Thanksgiving can be a mix of warmth and heartache when you’re missing a beloved pet. You might feel both deep gratitude for the love you shared — and deep sadness that they’re no longer here.

This season, you can still honour them: light a candle, share a story, or keep a special memento nearby. Love and loss can coexist. There’s no deadline for your grief.

October is often a month of celebration and playfulness, but when you’re grieving the loss of a beloved pet, the season can feel out of step with your heart. The costumes, colors, and parties may highlight their absence in unexpected ways. It’s okay if you’re not ready for festivities.

Sometimes the most meaningful way to move through this season is with small acts of remembrance — a lit candle, a favorite photo, or a quiet walk in nature dedicated to your pet. Grief doesn’t follow the calendar, and neither should your healing.

The emotional weight of moving into September: shifting routines, shorter days, back-to-school energy

Let’s talk about:

• Why pet grief may resurface during seasonal changes.

• How to care for your grief when the world is moving faster again.

Gentle practices for staying grounded and honouring your pet’s memory during transitions.

Grief is a shape-shifter. A storm, a silence, a memory, a weight, a mirror. Sometimes, it whispers. Other times, it hollers. And one of its most powerful roles is that of the merciless teacher in disguise. The kind who doesn’t coddle or give you the answers, but instead hands you a mirror and waits for you to look.

When Grief Sneaks Up on You — Understanding Anniversary Reactions After Pet Loss

What if your grief doesn’t look how others expect it to? What if it lingers, sneaks up later, or shows up in unexpected ways? That doesn’t mean something is wrong with you…

This type of grief is filled with contradiction. You’re trying to stay present, soak up every moment, be strong for your companion—and yet, the sorrow creeps in anyway…

What if pet loss is more than just grief? What if it’s a portal—a tender doorway into old, unresolved pain that’s asking to be seen and tended to? What if, in our heartbreak, there’s also an opportunity?

Grieving the loss of a pet is a journey, and there is no single path to healing. Memorials and rituals are not about saying goodbye forever; they are about creating a space where love and memories can continue to live on.

As a pet bereavement specialist, I’ve seen many beautiful rituals, but this one reminded me that grief lives in every heart, not just human ones.

Sometimes, desperate times call for solutions we may not have considered before…

Losing a beloved pet can feel like your world has drastically shifted in an instant. The first few days are often the hardest, filled with the sharp sting of absence and the deep ache of grief…

Should we intervene or not? This decision is deeply personal and can be exceptionally challenging…