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Honoring Our Animals: 365 Meditations for Healing After Pet Loss
Discover a personalized path to recovery with Honoring Our Animals, your daily source of solace and strength throughout the year.
Losing a beloved pet is a profound experience, filled with deep emotions and challenging moments. Honoring Our Animals is your steadfast companion on this journey, offering 365 entries of consistent guidance and support. Each day, find a dose of comfort and a touchstone to help structure your grieving process, ensuring you never feel alone.
This comprehensive and compassionate guide addresses a wide range of emotional experiences, from anticipatory grief to sudden loss. It provides relevant and heartfelt advice tailored to your specific situation. With practical exercises and tools, you’ll gain actionable steps toward healing, helping you navigate your grief with understanding and care. Some common situations the book
“My pet has just received a terminal diagnosis. What can I possibly do to prepare?”“The loss I am experiencing is more painful than any I have experienced.”“The people in my life don’t understand the depth of my sorrow.”“I feel guilty about re-homing a pet.”“I just experienced an unexpected and tragic loss.”“I’m grappling with behavioral euthanasia.”“I don’t know how to go on without my beloved.”
You might not see it right away, but it is possible to recover from the loss of your companion animal.
Acting as a supportive listener, this book affirms your feelings and provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to express your grief. It honors the profound bond between humans and their pets, recognizing the significant impact of your loss. By offering a blend of different approaches, Honoring Our Animals caters to the unique nature of each grief journey, guiding you in acknowledging the strengths and gifts of your relationship with your pet.
By offering daily insights and exercises, Honoring Our Animals stands as a steadfast companion for those mourning the loss of a pet, providing comfort, validation, and practical support every day of the year.
Losing a beloved pet is a profound experience, filled with deep emotions and challenging moments. Honoring Our Animals is your steadfast companion on this journey, offering 365 entries of consistent guidance and support. Each day, find a dose of comfort and a touchstone to help structure your grieving process, ensuring you never feel alone.
This comprehensive and compassionate guide addresses a wide range of emotional experiences, from anticipatory grief to sudden loss. It provides relevant and heartfelt advice tailored to your specific situation. With practical exercises and tools, you’ll gain actionable steps toward healing, helping you navigate your grief with understanding and care. Some common situations the book
“My pet has just received a terminal diagnosis. What can I possibly do to prepare?”“The loss I am experiencing is more painful than any I have experienced.”“The people in my life don’t understand the depth of my sorrow.”“I feel guilty about re-homing a pet.”“I just experienced an unexpected and tragic loss.”“I’m grappling with behavioral euthanasia.”“I don’t know how to go on without my beloved.”
You might not see it right away, but it is possible to recover from the loss of your companion animal.
Acting as a supportive listener, this book affirms your feelings and provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to express your grief. It honors the profound bond between humans and their pets, recognizing the significant impact of your loss. By offering a blend of different approaches, Honoring Our Animals caters to the unique nature of each grief journey, guiding you in acknowledging the strengths and gifts of your relationship with your pet.
By offering daily insights and exercises, Honoring Our Animals stands as a steadfast companion for those mourning the loss of a pet, providing comfort, validation, and practical support every day of the year.
228 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 8, 2025
This is a wonderful resource for anyone who has lost a beloved pet. Filled with healing exercises and supportive info about pet loss grief. We lost our beloved kitty last year, and as I explored this beautifully designed and written book, I found that my own wounds hurt less and my remembrance of our cherished tabby to be more joyful and soulful. Highly recommended!
January 24, 2026
My cat passed away from cancer several months ago. It happened so quickly and has been very difficult coming to terms with. This book has been immense helpful on my healing journey. The passages go beyond pet grief and have brought brightness and reflection into my days. Highly recommend
June 10, 2025
January 3, 2024 was one of the most heartbreaking and crushing days of my life when I had to say goodbye to my best little friend, Baby Doug, at only nine years old. The drive home with an empty cat carrier, the brain fog, the emptiness, the exhaustion...the heavy hand of grief, made worse when so many people in the world don't really understand, appreciate, or comprehend the depths of love and profound grief that comes with losing our beloved animals.
Enter Beth: the author of this beautiful book. Not only does she understand, she validates this grief and encourages hope and continued connection with our pets beyond earthly and mortal life. 🩶 This book feels like a daily check-in, a reminder that our grief and loss matters and deserves to be seen, and offers so many ways to continue our relationships with our beloveds with both meditations and an invitation to complete an activity. ❤️ There is even an index with several feeling and emotions that come up in grief such as guilt. Upon searching for guilt, you will find page numbers that reference guilt within the book so you can process your grief as specifically as you need to in the moment.
