Stories
My golden retriever was my anchor through the hardest years of my life
Max was with me through a divorce, a cancer diagnosis, and two house moves. He was 13 when we said goodbye last month. People keep telling me "he had a good long life" and they're right, but it doesn't make the house feel any less empty. I find myself still reaching down to pet him when I'm watching TV. I miss him every single hour.
— Sarah M. · 5d ago
She was 17 years old and I still wasn't ready
Bella lived a full, beautiful life. I knew it was coming — she had been slowing down for months. But the morning we drove to the vet for the last time, I realised there is no such thing as being prepared. She purred all the way there. I keep telling myself that means she wasn't afraid. I hope that's true. This community has helped me more than I expected. Thank you.
— James T. · 8d ago
I feel silly that it hurts this much — but it does
Pepper was only 4. She was a rabbit, and I know some people think that means I shouldn't be this devastated. But she had a personality bigger than most dogs I've met. She'd binky around the living room every morning when I came downstairs. She'd come when I called her name. She'd fall asleep stretched out next to me on the sofa. The grief is real, whether anyone else understands it or not.
— Emma R. · 12d ago
I keep setting her food bowl out every morning without thinking
It's been six weeks since Goldie passed and I still put her bowl out at 7am. My hands just do it before my brain wakes up. Then I stand there holding it and cry for a few minutes before work. My therapist says the body has its own grief timeline. I believe her. I just wish someone had warned me how physical it would be — the hollow feeling in my chest is something I wasn't prepared for.
— Daniel K. · 17d ago
Three months later and people are already telling me to move on
Leo was my companion for 12 years. He slept on my pillow every night. He sat on my laptop when I was stressed. He knew when I was having a bad day before I did. Three months after losing him, coworkers are asking if I've "gotten a new cat yet." I'm not ready. I might not ever be ready. Finding this community made me feel like I wasn't crazy for still grieving. You all get it.
— Priya S. · 21d ago
I never truly understood pet grief until I lost her
I'll be honest — before Shadow, I was one of those people who didn't fully understand why someone would be devastated over a dog. I get it now. Every single day. She was pure, unconditional love for 11 years. No bad days, no grudges, no judgment. When you lose something that loves you that purely, the world feels different. Smaller. I am a different person for loving her, and for losing her.
— Mike W. · 25d ago
My daughter lost her rabbit and I'm grieving for both of them
Noodle was my 9-year-old's rabbit. Watching her process her very first experience of death — asking questions I didn't have answers to, drawing pictures of him every day, leaving his hutch open "so he can come back" — has been one of the hardest parenting moments of my life. I'm trying to let her lead, to not rush her through it. We're figuring it out together, one day at a time.
— Claire F. · 31d ago
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