August 28 is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.
It's a quiet holiday. There aren't cards. There aren't parties. But for pet parents who have lost a pet, it's one of the most important days of the year.
Grief for a pet is real. It doesn't always look the same as grief for a person, but it hits just as hard. Sometimes harder. Pets are the ones who saw us at our worst, sat with us through hard days, and never held it against us. Losing them leaves a very specific kind of hole.
If you're missing someone today, you're not alone.
Here are some quiet ways to mark the day.
Simple ways to honor a pet you miss:
- Look at old photos. Actually stop and look.
- Say their name out loud
- Visit a spot that was theirs
- Write down one memory you don't want to forget
- Do something kind for another pet in their name (donate to a shelter, walk a friend's dog, foster for a weekend)
- Sit with the feeling. Don't rush past it.
If you're still deep in the loss, know that missing them is part of loving them. The two things don't separate.
And if you're a pet parent who hasn't lost yet, today is a good day to be extra present with the ones still with you.
"Grief is love with nowhere to land."
with love, Ava
