Book Review: Pet Parents: A Journey through Unconditional Love and Grief

Pet Parents: A Journey through Unconditional Love and Grief, by Coleen Ellis (iUniverse Publishing, 2011, $12.95, 148pp PB) Review by Skye Anderson

The worst thing about dogs is that we outlive them, so we have to deal with their always-too-early demise and continue on with only memories. And if we get another pet, the same thing is bound to happen. The death of a pet is often the first time a child encounters death. Two-thirds of Americans have pets so they can empathize with you when a beloved family member passes away

But currently, since so many dogs (and cats) are literally members of the family, we want to do something special for them after they have left us. Did you know you can have their ashes put into a decorative urn to place on the mantel? Or did you know you can have a memorial service and invite your dog's friends to tell stories of remembrance?

Helpful and factual chapters are interspersed with others depicting what families have done for their pets, including police departments and how they have honored their beloved K-9 partners.

What Would I Change?

First of all, I would have this book edited. Doing so might drastically cut its length and decrease the repetition.

Author Coleen Ellis has a warm writing style and uses the newer terms "pet parents" and their derivatives "pet mommies" and "pet daddies." She writes as if she were in the room counseling you and shows how to find the people you need to help in planning what to do, what you want, and how to celebrate your pet and keep him in your heart.

This was the first book I have read on this topic and, as always, the first book leads to others, especially since Pet Parents is more than 10 years old. Included is an excellent start of a library on the subject of pet grief.

------------------------------

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Ryland is a lovely book for children