Losing a pet is difficult. It’s not only missing their physical presence, but I also miss the routines. There is not a lot of support after losing a pet. Let’s face it, not everyone gets it.

Below are ways I remembered my dogs, Logan and Julia since they passed. Perhaps it will help others with the loss of a beloved pet.

•  Guide and Remembrance Journal for Healing the Loss of a Pet

• Memorial wind chimes

• Cremation necklace

• Donate in memory of your pet to a local shelter

• Join a pet loss support group on Facebook or at the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement

• Get a tattoo in memory of your beloved pet

• Purchase a memorial brick at a shelter, dog park, or historical society in their honor

• Commission a painting

• Create a shadowbox

• One Last Wave Project

I still struggle since Julia passed earlier this year. I journal and attend online support groups to help myself cope with the loss. I continue to walk the route we took every morning and evening. It’s hard, but I somehow feel a connection and also believe she wouldn’t want me shutting down. Every week since she passed, I have purchased a bouquet of flowers. I place them on the window sill, and before one of the walks each day, I cut a single flower and take it with me. At the end of that particular walk, I pass by her favorite stop sign, put the flower in the signpost, give the sign a high-five, and think how lucky I was to have had such a great companion. I miss my friend.

The below gallery is some older photos that I found of the last time I visited the Central Coast of California with Logan and Julia. I sure miss you guys but am so thankful we had the time together.

“You can shed tears because they are gone, or you can smile because they lived. You can close your eyes and pray they will come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that they left for you. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see them, or you can be full of the love you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live for yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember only that they are gone, or you can cherish their memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind and feel empty, or you can do what they would want.  Smile, open your heart, love, and go on.” - Elizabeth Ammons