I miss my boy every day, and I have carried my grief with me with the understanding that it's all the love that still exists between my Baby Doug and me. This book is a tangible, daily reminder of that too. 🩶
Enter Beth: the author of this beautiful book. Not only does she understand, she validates this grief and encourages hope and continued connection with our pets beyond earthly and mortal life. 🩶 This book feels like a daily check-in, a reminder that our grief and loss matters and deserves to be seen, and offers so many ways to continue our relationships with our beloveds with both meditations and an invitation to complete an activity. ❤️ There is even an index with several feeling and emotions that come up in grief such as guilt. Upon searching for guilt, you will find page numbers that reference guilt within the book so you can process your grief as specifically as you need to in the moment.
I miss my boy every day, and I have carried my grief with me with the understanding that it's all the love that still exists between my Baby Doug and me. This book is a tangible, daily reminder of that too. 🩶
June 27, 2025
This book is small and handy and so full of love. Grief can feel lonely, isolating, and very heavy to bear. For many of us, some of the most significant relationships we may ever have are with animals and yet pet loss grief is often poorly understood and can feel something of a taboo subject. It can feel like nobody "gets it"... But Beth Bigler does.
This book is a direct result of Beth's own experience of pet loss grief, and subsequently working with others going through animal bereavements. Each day of the year has a small passage to read and a prompt for a potential follow-up activity, alongside calming and beautiful artwork and colours. I like that the format of the dates can either be followed chronologically, with a small daily meditation and exercise prompt, or you can dip in and out to specific dates of personal significance, such as the date of a birthday or "gotcha day" etc.
Whilst it may be that not all the activity prompts suit everyone, there are so many different ideas for ways to process grief and the other emotions that often come with it (guilt, for example) that I think there will be something to appeal to everyone. I particularly appreciate the art-based and journalling prompts.
Each passage is very small which is what is needed in the midst of grief, when even the smallest of tasks can feel monumentally overwhelming. There isn't too much to read in one go, making it more accessible than some of the other books in this category that I have tried to read in the past.
There are some other interesting additions including a feelings wheel and a glossary of terms explaining how they are used in the book, as language around grief can be especially triggering and complicated.
Overall this is a gentle, easy book for those in the early days of grief, with activities and prompts also of use at any point along a grief journey. I bought this book for myself, but will also be gifting it to others at times of pet loss. I think gifting this book to a friend after the loss of an animal would be one of the best gifts you could give. I wish it had been around sooner when I lost my own animals, Bugsy and Flo, but I'm so grateful to have it now.
Thank you Beth (and Arnie!) for creating this thoughtful and beautiful guide. I don't doubt this will help many grieving animal guardians. 🧡🩵
This book is a direct result of Beth's own experience of pet loss grief, and subsequently working with others going through animal bereavements. Each day of the year has a small passage to read and a prompt for a potential follow-up activity, alongside calming and beautiful artwork and colours. I like that the format of the dates can either be followed chronologically, with a small daily meditation and exercise prompt, or you can dip in and out to specific dates of personal significance, such as the date of a birthday or "gotcha day" etc.
Whilst it may be that not all the activity prompts suit everyone, there are so many different ideas for ways to process grief and the other emotions that often come with it (guilt, for example) that I think there will be something to appeal to everyone. I particularly appreciate the art-based and journalling prompts.
Each passage is very small which is what is needed in the midst of grief, when even the smallest of tasks can feel monumentally overwhelming. There isn't too much to read in one go, making it more accessible than some of the other books in this category that I have tried to read in the past.
There are some other interesting additions including a feelings wheel and a glossary of terms explaining how they are used in the book, as language around grief can be especially triggering and complicated.
Overall this is a gentle, easy book for those in the early days of grief, with activities and prompts also of use at any point along a grief journey. I bought this book for myself, but will also be gifting it to others at times of pet loss. I think gifting this book to a friend after the loss of an animal would be one of the best gifts you could give. I wish it had been around sooner when I lost my own animals, Bugsy and Flo, but I'm so grateful to have it now.
