Pet Memorial Peternity Blog

Pet Memorials . Pet Loss Support . Pet Love

Peternity is a pet loss community for the grieving pet owner. We're here to help you memorialize your pet, find emotional support and look forward with hope to healing.

Pet Loss Poetry "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver

I find such comfort in these words and hope that you will too.

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

Healing Poetry from William Blake

Man was made for joy and woe and when this we rightly know, through the world we safely go. Joy and woe are woven fine, a clothing for the soul divine. Under every grief and pine runs a joy with silken twine. ~ William Blake

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

Helpful Words for the Confusing Stages of Grief

In talking over the years with many grieving pet owners in the early stages of grief, one of the most common questions throughout these conversations is "how do I come to accept the horrific reality of what 'is', and move forward in my life without being stopped and controlled by the "pit-of-the-stomach" pain that is relentlessly there?"

There are no clear-cut answers, but as we each share pieces of our journeys through the maze of grief, we help each other forward to feeling like we're living again.This blog entry speaks to this in a very positive way.

Grief. A Complicated Word!

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

Beautiful & Soothing Words for Mourning the Loss of a Loved One

Having been surrounded for the last couple of months by my own losses as well as many friends losing loved ones, I share these profound words of comfort.

They are soothing and enlightening for the loss of any being close to your heart  - human or animal.

Letter to a Person in Mourning

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

Blessing of the Animals at Brea UCC

A couple of weeks ago the church we attend, Brea Congregational UCC, did a Blessing of the Animals for Creation Season. It was really amazing and remarkable, and lots of fun! We celebrated the animals in our lives as well as the ones who are no longer with us. Enjoy the video!

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

Pet Loss: Words of Healing by Claire Chew

In our mourning, to allow the heart to sink into darkness, to walk in and out of grief, to send light and love ahead, if that is all we can do to feel tonight, that is enough. ~ Claire Chew

Beautiful, healing words from a beautiful, healing woman. Thank you Claire. Contact Claire directly for help in healing from loss of a loved one.

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

Peternity reviews "Katie Up and Down the Hall" by Glenn Plaskin

Have you ever read a book that just stays with you? For days, weeks, months? I'm still savoring the warm, cozy and touching story of Katie, the privileged Cocker Spaniel of celebrity interviewer, Glenn Plaskin. "Katie Up and Down the Hall" is a delightful and moving story of a sweet puppy whose love and spunk magically pull together a family of strangers.

Set in Battery Park City near the financial district in Manhattan, this engaging story tells the tale of how Katie and her charm open up hearts, create lifelong friendships and create family ties in the last places you might expect them.

I really enjoyed the idyllic world that Glenn creates through imagery of this little city of its own, Battery Park that exists within the much larger cityscape of Manhattan. From the descriptions of the views of the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty, to the vast myriad of vessels floating by his living room window on the 3rd floor with the Hudson river view, to the daily parade of every breed of dog being walked down the boardwalk and frolicking in the grass, to the busy lives of the 9,000 Battery Park City residents attending block parties, picnics and indulging in all sorts of outdoor sports and activities. It almost gave me the feeling of an opening scene of an idealistic, happy film from the 50’s. But the gratifying thing about this story is the challenging life realities that are set against this idealistic backdrop.

The Health Benefits of Having Pets in Your Family

According to the American Pet Products Association 2010 Industry Statistics and Trends, there are many health benefits to pet ownership. I believe that this list is just the beginning of a very long list. What other health benefits have you found from having pets in your family?

• Pets Help to Lower Blood Pressure A recent study at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that people with hypertension who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did those who did not own a pet. (Dr. Karen Allen, State University of New York at Buffalo)
• Pets Help to Reduce Stress Walking with a pet helps to sooth nerves and offers instant relaxation. Studies conducted worldwide have shown that the impact of a stressful situation is lesser on pet owners, especially males, than on those who do not own a pet. (Josephine M. Wills, Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, United Kingdom)
• Pets Help to Prevent Heart Disease Because pets provide people with faithful companionship, research shows they may also provide their owners with greater psychological stability, thus a measure of protection from heart disease. (National Institute of Health Technology Assessment Workshop: Health Benefits of Pets)
• Pets Help to Lower Health Care Costs People with pets actually make fewer doctor visits, especially for non-serious medical conditions. (National Institute of Health Technology Assessment Workshop: Health Benefits of Pets)
• Pets Help to Fight Depression Pets help fight depression and loneliness, promoting an interest in life. When seniors face adversity or trauma, affection from pets takes on great meaning. Their bonding behavior can foster a sense of security. (Between Pets and People: The Importance of Animal Companionship)

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

National Adopt A Dog Month - Share Your Story and Win!

Have you been thinking about, and thinking about adopting a dog and putting it off, and putting it off? Well now's the time!

October is National Adopt A Dog Month and we want as many people as possible to actually . . . adopt a dog! So, we are hosting an “Adopt-a-Dog” Book Giveaway. Adopt a dog during the month of October and share your story with us here on our blog.

We're running the contest through November 5th - just to give you an extra week to find the perfect dog for you. Then we'll do a random drawing for one of you to win a fabulous medley of books from the Hachette Book Group. These books are all centered around our love for our faithful pets and the book titles include:

Katie Up and Down the Hall, by Glenn Plaskin
Oogy, by Larry Levin
GoD and DoG, by Wendy Francisco
Dog Tags, by David Rosenfelt
How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, by The Monks of New Skete 

These will all be yours, just for sharing your adoption story. Well, and for giving a deserving dog a loving home.

There are just a few contest requirements - you must live in either the US or Canada, you need to have a mailing address other than a PO box, and you must adopt a dog! We want to see pictures, so if you share your story here on our blog, email us your pictures by clicking here, and we will share your pictures on our blog if you are the winner.

Spoil yourself with the love and affection of a new dog and save a life in the process. They need you! And you need them too.

In love & respect for all creatures,

Colleen

Responsible Pet Owners Consider Pet Insurance

GUEST BLOG POST

Stacy Kowalchuk is a rescue dog owner who works for Trupanion, an international pet insurance company based out of Seattle. Please feel free to contact her with any questions about pet insurance.

As responsible pet owners, we make sure to get our pets daily exercise, feed them properly, and take them to their regular veterinarian check-ups to make sure they stay healthy. Some of us even go the extra mile to brush our pets' teeth and buckle them up for car rides.

One aspect about responsible pet ownership that often gets overlooked is pet insurance. Many pet owners hesitate about pet insurance because they believe their pet won't ever get hurt or sick, or that if he did, they would be able to afford it. What some people don't realize is that vet bills in an emergency situation can get into the thousands of dollars. When unprepared for this kind of a financial hit, it can be really stressful and also make you reconsider the amount of money you are willing to spend on veterinary care.

However, if your pet is insured then that burden of 'how much am I really willing to spend on my pet' is lifted. You can get the proper veterinary care for your pet in an emergency without worrying about how much it is going to cost. According to a recent study by the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI), pet owners are much less likely to second-guess their veterinarian's recommendations on treatment. This means that pet owners with insured pets are more likely to get all the suggested care for their pet.

Pet insurance provides peace of mind and allows you to get the proper healthcare for your pet so that he can live a long and healthy life.