What people who loved their pets say about losing them

"What People Who Loved Their Pets Have to Say About Pet Loss " (2025) by Sarah Bader, translated by Yayoi Sato and Yasue Mogi.

How writers, artists, musicians, researchers, doctors, politicians, and trainers from all over the world, past and present, have treated their pets with love and how they have dealt with the loss of their pets.

This book is filled with deep love for pets, containing 152 quotes about pets from over 100 famous people, as well as essays about 24 people.

Through letters, diaries, biographies, memoirs, essays, interviews, etc., each book reveals the bond with a pet, the feelings they had at the time of parting, and how they dealt with the sense of loss afterwards.

The essays introduce stories accompanied by photographs, and feature not only dogs and cats, but also animals such as rabbits, birds, horses, mice, and mongooses, such as Charles Schulz, the creator of "Peanuts," and Spike (the mixed-breed dog who was the model for Snoopy), Beatrix Potter, the creator of "Peter Rabbit," and Sharifa (the mouse), and Raymond Chandler and Queen Taki (the Persian cat).

Nobel Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul described the heartache of losing a beloved pet as "a great tragedy," while author May Sarton called it "a volcanic eruption of grief." This book serves as a guide, offering comfort and a perspective for the future for those struggling with pet loss and those who are unable to prepare for or imagine what it will be like.

The book spans five chapters, and the carefully chosen colors, words, and episodes gently encapsulate all the emotions that come with having a new family member. The author created this book because she thought it was something she wanted to read and needed, and it's a comforting read (Ammel).