If you've ever grieved for a pet, you've probably heard people say, "Why are you so upset? It's just an animal." Comments like this are hurtful, especially when you're heartbroken for the loss of an animal you consider to be your soulmate.
People who say things like this may be insensitive, but their perspective also reflects the world we live in. Although most people consider their pets valued members of their families, as a society we continue to minimize the grief people experience when they lose their pets. In fact, research shows that most pet keepers grieve alone because they worry that others will dismiss their feelings or accuse them of being overly emotional.
Just an Animal offers a critical perspective on this phenomenon. Digging deep into the historical record, it explores the ideological foundations of a false narrative about animals that distorts reality and fails to reflect the powerful bonds millions of people share with their animal companions. It also chronicles how this outdated perspective is shifting as pet enthusiasts, animal healers and protectors, animal scientists, and spiritual leaders tell a new story about our fellow creatures that celebrates their remarkable intelligence, exquisite emotional sensitivity, and simple wisdom.
If you've ever struggled to find sympathetic support after losing a cherished pet, this book will give you a fresh perspective on your experience and a deeper understanding of the social forces that have shaped your grief journey. You'll realize that you're not alone-that countless people just like you grieve intensely for their animal companions and that such grief is a fitting response to the loss of an important relationship.
Just an Animal is the third book in the Pet Chaplain(R) Learning Series, a four-volume set that explores pet keeping and loss and offers instruction in interfaith spiritual care for pet loss. The series is the brainchild of Rob Gierka, EdD, who founded Pet Chaplain, a community service and educational organization, in 2004. Rob and his coauthor Karen Duke have practiced veterinary chaplaincy in community and clinical settings, and they've also taught veterinary chaplaincy worldwide. Visit petchaplain.com to learn more.
Duke, Karen: - Karen Duke earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Florida. She has been a professional writer and graphic designer since 1985. In 2013, she started co-facilitating a pet loss support group with her partner Rob Gierka, EdD, founder and president of Pet Chaplain(R), a community service and educational organization. A talented researcher and storyteller, Karen collaborated with Rob to develop and lead the first online course in veterinary chaplaincy from 2018 to 2022. That course is now the Pet Chaplain Learning Series, a distinctive educational resource for pet lovers and future veterinary chaplains.
Gierka, Robert: - Rob Gierka, EdD, is an expert in the human-animal bond and pet loss, with extensive experience as a veterinary chaplain, community pet chaplain, and chaplaincy educator. He offers a wealth of scholarship across diverse fields, from existential psychology to human-animal studies, along with practical expertise in the emerging field of veterinary chaplaincy. Rob holds a doctoral degree in professional and continuing adult education from North Carolina State University (NCSU), with a research focus on the human-animal bond and pet loss. Rob's chaplaincy journey began in the 1990s, when he trained and worked as a hospital chaplain and as a community outreach minister for his church. In 2004, Rob expanded his chaplaincy work into the pet-keeping community by launching Pet Chaplain(R) (petchaplain.com). He gained hands-on veterinary experience serving as the on-call chaplain at NCSU's veterinary teaching hospital for nearly two years in the early 2000s. In 2006, he started a monthly pet loss support group in collaboration with the SPCA, which he continues to facilitate. The books in the Pet Chaplain Learning Series reflect Rob's scholarship and practical experience. They are based on the written lectures Rob and his coauthor Karen Duke co-developed for an online course in veterinary chaplaincy, which they co-facilitated for five years between 2018 and 2022. They welcomed students from around the world with diverse educational and professional backgrounds, marking a significant step toward developing this new and essential field of interfaith spiritual care.
