious memories. One might even start a nonprofit or a business in the name of their pet and the impact they had on them.

The point is, we all honor our pets—whether we realize it consciously or unconsciously—because they live in each and every one of us. They are not separate from us, and they never were. Just as we honor Mother Earth and nature, we are all interconnected; the same goes for our pets. One key takeaway I want to leave you with is this: every time you think of them, you are honoring them in the spirit of their own essence and how they impacted you. The actual ritual or act of doing is beautiful, but the thought of them and the love you hold is just as powerful in honoring them—quietly and profoundly.