Author of seven books, Moira Allen is also an accomplished article writer and columnist. During her long career, she has held a variety of writing-related positions, including a past editor of Dog Fancy Magazine.
Her book, Coping With Sorrow On The Loss Of Your Pet, has been in production for 20 years and has been embraced by humane societies, veterinary schools and pet cemeteries. This support comes with good reason...
Coping With Sorrow On The Loss Of Your Pet is an exceptionally well planned and thoroughly researched, 182-page non-fiction self-help book. Moira displays excellent organizations skills and clearly shows a compassion and dedication to the concept of preparedness for the death of a loved one.
This 13-chapter book opens with some lovely poems that, frankly, meant so much more to me after I finished the book and returned to read them once more. The author covers every aspect of losing a pet and closes with a lovely write-up about her life as a writer.
While I have not yet experienced the death of a pet, I have had the experience of finding homes for three beloved cats in the past due to circumstances beyond my control, and I have lost two cats in a city I once lived in. Her chapter dealing with missing pets was absolutely dead on in regards to the emotional process, which Moira so accurately describes as a cross between a death and a divorce.
My husband and I have the pleasure of sharing our home with three friends. Our eldest is a female cat, who is showing her age; she has been with us for 13-years. Through this book, I learned what to expect during the aging and letting go stages - and I was also awakened to our lack of preparedness for our four-legged family members in the event of our death or prolonged injury/illness. This new knowledge arrived with perfect timing as we are currently updating our little Will.
Another aspect that we had not yet considered was what we planned to do for our four-legged friends when they pass on to the next plane. This was brought to the discussion table at once.
Moira also discusses aspects of dealing with the death on an emotional level. For instance, each member of the family, even those of the four-legged variety, will grieve differently according to the relationship they had with the deceased. The ways we all will be able to show our emotions will vary just as much and I think it is helpful for pet-owners to be aware of these differences in order to avoid misunderstandings. The author also shows us some social barriers, such as people who cannot comprehend the grief over the loss of an animal, and she shows us how to deal with this hurtful event.
This book was so helpful! The new discussions that were brought into our home over these important issues, made me so very grateful for having had the opportunity to read this book.
Coping With Sorrow On The Loss Of Your Pet is currently available by clicking on the Amazon link "new & used" (ISBN: 0-931866-97-9) or by visiting the authors site: http://www.pet-loss.net This site is very informative and offers articles, tips, links and many other resources for pet owners. Be sure to check it out when you have time!
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