When Carrie Miller’s cat, Ben, died this spring, the Vancouver woman was devastated.
“If you think of pets as family, which many of us do, if a family member dies, there’s lots of support,” Miller said.
That’s not the case for those grieving the loss of a four-legged family member. But Miller hopes a new support group offered by PeaceHealth Southwest’s Hope Bereavement Services will fill that void in Clark County.
The organization recently re-launched TAGS, The Animal Grief Support Group, a free support group for adults grieving the loss of a pet. Miller, a hospice nurse for 24 years, is one of the group’s volunteer facilitators.
“When I see a person grieve a person and a person grieve a dog, it’s the same grief,” Miller said. “It comes from the same place.”
Hope Bereavement Services has for years gotten calls from people looking for support services following pet deaths, said Jodi Wicks, bereavement center manager. A volunteer started the group in April — it was the center’s first volunteer-led group — but her unexpected death led Wicks to place the group on hold for several months.
Miller and Rita Sickler of Vancouver came on board as the group’s new volunteer facilitators this fall, and the group started meeting again in October.
Initially, the group was successful, drawing a handful of people to each of the first few meetings. Most of the attendees were there after losing a dog or a cat, but the group isn’t limited to furry or four-legged animals; it’s open to people grieving the loss of any type of pet, Wicks said.
Wicks said she hopes to see the same success now that the group is up and running again. The group meets 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at the Hope Bereavement Center, 5400 MacArthur Blvd. in Vancouver.
“When people are grieving, it’s so isolating,” Wicks said. “That’s the beauty of a support group — just being with others.”
“Their situation may be different, but pain is pain,” she added.
The support group allows people going through similar experiences to comfort each other, Miller said.
“Like minds and like hearts,” Miller said. “It’s a safe place to fall apart.”
More new programs
TAGS is one of several new offerings at Hope Bereavement Services.
Two months ago, the organization launched Precious Moments. The volunteer-led group offers support to those who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth or newborn death. The group meets 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month.
The organization also recently launched Survivors of Suicide, a group for adults who are coping with the suicide of a loved one. That group, which meets 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, is led by a bereavement counselor.
“You can form a community within a community by having a safe, supportive place,” Miller said. “When someone passes, whether it’s an animal or a friend or a family member, it’s a loss in your life.”
“It’s all shared love and it’s something to be respected and honored,” she added.
