10 Pet Loss Quotes that Don’t Suck

Pet loss quotes are tricky. As soon as you hear about a friend’s beloved pet dying, your urge is to ease their pain right away. Now. This is how I felt recently when my friend’s 13-year-old, toothless, cute-as-hell little companion passed.

But it’s important to honor the bond between pet and person without sounding patronizing, insensitive or insincere. To me that means staying away from things like “It was his time,” or “It’s for the best.”

Anyone who has ever had a beloved pet pass away knows that those first few hours and days are filled the the thought, “I wish I could have done more.”

Because pets give us a kind of love and purpose that is so different from anything we’re capable of giving back, we do our best for them and in that effort, they make us better people. A pet owner might feel that way in a year, or never, but certainly not in the first minutes, hours, and days they are spending without their constant companion.

One option, then, is to keep it simple. Fewer words = less chance of making it worse.

Short Pet Loss Quotes:

• “I’m so sorry.”
• “In honor of your beloved pet.”
• “I’ll miss him too.”

But sometimes you want to add a nugget of wisdom, or inspiration. When emotions are so high, it’s best left to the experts.

10 Pet Loss Quotes that Don’t Suck:

Pet Loss

• “Sometimes losing a pet is more painful than losing a human because in the case of the pet, you were not pretending to love it.” – Amy Sedaris, American author
• “If there is a heaven, it’s certain our animals are to be there. Their lives become so interwoven with our own, it would take more than an archangel to detangle them.” – Pam Brown, Australian author and poet
• “It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” – John Grogan, author of “Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog
• “His ears were often the first thing to catch my tears.” –Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet
• “Sorrow is how we learn to love. Your heart isn’t breaking. It hurts because it’s getting larger. The larger it gets, the more love it holds.” –Rita Mae Brown, Author of the “Mrs. Murphy” cat book series
• “People who really appreciated animals always asked their names.” –Lilian Jackson Braun, author of “The Cat Who” book series

Cat Loss

• “I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.” – Neil Gaiman, English author
• “A home without a cat — and a well fed, well petted and properly revered cat — may be a home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?” –Mark Twain, American author

Dog Loss

• “The dog is the most faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not so common. Our Lord God has made his greatest gift the commonest.” –Martin Luther, German monk and author
• “Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them’s making a poop, the other one’s carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge?” – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian

Pet Memorial Gifts to Charity

 ASPCA Memorial Gifts

1. Visit: https://secure.aspca.org/donate/memorial
2. Choose a set gift amount, or set your own amount.
3. Click the option to send a mail or e-card with your gift.
4. Fill out your billing info. You can use a credit card or PayPal.
5. Choose how you’d like your recipient to receive their card. From there you can enter their information, the name of the pet the gift is in memory of, as well as your information and a personal message. E-cards are delivered immediately. Paper cards take 3 to 10 days to arrive.

The Humane Society of the United States Kindred Spirits Memorial Gift

1. Visit: https://m.secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1505&1505.donation=form1
2. Choose a set gift amount over $10, or set your own amount over $10 and HSUS will mail the recipient a personalized greeting card with this message:
3. A Kindred Spirits memorial gift helps The HSUS continue its message of kindness, compassion, and concern for all living creatures around the world. This gift is one with special meaning, and is truly a lasting tribute helping all animals.
4. Next you fill in the recipient’s information, including the pet or person your donation is in memory of.
5. Your information goes under the “Signature on Card” field.
6. Payment can be by credit card or PayPal.

Best Friends Animal Society Honorary Gifts

1. Visit: https://bestfriends.org/donate/memorials-gifts-and-e-cards/make-gift-honor
2. Choose to send an e-card or have a card mailed.
3. Choose a set gift amount, or set your own amount.
4. Enter the recipient’s information, including the name of the honoree.
5. Add your billing information. This site accepts credit cards only.

Pet Loss Support Organizations

• Don’t forget about The Rainbow Bridge poem, plus chats and forums. It’s a sincere place, and a lot of people I know have been comforted by it – kind of like a pet.
• This Rainbow’s Bridge site has forums broken out into groups, like teens, and is also popular and comforting.
• The ASPCA runs a pet loss hotline  for help with everything from the decision to euthanize, to help with grieving for humans and pets.
• (877) GRIEF-10

Please suggest any quotes I missed in the comments.

Image via Flickr User grakki