Not sure what kind of support you need after losing your pet?
In a large UK survey, 56.7%[1] of bereaved pet owners couldn't find the support they needed. This short quiz won't measure your grief. It helps you work out what kind of help to look for first.
- Three gentle questions, no sign-up
- Points you to a guide, not a diagnosis
- Your answers stay on your screen
Pet Loss Grief Support Resources · planning preferences
Pet loss support: choose your next question
Use Pet Loss Grief Support Resources to choose your next pet loss support question, wherever you are worldwide. Select one guide topic, one detail to clarify and your current planning stage. The result repeats your choices and links to that guide. It does not measure grief or select clinical treatment.
Your choices stay in this page’s memory. They are shared only if you choose to send an email draft. Clear them below or reload to start again.
Prefer to ask our team directly?Question 1 of 3
Which support topic would you like to explore?
Pet Loss Grief Support Resources organizes this worldwide pet loss support selector around four guide topics. Choose the question closest to what you want to understand first. The next two choices identify one detail and your planning stage. You can change the topic later; selecting it does not submit an inquiry or authorize any arrangement.
Before you start
What this quiz does, and what it doesn't
The quiz above asks three questions. First, which support topic you'd like to explore: finding pet loss resources, professional counseling, support groups, or understanding how grief moves over time. Second, which practical detail you most want to clarify, such as the difference between peer and clinical support, or what a group expects you to share. Third, how far along you are in looking.
It is not a grief assessment. It doesn't score how you feel, suggest treatment or decide whether you need a professional. It simply helps you choose where to look first, then links to a guide. Nothing you select is sent anywhere unless you copy it or open an email draft yourself.
Your result
What to do with your result
If you're just looking, open the guide your result links to and read at your own pace. There's no need to contact anyone today. If you know roughly what you want but have questions, carry them into the support planning worksheet, where you can note what kind of help, in what format, and what you'd want to check first.
If you already have details from a helpline, group or counselor, the result suggests comparing what they've told you with what you actually want. For example, a group might be run by trained volunteers rather than licensed therapists. Neither is better; it just helps to know which you're joining.
You can also simply stop at the result. Reading one guide, or knowing that a free helpline exists for the day you want it, is a real step. Some people come back to the quiz weeks later with a different answer to the last question, and that's exactly how it's meant to be used.
Knowing who runs a service, and what they ask of you, makes it easier to walk through the door.
Kinds of help
Peer, pastoral or clinical support: telling them apart
Peer support means talking with people who've been through pet loss, sometimes trained volunteers. Pastoral support comes from a faith leader or chaplain. Clinical support is from a licensed counselor, psychologist or therapist, which matters if grief is overwhelming daily life for a long time.
Many peer options cost nothing. Tufts University runs a free, volunteer-staffed pet loss helpline[2], and Cornell's free hotline is staffed by veterinary students trained by grief counselors[3]. Private counseling is paid: one Calgary practice charges CA$220/hour[4] for pet-loss counseling. Put side by side, our calculation is that one paid hour there costs roughly what a basic private cremation does, whereas at least four helplines run by universities and charities in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand charge nothing to call[5]. The guide to professional grief counseling for pet loss explains what to ask a counselor.
Together or alone
Groups or one-to-one conversations
Some people find comfort in hearing others describe the same empty food bowl. Others would rather talk privately. Groups vary: some are drop-in, some run for a set number of weeks; some are in person, many are online. If you choose "privacy and participation rules" in the quiz, you'll be pointed toward the questions to ask before you join.
Which kind of support have you tried since your loss?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Our guide to finding pet loss support groups and the post comparing group and individual support go into more detail. To see which kinds of help other readers reached for, check the live poll results, or browse support options by area.
How long it lasts
There is no correct timetable for pet grief
Grief for a pet doesn't follow neat stages. In one US study, nearly one in three pet owners[6] grieved for at least six months, and 66.9%[7] of UK owners in a large survey were surprised by how intense their grief was. Neither figure is a rule for you; they show how common it is to feel more, for longer, than you expected.
The guide to the pet grief timeline without fake stages looks at what research actually says, and when it may be worth talking to a professional.
Practical questions
Cost, privacy and getting an appointment
Practical details can quietly stop people from reaching out: not knowing whether something costs money, whether a group expects you to speak, or whether a counselor has space. Picking "cost and appointment availability" in the quiz is a reasonable place to begin if that's what's holding you back.
Free tool
Pet loss grief check-in
A private, two-minute check-in on how you're coping, with ideas that match where you are.
The grief check-in asks six gentle agree-or-disagree questions and gives a plain-language, non-clinical summary with suggestions to consider. For a broader list of options, see our support resources overview.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Which kind of support have you tried since your loss?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which moment of the day feels emptiest now?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What helped you most in the first weeks?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Will this quiz tell me if my grief is normal?
No. It doesn't assess grief at all. It helps you choose what kind of support to look into first and links to a guide. If you're worried about how you're coping, a licensed professional or your doctor can talk it through with you.
Is pet loss support free?
Much of it is. Several university and charity helplines in the US, UK and Australia are free to call, and many online groups are free to join. Private counseling usually has a fee, and insurance coverage varies, so ask before booking.
What's the difference between a pet loss helpline and a crisis line?
A pet loss helpline offers a listening ear about your pet and your grief. A crisis line is for when you feel unsafe or can't cope. If you're having thoughts of harming yourself, call a crisis line such as 988 in the US or Canada, or 116 123 in the UK and Ireland.
Are my quiz answers private?
Yes. They stay on this page while it's open and aren't sent to us or anyone else. Clearing your choices or reloading the page wipes them. You decide whether to copy the result or open an email draft.
Can I use the quiz for someone else, like my child?
You can, by answering with them in mind. The support groups and resources guides both include options for families. For children, our post on supporting children after pet loss offers gentle, age-appropriate ideas.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 56.7% of bereaved pet owners in the RSPCA survey could not find the support they needed. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [2] Tufts University's Pet Loss Support Helpline (508-839-7966) is free and volunteer-staffed, 6–9 pm ET Monday to Thursday, with 24-hour voicemail. Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 2026.
- [3] Cornell's free Pet Loss Support Hotline (607-218-7457) is staffed by veterinary students trained by professional grief counselors. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, 2026.
- [4] A Calgary psychology practice charges CA$220 per 60-minute pet-loss counselling session, which Alberta Health Care does not cover. Trio Psychology – Pet Loss Counselling (Calgary), 2026.
- [5] A private pet-loss counselling hour (CA$220 in Calgary) costs about as much as a basic private cremation, while at least four university and charity lines in the US, UK and Australia/NZ are free to call. Our estimate: Count of free-to-call lines: Tufts, Cornell, Blue Cross, Pets and People (free call). How we calculate.
- [6] A 2009 Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic study of 106 pet owners found nearly 1 in 3 grieved for at least six months. SHRM — Grieving a Pet's Death: Should Workers Get Time Off? (2016), 2009.
- [7] 66.9% of respondents were surprised by how intense their grief was after losing a pet. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Ask us about pet loss support
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.