Evidence-Based Support for Pet Bereavement
“Because the love we shared deserves a healing farewell.”
When a beloved pet dies, the loss can feel overwhelming. Pause for Paws offers evidence-based psychological support to help you move through grief - gently, at your own pace.
Begin your
pet-full adjustment.
Pause for Paws is a flexible four-step program informed by:
Medicare-endorsed psychological strategies via GP referral (if required)
Creative and reflective therapies
Mindfulness & Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Private, self-paced or supported telehealth options
Whether you are grieving privately or seeking connection, this program helps you process loss, adjust with strength, and reflect with gratitude.
Our Four-Step Framework:
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Practical strategies helping you cope with the shock of pet loss.
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Reconnect with strengths, values and self-care after the shock.
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Celebrate the bond that shaped your life
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Begin gently moving forward
“The grief you feel is real. I created Pause for Paws to guide people through pet loss using the same depth of care and expertise I’ve offered to clients for over three decades. This program is clinical, creative, and deeply respectful of the love you’ve lost.”
Australia is home to more than 28 million pets - trusted companions who shape our days, routines, and hearts. When they pass, the grief is real.
At Pause for Paws, we honour that grief with a clinically guided program designed to support your emotional wellbeing and recovery. Developed by Clinical Educator, Researcher and Mental Health Therapist Dr Monica Hadges, the program blends professional care with warmth, creativity, and compassion.
Our goal is to gently support bereaved pet owners through evidence-informed tools and reflective practices. Our resources are designed to validate your grief and offer pathways toward adjustment, acceptance, and appreciation.
We advocate for emotional wellbeing - with or without new animal companions - while honouring the love and bond you shared.
A message from Dr Monica Hadges
“I’ve lived with cats and dogs since I was six years old. But it was in 2006 that our family’s deep connection with Golden Retrievers began—when we adopted Jessie, a sweet and strong rescue girl. She’d been surrendered after breeding and arrived with her own quirks (and a love of chewing window blinds), but her joy for life was contagious.
Jessie led us to raise four more golden pups, each with their own personalities and gifts.
In late 2024, we lost both Sasha (aged 13) and Bosley (aged 5) within months. It was Bosley’s sudden death from canine epilepsy that broke something open for me - and inspired Pause for Paws.
Boz was a luminous white puppy when he came into our lives. His energy was gentle, joyful and he helped us be grateful and more present each day. His unexpected illness and euthanasia changed me. Both in his life and in his memory - his companionship reminded me of the very things I teach: the power of relationship, presence, acceptance, and courage to keep going. We grow in change.
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
Boz taught me that. I miss him every day.”
Dr Monica Hadges
Creator of Pause for Paws
BA., Grad Dip Psych., MA., LMHC, MSW., AMHSW, PhD
HELP US HELP YOU
Please take a few minutes to complete our short market research survey to help us develop useful Pet Bereavement resources.
