Pet loss grief support

• ASPCA Pet Loss Hotline — 877-474-3310 (1-877-GRIEF-10). The national line. If you reach voicemail, leave your number — counselors call back.
• Cornell University Pet Loss Support Hotline — 607-218-7457. Staffed by trained Cornell veterinary students; hours vary by semester — leave a message if no one picks up.
• Tufts University (Cummings School) Pet Loss Support — 508-839-7966. Long-running helpline staffed by trained students.
• Lap of Love — 855-352-5683. The veterinary hospice network's support line, including guidance when you're facing the decision, not only after it.

Numbers verified Nov 2026 against the organizations' published listings; hours change with academic calendars — a voicemail is a normal first step, not a closed door. If grief ever tips into thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 (U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7) or your local emergency number.

• Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB) — the field's anchor organization: moderated chat rooms, support group listings, and resources for anticipatory grief (the grief that starts before the loss).
• Local humane societies and vet schools — many run free monthly pet-loss groups, in person and online. Your own vet's office usually knows the nearest one.
• Online communities — moderated groups (including breed- and species-specific ones) can be a lifeline at 2 a.m. Choose moderated spaces; avoid any group that sells "pet medium" services to the grieving.

• Use plain words: "died," not "went to sleep" (which can quietly frighten a child about sleep).
• Let them say goodbye in a form they choose — a drawing, a letter, being present for a burial of ashes.
• Expect grief in bursts, mixed with normal play. That's healthy, not disrespectful.
• A memory book or photo ritual helps many kids: the story of their pet, told while it's fresh. (It's also why we're building memorial books.)

Guilt ("did I wait too long / act too soon"), anger at the bill or the vet, hearing phantom paws in the hallway, dreading the empty routine — all of it is documented, normal grief for a family member. It usually softens in waves over weeks to months. If it doesn't — if work, sleep, and daily life stay impaired — a grief counselor is a strength move, not an escalation. The hotlines above can refer you.