The Spaces They Leave: Guided Therapeutic Arts for Honoring, Remembering and Grieving a Soul Pet | pet loss grief workbook

On March 4, 2024, my beloved Nom Noms, my soul dog of 15 years, left this earth.When her health began to decline, I searched for resources to support myself through the grief I knew was coming. What I found didn't reflect the depth of our bond. She wasn't "just a pet." She was my family. My girl. My home. My love for her was no different than the love I experience with humans, and as I humbly found out, neither was the loss.I created The Spaces They Leave because I needed a place for my grief, and my love, to go.As a therapeutic arts instructor, I have spent years helping people use creativity as a tool for healing, self-discovery, and emotional expression. When I lost Nom Noms, I found myself returning to these same practices. Through art-making, journaling, coloring, reflection, and creative expression, I discovered a gentle way to move with my grief instead of trying to push it away. This book is an invitation for you to do the same.Part pet grief workbook, part guided journal, and part compassionate companion, The Spaces They Leave offers therapeutic arts exercises, reflective writing prompts, coloring pages, and creative practices designed to help you honor, remember, and grieve the soul pet who changed your life.Whether you are navigating the loss of a dog, cat, horse, rabbit, bird, or another beloved companion animal, these pages were created to help you process pet loss in a gentle, meaningful way. They are also for those moving through anticipatory grief as they prepare to say goodbye to a beloved animal.This is not a workbook you need to complete from beginning to end. There is no timeline for grief, no finish line, and no "right" way to heal. Instead, I hope these pages become a companion you can return to again and again—a soft place to land on the hard days and a space where your love for them can continue to be honored.I believe our relationship with animals deserves to be held for the depth it holds. They shape us. They teach us. They become part of our daily rituals, our identities, and our hearts. And when they die, the grief is real. It deserves care, compassion, and somewhere safe to be held.If you are carrying the heartbreak of pet loss, I want you to know this: Your grief is valid, and the bond you shared deserves to be honored.This book is for the tender hearts. The ones who know that animals are family. The ones carrying love with nowhere obvious to put it. The ones learning how to live alongside loss while continuing to cherish the beautiful relationship that came before it.I hope these pages help you feel a little less alone.Bestselling Author of Here Sister, Let Me Help You Up and Therapeutic Arts InstructorHundreds of copies of The Spaces They Leave have already been sold directly through the author and are helping pet parents around the world navigate grief, honor their beloved animals, and remember that they are not alone in their loss.-----------------------------------------The Spaces They Leave is a heartfelt expressive and therapeutic arts book for honoring, remembering, and grieving the loss of a beloved soul pet. Created for the tender hearts moving through this kind of loss, these pages offer guided art-making, reflective writing, coloring pages, and gentle creative prompts to help you hold grief with softness and care while honoring the deep love story you shared.Created by bestselling author, artist and therapeutic arts facilitator Stephanie Chinn after the loss of her beloved dog, Nom Noms, this book was born from the understanding that losing an animal companion can be one of the most life-altering heartbreaks we experience. Our animals are not “just pets.” They are family, home, routine, safety, and often the ones who loved us most unconditionally. Read more