DiscoverGrief GrowerE24: Pet Grief and Memorials: Honoring Animal Companions with Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center
E24: Pet Grief and Memorials: Honoring Animal Companions with Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center

E24: Pet Grief and Memorials: Honoring Animal Companions with Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center

Update: 2025-08-21
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What makes a "good death" for a beloved pet—and how do you grieve when society says, "It was just an animal"? Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center joins me to explore pet grief, creating meaningful end-of-life rituals, and how to keep honoring your animal companion after they die.

You'll hear:

  • What a "good death" for a pet might look like

  • Why pet grief can feel even bigger or more profound than human loss

  • How to break the stigma of memorializing pets on social media

Explore grief support and resources from Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Grieving Children & Families:
https://www.dougy.org/

Download Dougy Center's FREE 4-page guide for pet loss:
https://www.dougy.org/assets/uploads/DoveLewis-Dougy-Center_After-the-death-of-a-companion-animal.pdf

Pre-order my new book, Of Course I'm Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving:
https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/of-course-im-here-right-now

Join Life After Loss Academy FREE for one month with code GRIEFGROWER:
https://life-after-loss-academy.circle.so/checkout/life-after-loss-academy-membership?coupon_code=Griefgrower

...

Get FREE grief workshops, quizzes, and so much more on my website:
https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/links

Keep Grief Grower ad-free by becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia 

Join my online course + community, Life After Loss Academy:
https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/life-after-loss-academy

Listen to more episodes of Grief Grower, view episode transcripts, and submit a question for the show:
https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/grief-grower-podcast

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E24: Pet Grief and Memorials: Honoring Animal Companions with Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center

E24: Pet Grief and Memorials: Honoring Animal Companions with Jana DeCristofaro of The Dougy Center

Shelby Forsythia, Grief Coach and Author