Pet grief guide - When they leave their paw prints

This guide was created because I unfortunately know far too well how difficult grief can be to navigate.

Our inbox is often filled with messages from followers sharing their heartbreak of losing a pet, and I’m so grateful that our community can be a safe place for people to vent, grieve and feel understood. In many ways, that same online community helped me through losing our babes. The support was incredible, and I’ll always be grateful for it.

We lost our 6 year Rottweiler, Lilly, to an unexpected illness, shortly after she suddenly collapsed on our daily walk. Just 11 months later, our 10 year old senior, Doug, suddenly collapsed on a walk too...

It was like déjà vu. Experiencing that same devastating moment all over again was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through.

And just to add salt to injury just before Lilly passed, we lost my Nanna. Within just over a year, I experienced the loss of three loved ones. It felt like one heartbreak after another, with barely any time to catch my breath.

Through all of this, I learned that grief isn’t something you simply “get over”. It’s something you learn to carry, and everyone carries it differently.

I created this guide to share some of the things I wish I had known while navigating those losses — gentle reminders, things that helped me, personal reflections, and little pieces of comfort for the days when grief feels particularly heavy.

If you’re reading this because you’ve recently lost someone you love, I hope this guide reminds you that you’re not alone.