Thank you Beth (and Arnie!) for creating this thoughtful and beautiful guide. I don't doubt this will help many grieving animal guardians. 🧡🩵
June 8, 2025
I was extremely excited to get a copy of Honoring Our Animals first thing because I knew after following along with Beth on social media that this would be an important resource for me. I have greatly enjoyed opening this book and reading not only important dates marking transitions for my beloved animal friends, but following for daily prompts also. The index that guides towards specific days that match my feelings and certain subjects is extremely helpful. I felt a lot of regret after losing my best friend, and finding specific pages with that topic is something I find myself returning to so I can be kinder to myself. Not only is this helping me navigate the future without my sweet dog and other animal companions, but it is a comfort to have beside me as I know the years ahead will be hard with a few older animals now. The book is all around beautifully crafted and so much care was put into its pages I can tell. I think this not only is a great resource for those mourning the loss of an animal friend (or anticipating it) - but would make a thoughtful gift for those experiencing this too. I hope one day we will see veterinary clinics invest in this to give to clients when those hard appointments are made. It would be such a meaningful gesture. All around just a great book. I took it immediately upon its arrival to read beside my sweet dog's graveside, and it helped my heart to do so. Five stars of recommendation. CB
July 3, 2025
The Honoring our Animals book is a beautiful collection of prompts and action items for those who are grieving the loss of a beloved animal. Beth offers daily words of encouragement, acknowledgement or enlightenment and also provides what she calls Invitations for those who choose to delve a little deeper. I have found the Invitations to be thought provoking, but with an option for each day, they are manageable suggestions for how to connect deeper to both your own feelings and emotions, and how to continue our relationship with our beloveds. She also provides an index so that if one happens to be in search of a specific topic like "guilt" or "betrayal", one can find an entry that covers this topic with ease.
After my own experience of having my Soul Bunny pass suddenly and unexpectedly, I tried finding books and online resources to help me through my grief process. I had purchased two other books that dealt specifically with animal or pet loss and neither provided the depth and empathy that the HOA book gives. Beth truly honors and validates the relationship and importance our beloved animals have in our lives, and she writes each meditation with continuing the connection in mind.
After my own experience of having my Soul Bunny pass suddenly and unexpectedly, I tried finding books and online resources to help me through my grief process. I had purchased two other books that dealt specifically with animal or pet loss and neither provided the depth and empathy that the HOA book gives. Beth truly honors and validates the relationship and importance our beloved animals have in our lives, and she writes each meditation with continuing the connection in mind.
June 28, 2026
3.5 Stars:
Honoring Our Animals: 365 Meditations for Healing After Pet Loss is a kind, steady companion for anyone grieving the loss of a beloved pet. The daily‑meditation format is one of the book’s strengths—short reflections that you can take in slowly, especially on days when concentration feels fragile. There’s a warmth to Beth Bigler’s voice that makes the book feel safe, and many entries offer small moments of comfort or recognition.
For me, though, the experience was mixed.
Some meditations are genuinely touching and thoughtfully written, but others felt a bit too brief or generalized to meet the emotional depth of pet loss. After losing my beloved Bud, I found myself wanting more nuance, more lived understanding, and more exploration of the complex ways grief shows up in daily life. The book’s structure makes it easy to return to, but it also means some entries skim the surface rather than offering the kind of layered support I was hoping for.
Still, there’s real compassion here, and I can imagine this book being exactly right for readers who want gentle, bite‑sized reflections rather than a more comprehensive grief guide. It’s a comforting resource—just not one that fully met the depth of what I needed.
Honoring Our Animals: 365 Meditations for Healing After Pet Loss is a kind, steady companion for anyone grieving the loss of a beloved pet. The daily‑meditation format is one of the book’s strengths—short reflections that you can take in slowly, especially on days when concentration feels fragile. There’s a warmth to Beth Bigler’s voice that makes the book feel safe, and many entries offer small moments of comfort or recognition.
For me, though, the experience was mixed.
Some meditations are genuinely touching and thoughtfully written, but others felt a bit too brief or generalized to meet the emotional depth of pet loss. After losing my beloved Bud, I found myself wanting more nuance, more lived understanding, and more exploration of the complex ways grief shows up in daily life. The book’s structure makes it easy to return to, but it also means some entries skim the surface rather than offering the kind of layered support I was hoping for.
Still, there’s real compassion here, and I can imagine this book being exactly right for readers who want gentle, bite‑sized reflections rather than a more comprehensive grief guide. It’s a comforting resource—just not one that fully met the depth of what I needed.
July 3, 2026
There’s a gentle sincerity to this book that I genuinely appreciated. The daily meditations offer small, steady moments of comfort, and on the hardest days, having a brief reflection to turn to felt grounding. Bigler clearly understands the emotional landscape of pet loss, and her tone throughout is warm, validating, and accessible.
