“Empathy
is a quality of character that can change the world.”
Barack
Obama
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Last year, I visited a Christmas Market at a nearby town with a best-friend and I ended up meeting the Illustrator and Author of Fox Under the Moon, Stacey McNeill. She very kindly gifted me a copy of her book so that I could write a blog post about it on my mental health blog I’m NOT Disordered for National Reading Day earlier this year (you can read the collaboration piece here!). In our emails planning the collaboration, I also offered/suggested doing a partnered piece for Gracie’s Way too and rather than thinking about mental health (as I did on the I’m NOT Disordered blog post), I would focus on the relevance Fox Under the Moon has on pet bereavement, grief, and loss. Then I discovered the existence of Love Your Pet Day and Stacey, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to publish this new collaboration…
“But being with you always keeps my
heart warm.”
Pet bereavement makes the absence feel loud, but
this quote is a reminder that love doesn’t vanish when a life ends. It speaks to
the way pets leave an emotional imprint that outlasts their physical presence.
Even after they’re gone, the bond continues to offer comfort; mostly through
memories of routines, quiet companionship, and unconditional affection that
once filled everyday moments. That warmth of the good times can become a steady
and comforting reassurance in grief, softening the sharpness of loss.
The quote is also relevant to pet bereavement because
it really works to reframe grief as evidence of connection rather than
emptiness. When a pet has been with you, their influence lingers in how you
love, care, and find joy. The warmth in the heart comes from having been known
without judgment and loved without condition – something which pets do
exceptionally well. In bereavement, recalling that feeling can actually
validate the depth of the relationship and affirm that the pain exists simply because
the love was real and so very meaningful.
Finally, the quote offers a gentle sense of
continuity. Pet loss often carries the fear that a chapter has closed forever,
but this line suggests that the relationship evolves rather than really, fully
and truly ends. The warmth becomes something you carry forward, shaping who you
are and how you remember them. In moments of sadness, that enduring warmth can often
feel like a small, quiet reminder: the bond still lives inside you, and in that
way, your pet is never truly gone.
“Things are always better when you’re
here,” said the Fox, “you lift me up somehow.”
This quote resonates deeply with pet bereavement
because it captures the quiet, transformative presence pets have in our lives. It
reflects how a pet’s mere existence can improve a day without effort or
explanation. In grief, that absence is felt not just as loss, but as some sort
of a missing source of emotional steadiness. Remembering how a pet consistently
made life feel lighter, really underscores why their absence feels just so very
heavy.
The line “you lift me up somehow” speaks to the sometimes
subtle (and, other times, tremendously obvious) emotional support that pets
provide, often without us realizing it at the time. Pets can offer comfort
through routine, touch, and companionship. They can really help to ground us
during stress or loneliness. After their death, bereavement can bring a
heightened awareness of just how much that unseen support matters. The quote
validates that uplift as real and significant, even if it was wordless and easy
to overlook by others whilst it was present.
Finally, the quote reframes mourning as a
reflection of gratitude rather than only and simply sorrow. Acknowledging that
a pet once lifted you up allows grief to coexist with appreciation for what was
shared. In pet bereavement, this perspective can be healing: the pain becomes
intertwined with recognition of how deeply a pet enhanced life. Their presence
may be gone, but the way they once made things “better” continues to really inform
and shape your memory, love, and your emotional resilience.
“How long does love last?” asked the
Fox. “Longer than a lifetime,” replied the moon, “and for some it never fades.”
This quote speaks powerfully to pet bereavement by
affirming that love really just simply does not end with death. It reflects the
enduring bond people form with their pets and their relationships that are built
on daily care, trust, and genuine unconditional affection. When a pet dies, the
grief can feel or seem confusing, or even disproportionate to others, but this
quote really validates that intensity. It acknowledges that the love shared was
not just temporary or replaceable; it was lasting, and its persistence is exactly
why the loss feels so profound.
The quote also really helps to explain the mental
health impact of pet loss, which is often so incredibly underestimated or
misunderstood. For many people, pets provide emotional regulation, routine, and
some real sense of purpose. When that presence disappears, it can lead to Anxiety,
Depression, loneliness, or even a massively destabilizing sense of emptiness.
The idea that love “never fades” highlights why these effects can really and
truly linger; grief is not some sort of a failure to move on but actually is a
natural response to an attachment that can really continue internally; even
when the relationship has physically ended.
Finally, the dialogue between the Fox and the Moon
offers a compassionate frame for healing. If love endures beyond a lifetime,
then grief becomes something that can actually be integrated rather than totally
erased. This perspective can actually support mental health by reducing guilt
or frustration around ongoing sadness. Instead of seeing persistent grief as a
problem, the quote suggests it is actually a reflection of deep connection. In
pet bereavement, recognizing that enduring love can coexist with pain allows
space for both mourning and self-compassion as the loss is fully and completely
processed more so over gradual time.
“We’ve shared too many happy times to
forget,” replied the Moon. “I’ll keep them in my heart forever,” said the Fox.
“That way we’ll always be together,” replied the Moon.
