Losing a beloved pet is a heart-wrenching experience, and the grief that follows can be profound.
This collection of pet loss quotes is a testament to the enduring bond between humans and their furry, feathered, or scaly friends.
I collected them from various online sources to offer a sense of unity and understanding in the face of grief and to remind us that the impact of our pets’ love lasts forever!
1. “Not the least hard thing to bear when they go from us, these quiet friends, is that they carry away with them so many years of our own lives.” — John Galsworthy
2. “The loss of a beloved pet leaves a hole in the heart that can never be filled.” ― Roy Horn
3. “If there is a heaven, it’s certain our animals are to be there. Their lives become so interwoven with our own, it would take more than an archangel to detangle them.” ― Pam Brown
4. “The loss of a pet is like losing a member of your family.” ― Bob Barker
5. “The bond between a pet and a human is a sacred one, and when a pet is gone, a part of us goes with them.” ― James Herriot
6. “I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, but instead, I am deeply honored knowing you spent the rest of your life with me.” — Camille Marcotte
7. “Many who have spent a lifetime in it can tell us less of love than the child that lost a dog yesterday.” — Thornton Wilder
8. “When we adopt … any pet, we know it is going to end with us having to say goodbye, but we still do it. And we do it for a very good reason — they bring so much joy and optimism and happiness.” — Bruce Cameron
9. “Sometimes losing a pet is more painful than losing a human because in the case of the pet, you were not pretending to love it.” — Amy Sedaris
10. “Loving and loyal, A friend through and through, How in the world can I live life without you?” — Kelly Roper
1. “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. ” ― Anatole France
2. “Pets are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” ― Roger Caras
3. “He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me to an understanding where before I was ignorant.” ― Gene Hill
4. “Nobody can fully understand the meaning of love unless he’s owned a dog. A dog can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes.” ― Gene Hill
5. “Pets are not just animals, they are gifts to us that bring love and joy to our lives.” ― Bob Barker
6. “Our beloved pets teach us more than we could ever have expected, and they love us more than we could have hoped.” ― Unknown
7. “I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the Role Model for being alive.” ― Gilda Radner
8. “Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” — Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
9. “If not for dogs, how would we know the meaning of unconditional love.” ― M.L. Gerard
10. “Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.” ― James Cromwell
11. “Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to.” ― Alfred Armand Montapert
12. “Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them and filling an emptiness we didn’t even know we had.” ― Thom Jones
13. “If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” — James Herriot
14. “The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” ― Samuel Butler
15. “The bond with a dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be.” ― Konrad Lorenz
16. “I believe all animals were created by God to help keep man alive.” — Iowa Fujita
17. “All his sweet and shaggy life, always near me, never troubling me, and asking nothing.”― Pablo Neruda
18. “No one loves you unconditionally as your beloved pet.” — Cynthia Dobesh
19. “Animals have come to mean so much in our lives. We live in a fragmented and disconnected culture. Politics are ugly, religion is struggling, technology is stressful, and the economy is unfortunate. What’s one thing that we have in our lives that we can depend on? A dog or a cat loving us unconditionally, every day, very faithfully.” — Jon Katz
20. “It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” — John Grogan
1. “The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief. But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love.” ― Hilary Stanton Zunin
2. “Your pets can feel your grief after they pass away but it will not harm them or keep them from continuing on their journey in the afterlife.” ― Karen A Anderson
3. “Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.” — Rumi
4. “You think the final act of love is setting them free to Rainbow Bridge? That is not the final act of love. The final act of love is releasing them from your leash of grief so they can be free in heaven on the other side of the Bridge.” ― Kate McGahan
5. “Honor your grief and the pain you feel when you lose a beloved pet. It is the first step toward healing.” ― Karen A Anderson
6. “Even out of unspeakable grief, beautiful things take wing.” — A.R. Torres
7. “Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you..I loved you so- ’twas Heaven here with you.” — Isla Paschal Richardson
8. “The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.” — Thorton Wilder
9. “Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” — Vicki Harrison
10. “So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” — E.A. Bucchianeri
11. “Grief is so painfully real, regardless of its origin. The love of, and attachment to, an animal friend can equal that of human relationships. Likewise, the loss of an animal can be just as devastating.” — Rev. Joel L. Morgan
12. “I felt a grief that I had really not experienced before, even though I had lost relatives.” — John Grogan
13. “When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” — Kahlil Gibran
14. “We should never underestimate the powerful draw of a bond with a being that loves us unconditionally, asking very little in return. Losing this comfort and source of joy can be incomprehensible.” — Linda Lipshutz
15. “Having a pet is a risk — you always have the grief ahead. But that’s the flip side of love.” ― Unknown
