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This side of the rainbow bridge
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On New Year’s Day, I was awakened by a text from a friend letting me know that her mother’s beloved Corgi was gravely ill. My friend’s mom is a devoted pet parent, and her Corgi had won many agility competitions in his youth. But with old age came blood cancer, a weakened body, and the difficult decision every owner dreads. The unique pain of losing a pet is perhaps one that only other owners can understand; it is the loss of a child and the loss of a best friend. The particular nature of this grief can make expressing condolences tricky. Though nothing truly makes the passing of a cherished pet easy, Maryland pet owners are fortunate enough to have access to strong bereavement resources. Baltimore-based A Paw-Print In Heaven L.L.C offers traditional funeral services, including private cremations, and a selection of urns. The cost of these services is dependant upon the pet’s weight, with prices ranging from $210 to $550. One of their more expensive packages includes a family viewing of the pet prior to cremation.
While family and friends can be sympathetic listeners, some owners find they need more structured grief therapy. Residents of Crofton, Maryland have Not Just A Pet, L.L.C, a program run by occupational therapist and certified grief counselor Pam Spears, which offers both individual and group therapy sessions. Pet parents who live near Rockville, which is only a forty-five minute drive from Baltimore, have the option of attending grief counseling via the Montgomery County Humane Society.
Those who are more spiritually inclined may find some comfort through Parkville’s Spirit Paws, run by self-described “animal communicator” Sherry True. Ms. True offers over-the-phone consultations in which she advises grieving owners about what to expect emotionally, and how to talk to their children about their pet’s death. Owners seeking a more personal approach would do well to contact Rev. Bonnie J. Berger, an Interfaith minister in Takoma Park, who assists pet parents in creating memorial services for their lost loved ones. Rev. Berger also helps in designing healing rituals to sustain the bereaved far after the memorial service has ended.
The Rainbow Bridge is a widely circulated poem describing a heaven in which “all the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor”, and are eventually reunited with their owners “never to be parted again.” Those of us who love and are loved by a four-legged friend find great comfort in this image, though we know this reunion may be a long time coming.
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