Ghostdog
When you open your home, you open your heart
The term forever home has emerged as a succinct and meaningful way to encourage people to consider long term commitment of adopting companion animals. In very real ways, emotionally, socially, and politically, animals are becoming recognized for the significant roles they play – at least in human lives.
But obviously, the variation in life spans means that humans typically outlive their companion animal friends. Surveys of “pet owners” reveal that a vast majority of people considered animals as “part of the family,”(63%) or as “companions” (35%), and a scant 1% view animals as property. These numbers suggest that to people with animals, the inherent value of the human-animal bond is quite clear.
the animals that fill our homes have proven they also fill our hearts.
Humans spend a large quantity of time with their companion animals, growing a mutual bond. Play time, laughter, and joy coupled with care taking, the animals that fill our homes have proven they also fill our hearts. Considered in terms of losing a companion animal, it is unsurprising that such a loss can be devastating. The emergence of pet bereavement support (from online resources to counseling communities and pet loss chat support) confirms the growth of this understanding, and can play an important part in healing from the emotional weight of losing a companion animal.
Yet despite the fact that most people value animals, people often feel alone when facing the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). We will explore the topic of the ongoing stages of grief (and tips for coping) in future posts. The intent here is to introduce a character to the world of CLAW who responds to this heartfelt reality: Ghostdog.
Ghostdog reflects the spirit of a lost friend who remains part of the “forever home” of the CLAW family.
Ghostdog