What Helped Other People After Pet Loss? | By Professional Ambassador, Emma Yoxall

 

When a pet dies, people tell me they hear the same well-meaning comments: “They had a good life”, “It was for the best”, “You can always get another one.”

But anyone who has loved an animal knows that losing them is not a small thing. It is devastating, all consuming, and incredibly lonely.

I recently spent time reading through posts and messages on a few pet loss forums, from people who had lost their pets. I noticed the same things coming up again and again. So I wanted to share some of the things that real pet owners said actually helped them through their grief...

A Guide to Nightmares After Pet Loss

 

You were more than just a short time,
And I've got a lot to pine about,
I've got a lot to live without

Taylor Swift – Bigger Than The Whole Sky

The other night was sort of the last straw… You know that saying about ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back?’ Well, since I found my youngest rabbit; Gracie, dead in the sitting room on the morning of November 1^st, 2025, I have – almost – every-night, dreamed of my other rabbit (Luna) and/or my new bunny; Evie, dying too. Every single time, I’ve exclaimed something like ‘oh my God’ in the nightmare and have ended up actually saying it out loud and waking myself up by doing so. Then, nine times out of ten, I’ve also actually found myself crying in real-life too! Well, the other night – when I woke up screaming “not again!” – I think it’s proven to be the last instance in terms of me staying silent and not getting help nor talking – or writing – about it. And, recognising that I won’t be alone in both the element of finding my pet dead, and having the nightmares, I realised that I wouldn’t want others suffering with this in silence and the best way for me to be able to help them, is to talk about my own experiences and use Gracie’s Way as a platform for this content full of tips and advice for both minimising the chance of having these nightmares, and ways to cope with them if/when they do happen…

Day Seven: Series Re-Cap | Tips to Pet Loss Conversations | Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 | #TheyMatterToo

“Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
Winnie-the-Pooh

Welcome to Day Seven of the Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 content on Gracie’s Way!

This Awareness Week is led by Hospice UK and this year, the chosen theme is: ‘let’s talk about death and dying’ which stems from the ultimate mission to break down the taboo and stigma of talking about this topic. In response to this, Gracie’s Way has published daily content for the past six days – both on the website and the project’s Instagram: @GraciesWayUK – which provided tips to having helpful pet loss conversations. These tips were for both the bereaved owners and external people too. Today, however, we’re going to re-cap the past six days with some reflection and a look at the feedback related to the Awareness Week content…

Day Six: Keep Talking! | Tips to Pet Loss Conversations | Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 | #TheyMatterToo

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”
Mitch Albom

Welcome to Day Six of the Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 content on Gracie’s Way!

This Awareness Week is led by Hospice UK and this year, the chosen theme is: ‘let’s talk about death and dying’ which stems from the ultimate mission to break down the taboo and stigma of talking about this topic. In response to this, Gracie’s Way will be publishing daily content on both the website and the project’s Instagram: @GraciesWayUK providing tips to having helpful pet loss conversations. These tips are for both the bereaved owners and external people too, so for this final (tomorrow will be a re-cap) tip, we’re discussing the positives and helpfulness – for both parties – of keeping the conversation going…

Day Five: Avoid Avoidance! | Tips to Pet Loss Conversations | Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 | #TheyMatterToo

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Winnie-the-Pooh

Welcome to Day Five of the Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 content on Gracie’s Way!

This Awareness Week is led by Hospice UK and this year, the chosen theme is: ‘let’s talk about death and dying’ which stems from the ultimate mission to break down the taboo and stigma of talking about this topic. In response to this, Gracie’s Way will be publishing daily content on both the website and the project’s Instagram: @GraciesWayUK providing tips to having helpful pet loss conversations. These tips are for both the bereaved owners and external people too, so for the fourth tip, we’re discussing the positives and helpfulness – for both parties – of avoiding anything in the conversation…

Day Four: Acknowledge, Acknowledge, Acknowledge! | Tips to Pet Loss Conversations | Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 | #TheyMatterToo

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”
C. S. Lewis

Welcome to Day Four of the Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 content on Gracie’s Way!

This Awareness Week is led by Hospice UK and this year, the chosen theme is: ‘let’s talk about death and dying’ which stems from the ultimate mission to break down the taboo and stigma parties – of making statements of acknowledgement…of talking about this topic. In response to this, Gracie’s Way will be publishing daily content on both the website and the project’s Instagram: @GraciesWayUK providing tips to having helpful pet loss conversations. These tips are for both the bereaved owners and external people too, so for the third tip, we’re discussing the positives and helpfulness – for both parties – of acknowledging everything in the conversation…

Day Three: Let The Bereaved Lead A Conversation | Tips to Pet Loss Conversations | Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 | #TheyMatterToo

“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss… you will learn to live with it.”
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Welcome to Day Three of the Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 content on Gracie’s Way!

This Awareness Week is led by Hospice UK and this year, the chosen theme is: ‘let’s talk about death and dying’ which stems from the ultimate mission to break down the taboo and stigma of talking about this topic. In response to this, Gracie’s Way will be publishing daily content on both the website and the project’s Instagram: @GraciesWayUK providing tips to having helpful pet loss conversations. These tips are for both the bereaved owners and external people too, so for the second tip, we’re discussing the positives and helpfulness – for both parties – of letting the bereaved person lead the conversation…