Griffin’s Heart: Mourning Your Pet with No Apologies by Reagan J Pasternak
Publisher: Creatures Align Press
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Lupine
Losing a pet can be devastating and isolating. The trauma and grief that ensues are often trivialized or misunderstood by friends and family but it is unyielding and must be attended to. Griffin’s Heart is an interactive guide to loss and navigating the grief process. Through journaling, healing exercises, and contributions, readers will find an outlet for their pain while creating a keepsake filled with beautiful memories. Reagan’s own story unfolds as the pages progress, reminding readers that they are not alone in their sorrow and that hope exists for all of us. Griffin’s Heart teaches us to embrace and explore our darkest feelings and transform them into wisdom and strength while commemorating the pet we loved so much.
I’ve had pets my whole life and loved them all dearly. Losing them is difficult to be sure. But sometimes, you have one that’s extra special…and losing them is a bit like losing a child, or a limb and mourning them is deep, dark and difficult and it’s something you feel a little silly about or feel as if you shouldn’t hurt so much. After all, it’s JUST a pet, right?
I wish I’d had this book five years ago when I lost the dog of my heart. I still miss her every day, and her unexpected death sent me into a tailspin that I felt I had no right to be in. She was a dog. How do you justify that? This book helps you do just that. I admit to crying most of the way through, but it was the good kind of crying, those cathartic tears that heal as they are shed.
The book does two things: it shares the author’s own struggle with loss and the feeling that her deep grief was unacceptable. And it validates and helps other pet owners deal with their own loss, through shared stories and journal entries. I didn’t participate in all the journaling, but I did do the ones I needed to and it helped. Somehow, having a person I didn’t even know tell me it was okay to feel this deeply about a pet was what I needed to finally start working through those unresolved feelings. She validated me and my feelings, and the entire book was a virtual hug.
I loved this book. I want to buy copies for all my friends who are pet parents to give to them when their time of need comes. I can’t recommend it enough.
