In 2014, I had to unexpectedly put both of my dogs down, 6 months apart, with the last one being my baby, Lola...I had her for 13 years. The night we put her down, I had trouble falling asleep, it was the first time I had slept without one of my beloved dogs in my arms in over 25 years. I remembered that my niece had given me one of her stuffed animals after we put Maggie, the younger one, down and she said, “here, sleep with this”.  I grabbed the stuffed animal and cuddled it the way I did my girls and was able to drift off and slept through the night.

When I woke up the next morning, the idea popped into my head...a “griefpuppy”.  I searched the internet for days and found a recommendation to “go out and buy a stuffed animal to cuddle”, but where would I start?  What would I get?  The thought was overwhelming in my time of loss.

I came up with the idea of a grief kit to help people work through the process of grief with a customized stuffed animal and a Doctor formulated journal with questions to validate your emotions and help you to honor your pet's life and the unconditional love they give.  This allowed me the time I needed to heal and ready myself to open my heart again to the love of an amazing animal...  They are never "replaceable".