What is an Animal Hope Counselor?

Over 15,000 American family pets (dog and cats) die each day. This number does not include those in animal rescue havens, homeless pet shelters, feral animals or strays.  This figure does not take into account other types of animal companions, or the household pets that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and transitioned in other countries.

Pet loss grief is a real and ongoing problem in today’s society. Most people consider their pet animals family members. Ongoing anti aging and health research validates that the intimate pet companion, therapy animals or just plain loved pets contribute to an individual’s length of life, quality of life and various other emotional, health and physical additives.

To address this ongoing and rising family and personal bereavement issue,
many pet loss grief support books are being published. This new wave of empathy for a devastated animal lover’s pet loss has created a new industry of pet loss sympathy gifts,
cards, memorials and books. All are striving to address, explain and minimize
personal pain after animal loss.

The children’s book industry has identified pet loss as a market to enable parents to address
and promote a healthy attitude and belief structure when children grieve surrounding the death of a family pet. The greeting card industry has established a pet loss category and
memorializing your pets with various decorative accessories or personal apparel
is becoming commonplace in today’s society.

Since pet loss is a recurrent part of the life cycle, the need has never been greater to address the positive side of pet loss for emotional and physical well being.  
Grief counselors, animal bereavement services, companion animal grief counselors all deal with the loss of a pet.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has some guidelines for knowing when to consider the options and ways to cope and deal with loss. Online, there are many sites dedicated to the Rainbows Bridge, Pet loss and even the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement, Inc. (APLB), “the only Internet site with professionally trained volunteers in pet bereavement counseling.”
There are myriad pet loss links and resource networks.

Current pet loss counseling and the “coping with pet loss” process focus on grief and memorials.  AHCs focus on positive spiritual perspectives that ignite hope. 
The concept of permanent pet loss, a forever angel animal, or never returning from the
Rainbow Bridge is a limited awareness when dealing with the death of a pet.
AHCs center their attention on a larger consciousness that includes animal reincarnation;
a belief embraced by most of the world’s oldest and largest religions since the Egyptian era.

AHCs bring together an awareness of death that illuminates the integral human animal bond of spiritual agreements, ongoing animal communication and pets soul contracts that concentrate
on joyous reunions, not just death.  AHCs address traditional grief reactions
with a positive spiritual approach to well being.