Whitney woman counsels pet owners through grief

For years, when friends and family needed a sympathetic ear following a pet's death, they knew they could count on Rebecca Zisch. Now the Whitney-area resident is expanding that talent into a service, Friends Forever Counseling .

"There are people out there who don't understand how someone can be deeply affected by the loss of a pet," Zisch said. "Sometimes they hide it. I know one person who took two weeks off as personal time off because she knew that the people who worked with her would scoff at her sadness."

Zisch is a certified pet grief counselor who trained with the Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement. She said pet bereavement has achieved such prominence in recent years that the group holds an annual conference and several other annual get-togethers.

"In an age when people feel so separated from each other, we rely on our pets for unconditional love and support," Zisch said. "There's a day-to-day relationship, and when people lose that relationship, it can be even more of a loss than when they lose a human in their life."

Zisch said pet loss grief can come from more than just the death of a pet. She has counseled people whose pets have disappeared, who don't know if their pet just wandered off, was taken or died. Increasingly, she sees people dealing with the loss of a beloved pet through divorce.

"I was still going through the emotional stuff with my divorce, and my new apartment doesn't allow dogs, so I couldn't bring them with me," said Zisch's friend Francine Gordon. "Rebecca saw that it was bothering me, even though I didn't see it. She told me I was suffering a loss, and that it was real and valid."

After an initial evaluation, Zisch may devote several sessions to help families and individuals work through the loss of a pet. In addition to helping with the loss, she may recommend a new pet. She offers counseling to families on which pet is right for them, too.

"I ask questions, find out what they're looking for in a pet." Zisch said. "They may think they want a cat. But I'll realize that they need another kind of animal entirely."

In Gordon's case, the apartment regulation against dogs and her allergy to cats led them in a different direction. Gordon is now the proud owner of a guinea pig named Bear Bear.

"Rebecca took me to the pet store and helped me get everything we needed for a guinea pig, including a book about them," Gordon said. "Then we went to the shelter and got a rescue guinea pig. I didn't even know that they had them there. I feel good about saving an animal and Bear Bear is a great pet. They make this sort of trilling noise, which I didn't know about, which was a pleasant surprise."

Initially, Zisch said her new counseling service will be offered one-on-one in her clients' homes. But she also hopes to offer regular community grief circles, where people can share their experiences of pet loss in a safe group environment.

"It would be an open opportunity for people to come and share, who wouldn't necessarily be able to afford one-on-one counseling or aren't interested in one-on-one counseling," Zisch said. "It would be for people looking for a more social setting to come and share their stories."

Zisch is seeking a meeting place for the grief circles. She's asking around at public spaces to try to find a place that seems right and is hoping the right person with the right space available will hear of her quest.

For more information, visit friends
forevercounseling.com.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.