How To Prepare for Pet Loss

A recent survey showed Salt Lake City has more households with dogs than households with children. This is morbid, but do you know what to do when your pet passes away? We spoke with Wendy Sorensen of Forever Loved Pets (a pet funeral service in Taylorsville) who shared tips on how to prepare for the devastating loss of your four-legged friend.

Pet Burial/Cremation

If you don’t have a private backyard to bury your late pet, you can use a burial or cremation service. Here are a few options in Salt Lake:

• Forever Loved Pets provides burial, cremation, and memorial services.
• Family Animal Services has cremation services and a variety of memorial products like urns, jewelry, and paw print keepsakes.
• Ruff Haven Crisis Sheltering offers support for pet owners who need assistance with the cost of euthanasia or cremation.

How To Work Through The Grief

• Talk to people: Pet Cloud holds online pet loss support groups every Sunday. Periodically, the Utah Humane Society also hosts pet grief support groups.
• Consider fostering a pet: Although it will never take the place of your dearly departed, fostering can be a way to ease your grief and slowly get back into pet parenting.
• Volunteer: Similarly, volunteering at a local shelter can be a great distraction.

How To Support Someone Who Lost a Pet

Grief hits every person differently, but pets are like family members, so reaching out to offer your condolences and support can mean the world.