16. “And it is exceedingly short, his galloping life. Dogs die so soon. I have my stories of that grief, no doubt many of you do also. It is almost a failure of will, a failure of love, to let them grow old — or so it feels. We would do anything to keep them with us, and to keep them young. The one gift we cannot give.” — Mary Oliver
17. “I feel about my pets now, and all the pets I had before this, the way I feel about children — they are that important to me. When I have lost a pet I have gone into a mourning period that lasted for months.” — Mary Tyler Moore
18. “The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
19. “Animals have a much better attitude to life and death than we do. They know when their time has come. We are the ones that suffer when they pass, but it’s a healing kind of grief that enables us to deal with other griefs that are not so easy to grab hold of.” — Emmylou Harris
20. “I should know enough about loss to realize that you never really stop missing someone — you just learn to live around the huge gaping hole of their absence.” — Alyson Noel
1. “Sorrow is how we learn to love. Your heart isn’t breaking. It hurts because it’s getting larger. The larger it gets, the more love it holds.” ― Rita Mae Brown
2. “Think not so much of ‘moving on’ but of ‘moving forward.’ And as you move forward, you always do so with your loved one by your side, in your heart, within your very breath. They are part of you now and always. You move forward with them and continue to engage life because of their inspiration.” — Ashley Davis Bush
3. “Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
4. “You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly – that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” — Anne Lamott
5. “One day we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” ― Pope Francis
6. “Never. We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don’t disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms.” — Paulo Coelho
7. “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.” ― Helen Keller
8. “When we think of those companions who traveled by our side down life’s road, let us not say with sadness that they left us behind, but rather say with gentle gratitude that they once were with us.” — Unknown
9. “Somewhere…somewhere in time’s own space, there must be some sweet pastured space where creeks sing on and tall trees grow, some paradise where horses go. For by the love that guides my pen, I know great horses live again.” — Stanley Harrison
10. “Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near, so loved, so missed, so very dear.” — Unknown
11. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — Winnie The Pooh
12. “Your favorite chair is empty now, where you would lie and sleep. But the memory of our happy times is mine to always keep.” — Unknown
13. “And they all said ‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ as if you were someone who could ever be taken from me.” — Robert Brault
14. “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” — From an Irish Headstone
15. “Those we love and lose are always connected by heartstrings into infinity.” — Terri Guillemets
16. “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.” — Washington Irving
17. “Gradually… and with time… letting go of the pain of our loss, bit by bit, never means letting go of our love.” — Barbara Schulte
18. “Heaven or the Other Side is all around us. It is not in some far-away place. Your loved ones are just a thought away.” ― Karen A. Anderson
19. “Your pets will never judge you for helping them leave a body that has failed them. To them it is the ultimate gift of love.” ― Karen A Anderson
20. “Everyone is taught that angels have wings, but the lucky ones of us find they have 4 paws.” ― Unknown
1. “A pet is the perfect definition of unconditional love…” ― B.J. Shonk
2. “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” ― Roger Caras
3. “No heaven will not ever Heaven be. Unless my cats are there to welcome me.” ― Unknown
4. “Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” ― Mark Twain
5. “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” ― Agnes Sligh Turnbull
6. “If love alone could have kept you here, you would’ve lived forever.” ― Unknown
7. “Some angels choose fur instead of wings.” ― Unknown
8. “Time spent with a cat is never wasted.” ― Sigmund Freud
9. “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.” ― Mark Twain
10. “Pets are a part of our families and their loss is felt just as deeply.” — Unknown
11. “A pet is never truly forgotten until it is no longer remembered.” — Lacie Petitto
12. “I have every confidence we’ll see them again in Heaven.” — Dr. Hebert
13. “They’re just happy you’re there.” — Sandra Barker
14. “Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” — Kahlil Gibran
15. “The littlest feet make the biggest footprints in our hearts.” — Unknown
16. “What greater gift than the love of a cat.” — Charles Dickens
17. “His ears were often the first thing to catch my tears.” — Elizabeth Barrett Browning
18. “It is a fearful thing to love what death can touch.” — Unknown
19. “God’s finger touched him, and he slept.” — Alfred, Lord Tennyson
20. “We only part to meet again.” — John Gay
1. “The loss of a pet is never easy. It’s a pain that we all go through at some point in our lives. But remember, the love you shared with your pet will always be remembered.” — Unknown
2. “You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson
3. “There are no words that can describe the loss of a beloved pet. The pain is deep and lasting, but so is the love we have for them.” — Unknown
4. “The empty place in your heart is the surest sign that you loved your pet dearly and gave them the beautiful gift of a full and happy life.” — Unknown
