Pet Loss - "just an animal" - how many times do I have to hear it?

Pet loss is a special kind of grief, because it is one that is difficult to share with others. Not everybody understands. After all, your dog or cat or parrot was “just an animal.” So we feel doubly alone: our best friend has left us, and not all of our associates understand the profundity of our grief.

That’s why I respectfully suggest seeking out a pet loss counselor, many of whom offer pro bono services through the Humane Society and other organizations. I think the best situation is a group session. You find yourself in a magic circle of other people who feel just like you—and you begin to realize, with a sense of gratitude, that you are not alone.

Please don’t get the idea that these sessions are always sad. There are tears, of course, but happy memories are shared. You will find yourself smiling as you recount to your new friends in the group a funny story about your beloved pet. And you will feel blessed to have shared your life—for as long as you were lucky enough to do—with that special being.

So don’t try to tough it out yourself. If you look through our links page, Friends of Bill, you will find links to pet loss counselors who have helped hundreds of people just like you.

And remember: though your love for your beloved pet will never diminish, you will love again.

Dan Carrison
Author, Bill at Rainbow Bridge

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Give me the Good OLD National Geographic

Years ago, when I was a kid, there seemed to be an unwritten rule among wildlife photographers: “Don’t mess with the animals.” The wildlife documentaries back then were totally respectful of the animal’s behavior. The photographers---and, by extension, the television viewers---were silent witnesses to animal behavior. Fascinated, we watched; we did not interact with the subjects.

Then came the new wildlife programs, exemplified by Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. Steve was a very likable guy, with a charming smile. But he pioneered a whole new intrusive method of animal observation that has, unfortunately, caught on. Instead of simply watching a poisonous snake thread its way through the branches, Steve had to grab it by the tail and talk to the camera while the snake thrashed in fear and anger. Instead of simply filming a crocodile, and quietly studying its ways, Steve had to wrestle it into submission.

A whole new generation of so-called wildlife experts have taken up the baton, after Steve Irwin’s untimely death (from getting too close to a sting ray). These “daring” experts feel as if they are not giving the audience what it wants until they “get in the face” of some animal, and disrupt its solitary wandering. Instead of studying the animal, they provoke it into some kind of display. The animals invariably are stressed by the handling of the expert, who is an intruder representing an audience of intruders.

Give me the OLD National Geographic style, in which the animals were left alone, and we were silent, respectful witnesses of Nature’s ways.

Bill goes over the Pond to the UK

Modern Family Classics Publishing now has a distribution outlet in the United Kingdom for Bill at Rainbow Bridge. The book is likely to be received with interest for two reasons: 1) England is the home of the English Bulldog, and 2) pet lovers in England dote over their dogs and cats even more than we do, here in America.

In fact, Britain has been years ahead of us with the establishment of humane pet organizations, and with legislation for the protection of pets. The concept of "Pet's Rights" is probably better defined, and more scrupulously enforced, in the UK than in any other part of the world. I remember hearing, nearly 40 years ago, that if a naked Marilyn Monroe walked her poodle down the streets of London, the Britishers would look at the poodle! That's how pet-crazy they are.

We invite all Britishers to share their comments on this blog, and to visit our Pet Loss Forum at www.BillAtRainbowBridge.com

Dan Carrison
author, Bill at Rainbow Bridge

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