Having simultaneously been entrenched in various forms of grief related to pet loss over the years, I initially became fascinated with the topic as a desperate attempt to help myself. It began in 2018 following the death of Tovi, whom I endearingly refer to as my "soul dog."

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When Tovi came into my life, I was 24, in graduate school, and living alone for the first time in a studio apartment the size of a showbox. He died a few days after I turned 37 and, by then, had walked me down the aisle at my first wedding and served as my second husband's Best Dog at the next. We experienced countless moves, milestones, and ordinary moments in between the bookends of his life.​​ When he died, it felt like life split into Before and After. And I hated being in the After.

 

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, they did. I found myself experiencing an entirely new type of grief over my struggle to connect to Millie, the dog I adopted after after Tovi.  Both were tremendous losses—the loss of what was, and the loss of what I expected life with a dog to be. ​Let's just say it was a bad time in my life, and I didn't feel safe talking about it outside the walls of my therapist's office. Now, I can't stop talking about it. My journey began eight years ago and continues today. I never intended for pet loss to become my passion, but here I am. And I love being here.

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I have a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with additional training in grief. I entered the field because I found it interesting academically, but it wasn't a good fit in practice.  Being a clinician literally gave me mini panic attacks several times a day (exaggerating a little, but it was a bad time in my life), and after twelve long years in the field, I let it go in 2019. I've never felt mentally better. This is my long-winded way of letting you know I cannot be here to counsel you, but I have tons of resources for professionals who can. 

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Throughout my life, I've been involved in the animal rescue community as both a volunteer and foster mom. I later worked as an Adoption Counselor, where I encountered an entirely new aspect of loss: The grief around rehoming a pet and behavioral euthanasia. Today, I volunteer as an Intake Specialist at my county municipal shelter, where I help people find resources to keep their families together and, when rehoming is necessary, compassionately support them through the process.

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I live in Maryland with my husband, a cat named Mou, and two dogs, Fred & Ethel. They enjoy hiking, indulging in Bully Sticks, and are avid Lambchops collectors. In my free time, I enjoy practicing Bikram Yoga, hiking, reading, writing (clearly), the thrill of thrifting, and intimate coffee-shop conversations.

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Elizabeth Weiner

PetTherapyNotes@gmail.com

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