When my sons started their own lives in their early 20s, I’ve gotta admit, the house felt empty. For the first time in my life, I experienced loneliness. The glue that held me together (aside from my husband): my Havanese dogs, Calvin and Bo. Whether working in my garden, cooking or running errands, they were my wingmen. They delighted in my company no matter what we were doing and provided the salve to my empty nest sting. Then Calvin (17) suddenly died in November and Bo (15) died last week after a 3-year battle with a tumor. (I’d only lost one dog at time of the show taping) The void in our home—and in my heart—is profound, a bit surprising and maybe even a bit embarrassing. I just have not been able to feel good. I think to myself: geez pull yourself together girl! How are you gonna make it when a person you love dies? In this week’s podcast, I speak with Dr. Katie Lawlor, a trained trauma psychologist who specializes in pet grief and loss. She wanted to come on the show to talk about the mental health crisis facing vets: a 2019 study shows vet professionals are experiencing the highest rates of suicide among all medical professions. And that was before the pressures of the pandemic, during which 23 million people adopted pets. Katie and I discuss the reasons behind the vet crisis, what is being done about it—and if your vet is an important person in your life (it sure was in mine) what you can do about it. And we also talk about the intensity of our bond w/ pets and why it hurts so much when we lose them. Listen here: https://shesez.com/pet-grief-hard-for-us-and-our-vets/ #petlosssupport #petgrief #petloss #veterinarymentalhealth #griefsupport #havaneselove #havaneseofinstagram #doglove