How a Pet Loss Grief Advocate Can Help You Heal

Compassionate Support for Pet Parents in Northern Michigan

Saying goodbye to a beloved animal companion can be one of the most heartbreaking experiences in life. For many, it’s more than just the loss of a pet—it’s the loss of a family member, a daily routine, and a source of unconditional love. And yet, grief after pet loss is often misunderstood or dismissed. That’s where a Pet Loss Grief Advocate can make a meaningful difference.

At Northern Paws Pet Care, we offer compassionate grief support services tailored to your emotional and spiritual needs. Whether you're in Antrim County, Michigan, or anywhere in the United States, you don’t have to navigate this loss alone.

🐾 What Is a Pet Loss Grief Advocate?

A Pet Loss Grief Advocate is someone trained to support individuals and families through the complex emotions of losing a beloved animal. While not a licensed therapist, a grief advocate provides empathetic, nonjudgmental guidance—and holds space for your grief in a way friends and family may not be able to.

Ashley Areeda, founder of Northern Paws Pet Care, is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Advocate with over 20 years of experience supporting animals and their people. Through her pet grief services, she offers both emotional guidance and memorial planning rooted in compassion and respect.

🌿 Why Grieving Pet Loss Is So Hard

• The loss is often minimized by others, even though it’s deeply personal.

• Pets are part of your daily rhythm—their absence leaves silence and routine disruptions.

• There's often guilt, confusion, or regret tied to end-of-life decisions like euthanasia.

• It may be the first major loss a child or young adult experiences.

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline. That’s why grief advocacy is so important—it allows you to move through the pain at your own pace, with someone who truly understands.

💛 Services We Offer at Northern Paws Pet Care

🕊️ Private Grief Support Sessions

Offered virtually or in person in Antrim County, these one-on-one sessions provide a safe, quiet space to talk, cry, reflect, and begin to heal.

🌲 Pet Memorial Planning

Whether you want a private farewell ceremony, a creative keepsake, or a ritual in nature, Ashley will help you design a meaningful memorial that reflects your pet’s spirit.

🐶 Support for Families & Children

We offer guidance for families navigating loss together, including tips for helping children understand death and create loving goodbyes.

🐾 Grief Resource Referrals

Access to trusted grief counselors, pet cremation services, local memorial artisans, and more throughout Northern Michigan.

🌅 Healing Starts with Connection

Grief is not a problem to be fixed—it’s a journey to be supported. At Northern Paws, we believe that every goodbye deserves to be honored, and every heart deserves space to heal.

Whether your loss was recent or long ago, you are not alone. Together, we can walk through the pain, celebrate the love, and begin to find peace.

📩 Ready to Talk?

Reach out to schedule a private grief support session or memorial consultation.

👉 Contact Ashley Today