FAAS Pet Loss Support Group helps those grieving their companion animals

When Jon Stewart announced the death of his family’s beloved tripod dog, Dipper, last year, his grief overwhelmed him. “In a world of good boys,” he said through tears on the Daily Show. “He was the best.”

He cried, and the world cried with him. Anyone who has ever deeply loved a companion animal understands his visceral grief. The loss of can be unfathomably, profoundly painful.

“There’s an ache in the silence—the absence of your dog’s nails clicking on the floor in the morning, or your cat scratching at the furniture. It’s a quiet that guts you,” says Raquel Bernaldo, Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter’s veterinary social worker. “Pets are there for the grand milestones and the smallest, most ordinary moments. Losing them isn’t just loss—it’s losing a constant, a presence woven into the rhythm of your life.” 

Studies (including those cited in this paper) show that for many, the level of grief can be the same as or greater than when we lose a person, and that the grieving period may be even longer.

“We tend to feel really safe with animals because they’re generally not a complicated love, as it can be with humans,” says Raquel. “They’re there unconditionally. There’s an easefulness with back-and-forth loving. When it disappears, it’s a void that’s hard to fill.” 

Yet even though this grief is almost universal, we often tend to feel alone with it.

FAAS veterinary social worker Raquel Bernaldo helping a terminally ill dog and the dog's beloved person have one last visit

“Pet grief is still considered disenfranchised grief,” Raquel says. “It’s not necessarily something we have time off for. We don’t have big ritualistic ceremonies. It can feel really lonely.”

At FAAS, we don’t want people to feel isolated during a time when they need support the most. So we’ve recently reinstated our in-person Pet Loss Support Group, which will be facilitated by Raquel.

Attendees will be in excellent hands. “I can’t think of a more kind, empathetic person to help people come together and process their grief than Raquel,” says John L. Lipp, FAAS CEO.

The group, which is free of charge to anyone (not just Alameda residents), meets the fourth Tuesday of every month at our South Shore administrative office. (Details below.)

“This is an invitation to come and be around other people who are going through the same thing,” Raquel says. “It might not feel the same to everyone but it’s an experience everyone there will be going through. It’s a way to normalize the bigness.

“No matter how loss has touched your life, you are not alone,” she says. “We’re here to hold space for your grief and help you navigate through it.” 

FAAS Pet Loss Support Group information

The group, free of charge, will provide a supportive space for those grieving the loss of a pet—whether they have passed away, are missing, or have been surrendered.

Pet Loss Support Group facilitator Raquel and her dog, Kevin

When: The fourth Tuesday of every month. This month's meeting is Tuesday, March 25.

Time: 6-7 PM

Where: Where: FAAS South Shore – new administrative offices, Suite 210. Follow breezeway between Trader Joes and Trabocco. Look for signage that says Security/Restrooms. Enter and take elevator to second floor, Suite 210.

Who: Open to anyone seeking comfort, connection, and a place to share memories of their beloved companions. Whether your loss is recent or from years ago,  you are welcome here.

Special Offering: Please feel free to bring a photo or item that connects you to your pet. We will place these on our collective altar as a way to honor and remember them.

Please use this form to register and sign up. This is not a therapy group, but a peer support space—a compassionate and understanding place to process grief and honor the love we shared with our pets.

If you have questions, please contact Raquel at 510-768-7217 or rbernaldo@alamedaanimalshelter.org