Yesterday took a sudden and unexpected turn. Our beloved dog Sadie died and so did a piece of my heart. I was reminded of the deep pain felt after losing someone or something you deeply love. And boy did we all love Sadie.

We grieve because of love. It’s that simple and our family is mourning a dog that brought joy and love to our home and to everyone she met.

There are no limitations to the grief that quickly settles into our hearts after a heartbreaking loss. And whether the outside world understands or not, our family is heartbroken and the paw print Sadie left on each of our hearts now sits next to a hole that can’t be filled.

People reach out to me all the time about pet loss. I have heard countless stories of the pain felt after losing a beloved furry friend. People have shared how isolated and invalidated they’ve felt because society doesn’t acknowledge the deep grief that comes with losing a pet.

But here’s the thing about pets. Our furry friends become part of the family and the love people feel for their pets is undeniable.

If there is love there will be grief.

Sadie came into our lives nine years ago. She was a rescue puppy and the moment our family saw her, we fell in love. Sadie was adorable and she truly was the sweetest dog. She was loyal, loving, a bit quirky, and made us laugh.

Like most dogs, she loved all of us without condition and when it came to Sadie, there was pure joy. Never was there a dog more excited or happy when we would get home and she would greet us at the door.

But all of that changed yesterday. Sadie wasn’t feeling well and without warning, we lost her sitting next to us on the Vet’s floor. Her heart failed and she died. And so did a piece of our hearts.

All of the emotions came rushing in. The shock, disbelief, deep sadness, and endless tears. And to pet her one last time and have to walk out of the vets office without her was soul-crushing and surreal.

She was only nine. She was fine a couple of days ago. What just happened? This can’t be real.

Walking into our house last night felt awful and eerily quiet. There was no Sadie to greet us and the emptiness was palpable as we headed up to bed feeling devastated and numb.

There are reminders everywhere of a dog that loved each and every one of us in her own special way. She was gentle, playful, needed to be close and followed us around everywhere. A piece of our home and our lives is missing now and to look at the empty dog bed, her kennel, her toys and empty dog bowl tugs painfully at my heart.

And her brother Charlie, will be so lonesome without his friend that won’t be coming home. UGH.

Our entire family is grieving for a beautiful dog that brought so much joy and love into our lives. Losing her has left a deep and painful void in our home and our hearts.

I’m so grateful for the nine years we had with her but like most losses, no amount of time would have been enough.

I’m writing about this today to honor our precious Sadie girl but I’m also writing because I want the world to know that she mattered and she is loved. I’m writing because society doesn’t always acknowledge pet loss as a valid loss worthy of pain and grief. Often there’s judgement and a lack of support leaving people to feel isolated and alone.

Grievers will hide their emotions and grief pretending they are fine when in truth, they are drowning in pain. But hiding grief has consequences and it’s important for people to be able to express all of their feelings and grieve out loud and in the open.

Pet loss matters and the struggle is real. Losing a fur baby is worthy of pain and grief. To lose a pet hurts in unexplainable ways, and again, the greater the love the greater the grief. The love shared between pets and their families is unconditional and it runs deep.

For some people, the loss of a pet is equally as painful as losing a person in their life.

Of course people are going to grieve when a beloved pet dies.

If you’re grieving the loss of a fur baby, I’m so sorry and I’m sending love and compassion your way. Like any other loss, loss and grief are personal to you. There are no timelines and there’s no right or wrong way to feel.

You deserve to grieve and while it may not feel like it, you’re not completely alone. Allow yourself to feel all the emotions that show up in the coming days, weeks, and months. Talk about your beloved pet and talk about the loss. The pain of grief needs to be expressed and heard.

Be gentle with your heart and you don’t ever have to justify grieving for your pet. You lost an important part of your life, family and home. Pets become an integrated part of a family weaving its way into the very fabric of our daily lives. The fabric rips and tears after a pet dies.

You didn’t just lose a pet. You lost a loyal companion, a best friend, and at times, a rock that people come to depend on every day. Pet loss is huge and it matters.

If you or someone you know has lost a pet, please don’t minimize or ignore the loss. Losing a beloved pet will bring great change to a person’s life. Does life go on? Yes. Can you still live a life filled with happiness? Yes. But life will look and feel different. Life won’t feel quite the same.

Pet loss is part of life. Life will keep pushing forward and so will you, one hard step at a time. But you need to grieve.

Life changed in a shocking way for us yesterday. Things feel unsettled and rearranged in our home and everyone is handling it in their own personal ways. Our ENTIRE family is missing a sweet, gentle dog named Sadie and the hole in our hearts will always remain.

Our beloved dog died and so did a piece of my heart. But I’m grateful for the love and sometimes, love is the only thing that sustains us in the darkest of times. Love will always remain because love never dies.

I love you Sadie. Always and forever.

Sending love always.

Michele