Welcome to Victoria's first Pet Loss Support Group, where you can share your feelings with others who are going through a similar experience. The group is an ongoing, informal support group led by a compassionate facilitator and provided to the public free of charge.

Whether an animal dies, is lost or stolen, or must be placed in a new home, sorrow is a normal and natural reaction to the loss of a beloved friend. But our culture doesn't provide us with the rituals or the understanding and support we need to help us mourn the loss of a companion animal. Even your best friends and relatives may not acknowledge or understand the depth of feeling you have for a lost pet.

Our support group's facilitator, Dr. Corrinne Allyson, has over 25 years experience as a  psychotherapist and counsellor.  She has provided grief and bereavement counselling in hospices in Toronto and Victoria and we are delighted she is willing to share this knowledge and experience with our support group.

Dr. Allyson knows what it means to lose a beloved companion.  She lost her 12 year-old standard poodle, Shanti, three years ago.  “Pets give us companionship and unconditional love. Our relationships with them are very special,” she says.   “For many of us, our animal companion is a member of the family, and when the bond we share is broken, the resulting sense of loss and grief is as real, and sometimes even more overwhelming, as when we lose a relative or friend.  Talking about the loss of a pet with others who understand can be an important part of the recovery process.”