If you need to talk to someone right now
Whatever you're feeling — grief, guilt, panic, numbness — it's valid, and support exists. Every resource below is real, currently operating, and listed with the specific phone number, hours, or web address you'd need to actually reach them — not just a name.
ASPCA Pet Loss Support — (877) 474-3310
Free grief support line, available 24 hours a day. You can also email griefsupport@aspca.org.
Cornell University Pet Loss Support Hotline — (607) 218-7457
Staffed by trained veterinary students; hours vary by academic semester, so if no one answers, leave a message and someone will call back. Details at vet.cornell.edu.
Tufts Pet Loss Support Helpline — (508) 839-7966
Staffed 6–9 pm Eastern, Monday through Thursday, with 24-hour voicemail; calls are returned at the next shift. Details at vet.tufts.edu.
Lap of Love Pet Loss & Bereavement Resource Line — (855) 352-LOVE (352-5683)
Staffed 10 am–9 pm Eastern, Monday through Friday, by certified pet loss and bereavement coaches. More at lapoflove.com.
APLB — Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement — aplb.org
Free, moderated grief chat rooms (no phone line): evenings at 8 pm Eastern, Sundays at 2 pm Eastern, and a dedicated anticipatory-grief chat on the first Thursday of each month, 8–9:30 pm Eastern.
Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741
Free, confidential, 24/7 support by text for any kind of emotional crisis, not limited to pet loss.
If you are in immediate danger or having thoughts of self-harm, please call or text 988 (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7 in the US) or your local emergency number right away.
For the days and weeks after
Crisis lines are for acute moments, but a lot of grief unfolds more slowly — in the quiet of an ordinary Tuesday, three weeks later, when you reach for a leash that isn't needed anymore. For that kind of ongoing support, we built two free tools:
The 30-Day Grief Companion sends a short, honest note to your inbox for the weeks when the loss is freshest — no upsells, just words meant to help.
The Memory Journal gives you a private place to hold onto the small things — the habits, the sounds, the details you don't want to lose. Entries stay on your device; nothing is sent to a server.
Ask us to check in on a friend
Sometimes the person going through this doesn't have the energy to reach out themselves, but a nudge from someone else can matter. If you'd like, tell us a friend's name and email — we'll send them a short, gentle note letting them know someone who cares about them thought of them today, with a link to this page. Nothing salesy, and only sent once.
We'll send exactly one note to this address, right away. Nothing else is sent afterward.
If you're worried about someone else
If a friend or family member is grieving a pet and it feels heavier than you know how to hold, the organizations above also support people supporting a grieving person. Simply witnessing someone's grief — without minimizing it — is often the most helpful thing you can do.