Dove Lewis Pet Loss and Memorial Art Support

Grieving for a loved pet is a natural, normal and personal process. The manner and intensity of reactions to this loss will be different for each person. Reactions will depend on the circumstances surrounding the death, depth of attachment to the pet, personal experiences with grief and state of mind when death occurs.

There are many ways to grieve for a pet as there are pet owners. However, there are a few universal feelings that most of us experience during the grieving process:

• 
  Shock and denial


• 
  Anger and guilt


• 
  Sorrow and depression


• 
  Healing

At DoveLewis we honor the human–animal bond and understand that in our society, each of us is expected to minimize our sorrow for our deceased pet. However, our feelings linger, long after the loss, because our pets shared our lives, our dreams, our homes and our affection. Because they touched our lives so deeply, they are deserving of our grief.

Recognizing the need for pet owners to talk, reminisce, and share stories about their lost pets, DoveLewis offers Portland’s only Pet Loss Support Group, free of charge. Each group is led by Enid Samuel Traisman, M.S.W., C.T, C.F.S., who believes that the bond between pets and people represent some of the most important relationships in a person’s life.