Introduction As pet lovers we know the enormous joy that our animal friends can bring to our lives. Sadly, there is also a downside to sharing our lives with the cats, dogs, birds and other animals that touch us so deeply. In many cases we will long outlive them. We will have to say goodbye many times in our lives to beloved companions. It seems that no matter how many times we say goodbye to one of our friends it never gets any easier. We can learn to treasure each day we have with our pets. We can try to make their later years as comfortable as possible. But we also need to be able to recognize when they have reached the point when it is time to say goodbye. Many times they will let us know with a look in their eyes; with their stumbling gait; with a general decline in their quality of life. When you and your vet have done all that you can and your companion no longer feels the joy of living, you will have to do the responsible, loving thing and let them go with peace. It's never easy. If you are taking your pet to the vet to say goodbye try to take a friend with you. It will need to be a good friend because it's an emotional time. If you say goodbye at home try to have someone near you for comfort. Once you have said goodbye to your pet you may be faced with many choices about what to do next. Will you have your pet cremated? Will you choose a final resting place for your pet? These are hard decisions to make, especially when you’re grieving, but you do need to consider carefully. These choices will stay with you and you don’t want to have any regrets later on. Fortunately, today there are some professionals who can help you through these decisions, if you choose to use them. Pet cemeteries exist in some areas where your pet can be buried. You can return to visit your pet and know that his or her grave is being tended regularly. You can honor your pet with a nice marker, too. Others may choose to bury a pet a home, if the law in your area allows. Or you can always choose a cremation for your pet. In that case you will have your pet’s ashes close to you. Or, you may wish to scatter them in a place that was special to both of you. Choosing your pet’s final resting place is a part of the grieving process. It can help you come to terms with the fact of his or her passing. And your choices for your pet are ways to honor him or her. After these decisions are made you may want to think about honoring your pet through a memorial of some kind. These days there are many virtual memorials on the Internet. You could set up a page to your pet with photos and a simulated candle. Your friends and people who knew your pet could leave messages of condolence, similar to a condolence book at a funeral home. These are ways to remember your pet and they can help you grieve and ultimately feel better. If your pet had special accomplishments you may want to remember them on a web site. If you belong to a club you could take out a page in a newsletter in remembrance of your pet. All of these actions can help you celebrate your pet’s life and cope with his or her loss. Pets in our society occupy an unusual position. Although there are over 77 million pet dogs, over 93 million pet cats, over 15 million pet birds, and over 13 million pet horses, suggesting that the United States is a nation of great animal lovers, there are still many people who may not understand your grief when your pet dies. To many people a dog is “just a dog,” or a cat is “just a cat.” They may not understand that you loved your pet like a family member. Even people in your own family may not be very understanding about your feelings. People are different. Some people have less feelings for animals than others. If you are grieving for your pet and the people around you are not very sympathetic, try reaching out to other animal lovers. They will understand. There are many e-mail groups and chat lists on the Internet devoted to pets. There are even groups that are devoted to people whose pets have passed away. Here you will be able to talk freely about your feelings with people who are going through the same things. Grief is difficult for all of us. It doesn’t matter that your feelings are for your pet: your feelings are still real. It will help you to acknowledge them and deal with them instead of trying to hide them. In this e-book we’ll talk about saying goodbye to your pet, making final arrangements, and ways to cope with your loss. Whether you’ve recently lost a pet or you are simply reading to find out about the process, we hope that the book will be helpful to you.