That said, the format is both its strength and its limitation. The entries are soothing, but many felt interchangeable, and I sometimes wished for deeper psychological insight or more nuanced guidance. The book offers heartfelt encouragement, but it doesn’t fully explore the complexity of grief or the profound, specific bonds we form with our companion animals. As a result, it’s a supportive companion, though not a transformative one.
Still, for anyone navigating the early fog of loss, this collection can provide gentle daily touchpoints and small reminders that your grief is real, your love mattered, and you’re not moving through this alone. It’s a comforting resource, even if it doesn’t quite reach the depth I hoped for.
That said, the format is both its strength and its limitation. The entries are soothing, but many felt interchangeable, and I sometimes wished for deeper psychological insight or more nuanced guidance. The book offers heartfelt encouragement, but it doesn’t fully explore the complexity of grief or the profound, specific bonds we form with our companion animals. As a result, it’s a supportive companion, though not a transformative one.
Still, for anyone navigating the early fog of loss, this collection can provide gentle daily touchpoints and small reminders that your grief is real, your love mattered, and you’re not moving through this alone. It’s a comforting resource, even if it doesn’t quite reach the depth I hoped for.
June 7, 2025
I purchased this book because I lost my beloved soul dog in Sept 2024 and was looking for outlets to process it. Pet loss grief has been the single-handedly most painful experience I have been through. A helpful tool in this book is the grief feelings wheel to assess where you are at this moment. I like that I have the option to work through the meditations in whichever way serves me. Lately I have been thinking of his last earthly day with us and keep replaying in my head. This exercise helps me re-frame it by writing a letter to and from my beloved. I know I gave him the best day he could have possibly had, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough. I know Beth’s book will help me navigate this soul shattering journey I am on. Would highly recommend to anyone currently experiencing or knows someone that is.
October 1, 2025
This book is a valuable resource for anyone experiencing the devastating loss of their beloved companion. Beth organizes the book into 365 meditations that the reader/griever can begin anywhere that speaks to them. At the beginning. On a certain date or milestone. Or by topic. Topics are arranged via a comprehensive and thoughtful index. Each meditation offers compassionate support and practical suggestions to guide the reader in their grief journey. After each meditation there are creative prompts that foster a deeper connection with one’s beloved.
My heart and soul dog, Treasure, passed away in August 2023. The words of wisdom, encouragement and supportive activities in this book help me feel closer and more connected to my beloved boy as I continue to honor him. I highly recommend “Honoring Our Animals” to anyone grieving the loss of their beloved companion.
My heart and soul dog, Treasure, passed away in August 2023. The words of wisdom, encouragement and supportive activities in this book help me feel closer and more connected to my beloved boy as I continue to honor him. I highly recommend “Honoring Our Animals” to anyone grieving the loss of their beloved companion.
June 15, 2025
When I lost my bunny to cancer it was not like other losses I had experienced. I purchased several pet loss books with good reviews but I found them overwhelming. To be honest everything felt overwhelming in my early grief, but to open and read a whole book about grief when I was grieving was daunting and they all collected dust. This book is different. Short daily meditations and ways to connect with my beloved without the pressure to finish a chapter, and it can be used in so many different ways. I love that I can go to the current date, a milestone date for my beloved, or use the index to find a topic that resonates with me on any given day. This book would also make a great gift for someone who has lost a pet.
July 8, 2025
The loss of a pet is truly unimaginable, but I am thankful to have found such a beautiful, inspiring resource in "Honoring Our Animals." I feel closest to Hazel Jane, my dog who unexpectedly passed away, when I am meditating and taking care of myself, so this book encourages me to spend time doing just that each and every day. I love that there is a daily read with a corresponding invitation as well as an index for the days I need more support. Plus, there is a Grief Feelings Wheel for reference on the days I struggle to put my feelings into words. 10/10 recommend this book for anyone grieving the loss of their pet, for anyone who is anticipating the loss of their pet or gifting it to someone going through such a tremendous loss.
September 2, 2026
Absolutely beautiful book. I lost my soul dog on the morning of October 20th, 2025. This book is one of the only things that has been keeping me afloat as I navigate my grief and sift through these new feelings. On days that feel particularly heavy, I find that day in the book and always feel comforted by the meditation. The way it calls our animals "beloveds" fills me with such an intense warmth, knowing that I'm not being asked to set aside my sadness just because my loss was an animal instead of a person. This book demands nothing from you, yet gives you everything you need to feel like you can start moving forward. I will recommend this book to every single person who has ever lost a pet and is dealing with the weight of missing their companion.
