Amanda Childs

Pet Bereavement

Counsellor

Helping you navigate your way through grief and bereavement

Support for those struggling pre, during and post the loss of a much loved companion animal.

I am a qualified Pet Bereavement Counsellor providing support to pet carers who are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their beloved pet.

A relationship between pet carer and pet is profound, sometimes, more so than any other relationship a pet carer may have.  For many people, the grief experienced when faced with or after losing a pet can be extremely intense, overwhelming and all consuming.  It is sometimes difficult for other people to understand this intense grief which can leave a pet carer struggling on their own and feeling isolated whilst they try to process their loss.

As a pet carer myself and also owner and founder of my own Dog Training Business, Happy Buddies Dog Training, I have experienced pet loss from both a personal and client perspective.  I’ve experienced the loss of our family dogs Rip, Charlie, Sophie and Pippin, my beautiful dog Rosie, my rescue cat Molly, my hamster Dormouse and experienced the pain and heartache that came with having to say goodbye to them all.

It was, however, due to my role as a professional dog trainer and dog walker, that I qualified as a Pet Bereavement Counsellor.  It is sadly inevitable that the dogs I work with will, at some point, pass away and we all hope that when that time comes it will be due to old age and peacefully in their sleep. However, whether it be due to old age, health conditions or sad and tragic circumstances, it is never easy to experience or accept.  Each time a client contacted me with the sad news that their dog had passed away, I felt powerless to help them and realised that there is limited help available for bereaved pet carers.  I therefore, completed a Pet Bereavement Advanced Diploma (gaining a Distinction) and set up Amanda Childs Pet Bereavement Counselling to help pet carers navigate their way through their grief and bereavement, help them process their loss, learn to adapt to a life without their pet and find ways in which to memorialise their pet.

I am an Accredited Member of the Association of Pet Bereavement Counsellors.