Book Review Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss, by Sid Korpi

by Therese Kopiwoda on July 7, 2011

in Book Reviews,Cats,Dogs,Pets

Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss: Personal and Professional Insights on the Animal Lover's Unique Grieving Process Losing a pet is the toughest part about loving a pet, and something we just can’t get around. The fact that they aren’t human doesn’t mean it won’t hurt. So, for many of us, me included, it can be an extremely depressing and difficult time.

Personally one of the best ways I’ve found to deal with the grief is to distance myself from people who don’t understand. And, when I need it, surround myself with those people who do get it. There have been several instances when I was told “get another one” after losing one of my pets. I tend to distance myself from those people very quickly. Fortunately though, I have people in my life who I can turn to because they totally understand the grief. (That includes many of you reading this post, who were there when I lost my cat, Tequila.)

In her book, Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss: Personal and Professional Insights on the Animal Lover’s Unique Grieving Process, Sid Korpi writes about this, and a lot of other ways to work through our grief. She shows us how to:

  • Emotionally prepare for a pet’s euthanasia and understand when it’s time
  • View death not as an ending, but (as animals see it) a natural transition
  • Cope with being around insensitive people
  • Memorialize and celebrate the pet’s life
  • Move on after loss and love again

Good Grief isn’t like other pet loss books I’ve read. Rather than the clinical, “here are the 5 stages of death” and “seek professional help if needed” Sid writes about different ways to deal with the grief and doesn’t judge anyone because of their needs or beliefs. She totally gets that we all grieve differently and need to deal with it in the way that makes most sense for us, as individuals. She takes a very gentle, understanding approach to pet loss and grief, and urges us to be kind to ourselves and find what works best.

It’s been a year and a half since I lost Tequila but there are times when I miss her terribly. So, even though it’s been a while, I felt comforted as I read Good Grief.

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