A Perkasie Dog Mom’s backyard pet photo session will warm your heart for days.

Last year Heather reached out to me for a lifestyle pet photo session with her precious pups Bianca, Miley and Ariel. Then, life got crazy. She had to postpone her session. I obliged, because, Hey! I can appreciate as much as anyone how maddening it all gets. Life went on.

Then early this summer I received a message. It was Heather. She explained that in the time that had passed, her beloved Bianca had suddenly passed. She had weathered her grief and now was determined to not miss another opportunity to celebrate her special bond with her canine companions. So, we scheduled her lifestyle pet photo session. Now, the legacy of her family has been captured for her to celebrate within her home daily.

Heather was devastated when Bianca passed.

As we prepared for her session we talked in depth about her the love she had for Bianca that made her loss so devastating. She couldn’t imagine what could possibly shift her grief, but her heart was opened to something. She just wasn’t sure to what. That’s when Sabrina came careening into her world. Heather has a long history of fostering for Harley’s Haven Dog Rescue in Bucks County and Sabrina came through her home as a foster. Sabrina was full of cuddles, sensitive and a ball of energy. Heather describes the moment that created the shift she was so desperately looking for in her grief journey: “The Heavens opened up when Miley got Sabrina to chase her. I knew it was going to be okay.” Miley and Bianca loved chasing each other and Heather couldn’t imagine a time when the balance of their family would be restored, until now.

The grief we feel over the loss of a pet can be as unique as our grief over the loss of a human.

We grieve some humans more than others based on what they represented in our lives. We have our own, unique needs when a pet passes. There is no one size fits all in grief. Yet, the grief over the loss of a pet is still categorized as disenfranchised grief. Societally it’s it remains unacceptable for us to prolong our mourning over our furry family members. Most of us wouldn’t dare consider missing work when a beloved pet family member passes. Yet, we can easily be more deeply connected to our pets than a number of other humans in our lives. We can fight the stigma attached to this grief by openly sharing our own grief journeys and normalizing this experience of loss.

When you lose a beloved pet know that you’re not alone.

Reach out to others around you that you trust. Find a supportive community like The Greater Philadelphia Pet Parade. Listen to yourself. Practice self-compassion. Speak to yourself and your needs as you would to a friend and claim the time and space your need for yourself. In time, the shifts you need will appear and the pain will soften.