TriCities Chaplaincy & HHHP Urgent Care Unite

This Wednesday, December 13, Tri-Cities Chaplaincy and Horse Heaven Hills Pet Urgent Care will host a pet loss grief support group.

Event offers community and compassion

Held as an open forum support group, the meeting will be led by Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Director of Community Care, Cara Hernandez LICSW, CSW-G. Those who attend will be invited to share their journeys and experiences with pet loss. Tools and coping strategies will be offered to help participants move through the grieving process.

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Holiday season proves a challenging time to cope with pet loss

Laurie Jackson, CEO of Tri-Cities Chaplaincy, stated via press release:

Losing a pet is a deeply emotional experience, and the holidays can intensify those feelings. Our goal is to create a safe space for individuals to share their grief and provide them with practical tools to navigate through this challenging time.

The partnership between Tri-Cities Chaplaincy and Horse Heaven Hills Pet Urgent Care is meant to help the community unite to address the emotional needs of pet owners and caretakers during such a stressful and difficult season.

Group meets this Wednesday at Horse Heaven Hills Pet Urgent Care

The support group will be held on December 13, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, at Horse Heaven Hills Pet Urgent Care (3315 West Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick).

For more information or to register, please email Horse Heavens Pet Urgent Care at h3peturgentcare@gmail.com.

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Pet loss grief offers unique challenges

In an article in Scientific American, psychologist Guy Winch notes that losing a pet not only hurts emotionally, it also disrupts our daily routines built around their care. And, because of the stigma around grieving over a lost pet:

We may feel embarrassed and even ashamed about the severity of the heartbreak we feel and, consequently, hesitate to disclose our feelings to our loved ones. That additional shame complicates the process of recovery by making it more lengthy and complex than it should be.

Speaking personally, it's been a while since I've had a pet to lose, but the last pets I had - two cats - I never had the opportunity to properly grieve. Due to unfortunate life circumstances, they had to be adopted out as senior cats to a loving home. I know that they had a good life and a happy final home, but I never got a chance to know when or how they passed, or a chance to say goodbye to them. I know they're gone, and I miss them, but I've never been able to have closure as they passed over the "rainbow bridge."

If you are grieving a pet, please consider attending this or other pet loss support groups. Find someone to talk to so that you can begin to heal and grow through your grief.

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Gallery Credit: Andrew Lisa