This quote reflects pet bereavement by emphasizing
memory as a form of some sort of continued connection. It speaks to the depth
of shared experience between a person and their pet, and the moments of play,
comfort, routine, and mutual understanding. After a pet dies, these memories
often surface vividly, sometimes painfully, but they also affirm that the
relationship genuinely mattered. The quote suggests that remembering is not a
barrier to healing; it is actually simply and truly evidence of love and of a
shared life.
The exchange also captures how memory can function
in the mental health process of grieving for a beloved pet. “I’ll keep them in
my heart forever” really mirrors the way many people internalize their bond
with a pet that has passed. Whilst this can initially intensify sadness or
longing, it can actually also provide helpful, emotional grounding over time.
Holding memories allows individuals to preserve some sort of a sense of
attachment, which can genuinely reduce feelings of emptiness or isolation and rather
than severing the bond, the mind adapts it and transforms presence into
remembrance.
Finally, “That way we’ll always be together” offers
a very genuine and compassionate reframing of loss that can actually be
somewhat psychologically protective. Pet bereavement can disrupt routines,
identity, and even emotional stability (sometimes leading to prolonged grief or
Depression). This line from the Book, suggests continuity without denial:
togetherness no longer exists in a physical sense, but it definitely remains massively,
emotionally real. For mental health, this idea can actually ease that fear of
healing meaning forgetting. Instead, it can genuinely allow people to grieve
whilst honouring the relationship and integrating love into their ongoing life
rather than leaving it behind in some way.
“There aren’t enough stars in the sky
to count the times I think of you.”
This quote resonates strongly with pet bereavement
because it captures how constant and pervasive remembrance can be after a loss.
It reflects how thoughts of a beloved pet arise unexpectedly and during the
most quiet moments, throughout familiar routines, or because of small triggers
that once involved them. In grief, this constancy can feel overwhelming, but it
also illustrates the real depth of attachment and how absolutely fully a pet
was woven into daily life.
From a mental health perspective, the quote actually
also mirrors the cognitive experience of bereavement, where the mind can
repeatedly return to the one who has gone. This repetition is a very normal but
obviously incredibly difficult part of grief, and it can contribute to
emotional fatigue, sadness, and/or difficulty concentrating. For pet loss,
which is often massively socially minimized, these persistent thoughts can feel
incredibly isolating. This quote helps normalize that experience and shows that
frequent remembrance is not rumination by default; it is actually the mind’s
way of genuinely processing love and absence simultaneously.
Finally, the imagery of countless stars introduces
a gentler interpretation of ongoing grief. Stars suggest distance, but they can
also serve as reminders or triggers around thoughts of guidance and permanence.
Thinking of a pet can become less painful over time, shifting from sharp loss
to a quieter presence that is woven into memory. In this way, the quote
supports emotional healing by reframing frequent thoughts not as something to
suppress, but as an enduring connection and one that reflects love continuing
in a new form rather than something that really needs to be left behind.
“Even when you are apart, love can never disappear, it stays there in your heart.”
This quote speaks directly to the core experience
of pet bereavement by affirming that physical separation cannot erase emotional
bonds. When a pet dies, the sudden absence can feel unbearable because the
relationship was grounded in daily presence, in touch, in routine, and in shared
space. “Even when you are apart” really acknowledges that painful distance,
whilst gently reminding the bereaved owner that love does not vanish with loss.
Instead, it can remain internal and offer quiet comfort even in moments of really
deep and overwhelming grief.
The quote is equally relevant to the mental health
impact of pet loss, which can include Anxiety, Depression, and a really destabilizing
sense of loneliness. Many people struggle with the fear that healing means
letting go of love, but the line “love can never disappear” really challenges
that belief. It reframes ongoing attachment as healthy rather than harmful, this
is really helpful for individuals to reduce guilt or self-judgment about any continued
sadness. Recognizing that love “stays there in your heart” can support
emotional regulation and foster self-compassion during the grieving process.
Finally, this quote offers a grounding truth for
long-term healing. Over time, grief often transforms rather than actually fading.
It can become a quieter presence shaped by memory and meaning. By affirming
that love endures internally, this quote allows bereaved owners to somewhat integrate
their loss into their identity without erasing that relationship. In pet
bereavement, this perspective can really work on easing the mental strain of
trying to “move on” and instead, it can support a gentler, more sustainable
path toward acceptance.
Pet bereavement is often misunderstood or
minimized, yet these quotes explored throughout this Article, can reveal the
profound emotional reality of losing a companion who offered unconditional love
and stability. Together, they illustrate how grief is not simply about absence,
but about the persistence of connection and through memory, warmth, and ongoing
love. Acknowledging this, genuinely helps validate the mental health challenges
that can really follow pet loss and affirm that such grief is both real and incredibly
deserving of care.
In recognizing the enduring bond between people and
their pets, these quotes remind us that healing does not require forgetting,
and that love can coexist with loss in incredibly meaningful ways. By honouring
both the pain and the connection it can reflect, pet bereavement can be
approached with compassion, understanding, and the reassurance that the love
that is once given, can never truly disappear.
