Workshop · Virtual
Rituals for Pet Loss
When we lose an animal companion, we lose a daily witness to our lives, and the grief can be as deep as any other. Yet pet loss is often treated as something to get over quickly, with few rituals to hold it.
In this gentle virtual workshop, ceremony guide Megan Sheldon and veterinarian Dr. Jenn Roedig of Sage Paws bring together ritual and end-of-life care. They offer ways to honour your animal before, during and after their death, in a community where this grief is understood.
- When
- Date & time TBA
- Format
- Virtual
- Price
- $90.00 USD
Who this workshop is for
- People caring for an aging or seriously ill companion animal and anticipating the goodbye
- Anyone grieving a recent loss, or still carrying the loss of a pet from years ago
- Families looking for ways to include children in honouring a beloved animal
- Veterinary teams, doulas, celebrants and other professionals who support people through animal death and bereavement
What to expect
Together we'll move through the three thresholds of pet loss:
- Before: rituals for savouring the time you have left and preparing your heart for the goodbye
- During: how to create a calm, loving container for euthanasia or a natural death, at home or in a clinic
- After: home funerals, memorials, altars and remembrance practices that carry the bond forward
Megan will share stories from her own family's home funeral for their dog, Kona. Jenn will bring a veterinarian's perspective on quality of life, decision-making and what to expect at the end. There will be time for questions, and you can share only as much as feels right.
What you'll learn
- Simple rituals for honouring your animal while they are still with you
- How to plan a peaceful goodbye, including what to ask your vet ahead of time
- Ways to hold a meaningful home funeral or memorial ceremony
- Practices for tending grief in the weeks and months afterward, including on anniversaries
- How to support children and other household animals through the loss
Facilitators
Megan Sheldon
Megan Sheldon (she/her) is a cultural mythologist, humanist celebrant, end-of-life doula, and co-founder of Be Ceremonial, the world's first guided ritual and ceremony platform. She is the author of Ritual Without Religion: A Humanist Guide to Creating Secular Ceremonies, and has spent years crafting ceremonies across the life cycle, with a focus on grief and loss. Her passion is helping people cross the silent thresholds and mark those seemingly invisible moments of change with meaning. She offers workshops, courses and in-person retreats near her home in North Vancouver, BC.
Dr. Jenn Roedig
Dr. Jenn Roedig, DVM, is a veterinarian and the founder of Sage Paws, where she guides pet parents through their animals' golden years and end of life. She trained as an end-of-life coach and a pet loss bereavement specialist, and is certified in Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling. Jenn has walked alongside hundreds of families facing illness, aging and goodbye, helping them make decisions with clarity, release guilt, and stay present for the time they have left. She works virtually, complementing the medical care pets receive at their own clinic.