Grief

The reality of owning small animals:

Small animals (rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils ect) tend to have shorter life spans and many species are social often leading to small animal caretakers takers facing the reality of death more often than a dog or cat caretaker. Caring for these animals can be particularly rewarding. You’ll regularly hear quotes like “small bodies that take up a big space in your heart” “small animal big impact” floating around the small animal community. In our experience these quotes ring true. The truth is that these little beings become our best friends, family members and huge sources of joy in our lives. Caring for them becomes ingrained in our daily routines. When the inevitable happens and they leave this world we can experience significant heart break. We become their whole lives and then miss them for the rest of ours. Unfortunately society isn’t always so understanding of how deep our love and care for these animals that are often deemed less valuable than others. This can lead to isolation around our grief. Hearing things like “it’s just a hamster (ect.)” is something many of us have experienced, leading to frustration, deep sadness, feeling alone and even anger. We KNOW what this feels like and are here writing this now in hopes of showing our support for grievers. Thankfully there are communities and resources to help in these situations.

Facebook groups and websites dedicate to losing a pet

  • Create a box, jar or other container with your pets favorite items, photos, and other things to remember them by.

  • Order a custom portrait to display from one of your favorite artists.

  • Create a space on a shelf, counter or table to hold your pets ashes, photos, and special items

  • Donate in their name to your favorite animal advocacy groups

  • Continue their legacy through educating others on how to care for small animals properly.

  • Keep their ashes in a piece of jewelry you can wear to keep them close to you.

  • Create a scrapbook of all your favorite memories with them

  • Keep their paw prints

Grieving looks different for everyone. Allow yourself to do what feels best.

Having a space or item or action dedicated to your loved one can be a huge help in processing grief. There are an unlimited amount of options on how to do this. Here we’ve included a small handful of ideas

Know someone experiencing the loss of a small pet?

It can be hard knowing how to best support your loved ones during this process. Often times just being there and letting them share memories about their beloved pets is enough. You may want to consider helping them cancel subscriptions or be a part of memorializing the animal. Gifts like custom art, plush toys or even jewelry of the pet are often cherished.