June 5, 2025
As I’ve been navigating the first year without my soul dog, Beth has been incredibly helpful and supportive. The HOA community is truly special and gives so much validation for this type of loss. I couldn’t wait to purchase this book. It contains meditations and invitations for each day as well as a grief feelings wheel and ways to use it. It is such an incredible resource for those going through pet loss grief. The entries contain ways to help keep us connected to our beloveds. I highly recommend this book if you are either going through pet loss grief or if you know someone who is. This would make a very thoughtful gift.
August 3, 2025
I love this book and only wish it had existed from Day 1 of my grief journey! Grief is overwhelming & exhausting, so I love that Beth has made each day's reading concise and meaningful. Each day's invitation can be completed quickly or expounded upon, depending on your energy on a given day. The extensive index is an amazing resource that helps you find the topics you are dealing with at the moment.
If you have experienced pet loss yourself or know someone who has, I highly recommend Honoring Our Animals. It has certainly helped me feel more connected to my Queeny Bean as I approach the 3rd anniversary of her passing. So much of this book has felt like a much needed hug from my girl! 💜
June 23, 2025
Honoring Our Animals is a compassionate acknowledgment that pet loss is a profound and often disenfranchised form of grief. One that deserves to be validated, witnessed, and tended to with the same care as any loss of a loved one. Through gentle, bite-sized daily reflections, this book offers solace to the grieving pet-parent's heart, inviting readers into a yearlong journey of remembrance, emotional honesty, and enduring connection with their beloved animal companion. Bigler reminds us that even after goodbye, love remains.
June 8, 2025
This book has been so helpful and validating for exploring my grief after the loss of my soul cat. The focus on continuing to grow our bond after his transition has been so helpful! I immediately went through this book and picked out key dates of importance, and I plan on using this book as a daily devotional and to active journal. The index? Chef's kiss - grief is not linear, and this lets me really explore more complex feelings.
June 24, 2025
Beth has been my grief counselor for a few months and her kindness and insightfulness come through beautifully in this little book! I love having the daily meditations and invitations, although they can be done in any order and don't need to align with the calendar day. Everything about the book is gentle and inviting. If you or someone you know are experiencing pet loss grief (or grief in general) I would highly recommend this book.
July 17, 2025
Beth is a blessing to all who grief any type of loss but especially animals. I was lucky enough to be a part of one of her cohorts for loss. This book has been a beautiful way to continue the work of honoring my beloved, Conrad. It's so important to set aside time to honor my beloved's legacy and these devotional have been a wonderful addition to my everyday traditions I have to keep his memory alive. This is a highly recommend for anyone who has experienced pet loss.
October 21, 2025
This book has been invaluable. I lost my beloved Laika in October of 2023, and I struggled with adjusting to this new reality. Beth Bigler, the wonderful author, provides such gems in easy-to-digest portions. I love that you can read and use this book in any way or order that serves you most. It has brought comfort and understanding to all the complex emotions that arise and resurface when processing the grief of your beloved companion. I am truly grateful for a book such as this.
June 7, 2025
I lost my soulmate pet a few years ago and came across Beth Bigler on Instagram. Her account has helped me tremendously on my grief journey. I’m thrilled she wrote this book. I will cherish/refer to it forever. Thank you for everything Beth.
June 11, 2025
I would recommend this book to anyone who is experiencing pet loss it has helped me tremendously it’s a book that you will want to read over and over I even bought a copy to gift to my son as well Beth Bigler is amazing
June 18, 2025
This book helped me through the devastating loss of my sweet pup.
June 21, 2025
Wonderful Resource!!
This is a beautiful book, both visually and in its content. The scope of topics is all-encompassing for anyone grieving the loss of a beloved pet. The index in the back of the book allows you to pick a subject that speaks to you at any particular time. There are daily meditations with prompts for an action related to the day’s reading. Going through the loss of our loved one is hard, but this book is a comforting companion to help you and guide you through it. It would also be a very thoughtful gift for anyone experiencing pet loss.
This is a beautiful book, both visually and in its content. The scope of topics is all-encompassing for anyone grieving the loss of a beloved pet. The index in the back of the book allows you to pick a subject that speaks to you at any particular time. There are daily meditations with prompts for an action related to the day’s reading. Going through the loss of our loved one is hard, but this book is a comforting companion to help you and guide you through it. It would also be a very thoughtful gift for anyone experiencing pet loss.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews