Dear readers,

There is something about the loss of a pet that is not easily understood by anyone who has not experienced it. For those of us who have, there is an unspoken understanding of the emptiness that is left behind when a beloved pet passes on.

My first pet, a female Jack Russel Terrier named Maxie, came into my life when I was only 3 years old. My parents gifted her to me and my siblings. She was the most wonderful companion for my entire childhood and adolescence. She lived to be 16 years old, and passed when I was 19. Having had her for as long as I had memories, the grief was indescribable.

Last year, I adopted a senior cat named Princeton, who we guessed to be about 15 years old. He lived with me for a year before he passed from neurological illness.

What I have learned, is that it doesn’t matter how long a pet belongs to us, whether it be one year or nearly two decades. Their loss is heartbreaking. The house feels empty and quiet. You look for them when you get home. It takes a long time to get used to. It takes a long time before you can think about them without your heart hurting.

Perhaps the most comforting experience during this time, is hearing from someone else who knows what you’re going through. When someone tells you that they too have lost a pet. That they have felt the way you feel and got through it. Maybe even that they have healed and found a place in their heart to care for a new pet.

Animal Hospitals are full of veterinary professionals who have experienced this type of loss. Apart from their own pets, often these team members knew their patients well before they passed on and cared for them deeply.

An artist name Sarah Brown is among one of those people as well. She created the most beautiful and compassionate sympathy cards for pet owners, so we can recognize their grief.

Whether it be the loss of a cat, dog, reptile, pocket pet, avian or equine. Sarah Brown has thought of it, and created an artistic rendering to share regret over the loss.

The sympathy cards can be printed with an empty interior, with a phrase selected by Sarah Brown herself, or a piece of writing created by the purchaser.

Until the heart has healed, pet owners can take comfort in these cards, and appreciate the beautiful watercolour designs of Sarah Brown.

Sincerely,

Shelby, RVT and pet loss sympathizer