How Your Pet Can Help You Grieve 

Grief is an experience unlike any other.  

Not only does it last for an unexpected time period, but it can also be triggered by the smallest thing. But just when you think there’s simply nowhere to turn to for help with your grief, look no further than your own pet. 

Pets provide a calm reassurance to people who are mourning the loss of a loved one. Here’s how pets can provide immense comfort during a grieving period. 

Pets Encourage Healing 

Research shows that people who interact with animals may experience a higher level of oxytocin – otherwise known as the “love hormone”. This hormone increases one’s feelings of self-esteem, optimism and trust – all three which may be lacking during a period of grief. 

Interactions with animals can also decrease levels of cortisol (which causes stress) while raising levels of dopamine, the feel-good brain chemical. 

Pets Encourage Sociability  

During a period of grief, it can be normal to want to spend time by yourself. In some cases, too much time on your own can quickly lead to a sense of isolation from the outside world. 

By requiring regular exercise, pets help draw you out of your home and encourage more interaction with others.  

Physical benefits such as reduced risk for heart disease and lower stress, cholesterol and blood pressure levels are added benefits of regular physical exercise. 

Pets Bring a Sense of Calm 

Widely recognized for their ability to provide comfort, pets are well-known for their calming influence. 

This is especially evident when you bring a pet into a school full of high-strung children or a hospital filled with anxious patients. Feelings of tension and anxiousness decrease, while feelings of relaxation and peace increase. When people are more relaxed and accepting of others, they become more sociable, too. 

Pets Provide a Welcomed Distraction 

During periods of grief, you may forget to eat, exercise or take care of yourself and instead, spend countless hours consumed by your emotions. 

Think about when a cat rubs up against you or a dog gives you a head nudge. Both are ways of a pet showing affection, providing you with a calming distraction for a moment during your grief. 

Meet Emma, Circle of Life Cremation and Burial Centre’s Personal Comfort Companion  

At Circle of Life Cremation and Burial Centre Inc., we do everything we can do to make this difficult period of your life as easy as possible. Emma, our four-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, helps us with that goal. 

Emma’s presence alone provides immense comfort to our clients. From providing a welcoming greeting at the door to sitting quietly in a room while final arrangements are being planned, Emma knows just what to do.  

Contact us for more details about the funeral and cremation services we provide to Hamilton and the surrounding area.