5. “A good dog never dies, he always stays, he walks beside you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and winter’s drawing near, his head within our hand in his old way.”― Anon
6. “There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a beloved pet, but knowing that others understand your grief can help.” — Unknown
7. “Do not mourn my passing, for if you could only see by slipping all my earthly bonds, I’m young again and free. By day I run the Heavenly fields, my body healthy and strong; at night, I sleep at Angels’ Feet, lulled by Celestial Song. So do not mourn my passing; just close your eyes — you’ll see I’m once again that frisky pup, just as you remember me.” — Anon
8. “To lose a beloved pet is one of the hardest things we have to go through in life. The pain and grief can be overwhelming, but know that you are not alone.” — Unknown
9. “Farewell is never forever. Though your precious cat isn’t on earth, their soul is forever connected to yours.” — Unknown
10. “Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.” — Eskimo Proverb
1. “That one true heart was left behind! What feeling do we ever find, to equal among humankind, a dog’s fidelity!” ― Thomas Hardy
2. “Dogs die. But dogs live, too. Right up until they die, they live. They live brave, beautiful lives. They protect their families. And love us. And make our lives a little brighter. And they don’t waste time being afraid of tomorrow.” ― Dan Gemeinhart
3. “Dogs make you somebody in the eyes of the universe.” ― Bob Sullivan
4. “The dog of your boyhood teaches you a great deal about friendship, love, and death: Old Skip was my brother. They had buried him under our elm tree; they said — yet this wasn’t totally true. For he really lay buried in my heart.” — William Morris
5. “The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.” ― Ben Hur Lampman
6. “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.” ― Will Rogers
7. “The dog is the most faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not so common. Our Lord God has made his greatest gift the commonest.” ― Martin Luther
8. “If I have any beliefs about immortality it is that certain dogs I know will go to heaven, and very very few people.” ― James Thurber
9. “With eye upraised his master’s look to scan, the joy, the solace, and the aid of man: The rich man’s guardian and the poor man’s friend, The only creature faithful to the end.” — George Crabbe
10. “Once you have a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” ― Dean Koontz
11. “No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.” — Louise Sabin
12. “Our dogs will love and admire the meanest of us, and feed our colossal vanity with their uncritical homage.” ― Agnes Repplier
13. “Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent.” ― Milan Kundera
14. “Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog, it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs your heart is very big.” — Erica Jong
15. “I guess you don’t really own a dog, you rent them, and you have to be thankful that you had a long lease.” ― Joe Garagiola
16. “To call him a dog hardly seems to do him justice, though inasmuch as he had four legs, a tail, and barked, I admit he was, to all outward appearances. But to those who knew him well, he was a perfect gentleman.” — Hermione Gingold
17. “Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.” — Caroline Knapp
18. “A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.” — John Grogan
19. “The misery of keeping a dog is his dying so soon. But, to be sure, if he lived for fifty years and then died, what would become of me?” — Sir Walter Scott
20. “If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness.” — Marjorie Garber
1. “To make heaven the perfect resting place for loved ones we adore, God made sure those Pearly Gates contained a kitty door.” — Unknown
2. “Someone asked me what the most difficult thing about having a cat was. I replied: ’the goodbye’.” — Unknown
3. “Though some may say, ‘It’s just a pet,’ I know I’ve lost a friend.” — Susanne Taylor
4. “One day all the cats we’ve ever loved will all come running towards us and that day will be a good day.” — Unknown
5. “No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch.” ― Leo Dworken
6. “The loss of a cat is immeasurable. But so is the love left behind.” — Unknown
7. “It’s funny how…cats know the inside of folks better than other folks do, isn’t it?” — Eleanor H. Porter
8. “No one can truly understand the bond that we form with the cats we love until they experience the loss of one.” — Unknown
9. “There are no ordinary cats.” — Colette
10. “Your place I’ll hold, you will be missed, the fur I stroked, the nose I kissed. And as you journey to your final rest, take with you this… I loved you best.” — Jim Willis
11. “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” — Charles Dickens
12. “The memories and paw print of a beloved cat remains in our heart and soul forever.” — Unknown
13. “They bring us love and happiness and comfort without end. It’s hard to face such sadness without your furry friend.” — Unknown
14. “When the cat you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.” — Unknown
15. “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” — Winnie the Pooh
16. “No time on earth is long enough to share with the animals we love, or prepare our hearts to say goodbye.” — Unknown
17. “When people say “it’s just a cat” they just don’t understand.” — Unknown
18. “Some angels don’t have wings; sometimes, they have whiskers.” — Unknown
19. “No matter how or when we lose our furry friends, their love lasts a lifetime.” — Unknown
20. “I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” — Jules Verne
Our furry friends leave us with lasting impressions of love, joy, and loyalty.
I hope these pet loss quotes have offered you some solace and reminded you to cherish the memories of our beloved pets, for their spirits remain with us, forever and always!
Read next: 130 Deep Goodbye Letting Go Of Someone You Love Quotes
