Loving and Losing a Pet

A Psychologist and a Veterinarian Share Their Wisdom

Michael Stern author Susan Cropper author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Jason Aronson Publishers

Published:1st Feb '98

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Loving and Losing a Pet cover

Michael Stern, PhD, is a clinical psychologist practicing in New York and New Jersey. He is an adjunct associate professor at Teachers' College of Columbia University, and a clinical supervisor in a number of other academic institutes. He has worked and published in the field of the human-animal bond, is counseling bereaved pet owners, and is currently involved in assisting pet owners who are threatened with evictions and legal actions by their landlords. This activity grew out of frequently asked questions at book signing events, radio call-in shows, and television interviews, when it became clear that too many people are forced to part with their pets because of housing restrictions. Stern's experience with various age groups serves as background to many of the chapters in Loving and Losing a Pet. In following the meaning that pet ownership has in different phases of life, one can gain a better appreciation of the bonds that develop. It also enhances one's understanding of the grief involved in losing a pet at any of these phases. The book is based on real people with real pets. The many anecdotes that are offered as illustrations were taken from the professional experience of the book's coauthor, Susan Cropper, a veterinarian with a unique home visiting practice in northern New Jersey. Such an approach made it easier to address practical issues and concerns in a clear and specific manner, while all along preserving the authors' awe and appreciation of the wonderful bond between people and their pets.

I wish people would read this book before they get an animal companion, because it helps put the relationship on the right track from the start. It is especially instructive for parents, therapists, and veterinarians as an invaluable guide for all who will eventually grieve the loss of their pets. The more we grieve, the more we have loved. This book enables us to embrace our grief. -- Michael W. Fox, DSc, PhD, BVetMed, The Humane Society of the United States
This book welcomes us, thoughtfully and kindly, into the world of people-pet relationships and makes us feel comfortably at home in it. In just the same way it shows us how to introduce a pet into the family and share a comfortable togetherness in which we and the pet can feel good. There is ample portrayal of the deep, rich satisfactions of these relationships and of all that they mean at different periods in our lives, and there is equal emphasis on the knowledge and responsibility necessary for consistent care and wise decision-making. The pains and stresses of aging, illness, and death—ours and the pet's—are also explored in a calm and helpful way. Loving and Losing a Pet is a must, not only for pet owners (prospective, new, and experienced) but for all professionals concerned with the well-being of people and animals. -- Erna Furman, president, Association for Child Psychoanalysis, author of A Child's Parent Dies

ISBN: 9780765701169

Dimensions: 244mm x 169mm x 19mm

Weight: 497g

210 pages