Contact
Contact & Pastoral Support
Sometimes you don’t need an answer. You need someone willing to listen.
You don’t have to know what to say before you call.
There are moments in grief when reading another article isn’t what you need.
You may have just said goodbye.
You may be sitting in a house that suddenly feels too quiet.
You may be questioning a decision you made.
You may be surrounded by people and still feel completely alone in your grief.
Or maybe you simply need to tell someone about the friend you lost.
You are welcome to call.
Talk with a pastor
Faith Harbor Pet Loss Support offers pastoral grief support for people grieving the death of a beloved pet.
I’m Pastor Shawn Miller.
When you call Faith Harbor for pastoral support, you’re not calling a call center or being placed into a system.
You’re reaching the ministry I personally serve.
If I’m available, I’ll answer.
If I’m unable to answer, please leave a message. I’ll return your call as I’m able.
Pastoral Support: 330-442-4845
Email: pastorshawn@faithharborpetlosssupport.com
You don’t need to prepare the right words.
You can simply begin where you are.
What can we talk about?
Whatever is weighing on your heart.
You might want to talk about the final days of your pet’s life.
You might be struggling with euthanasia and wondering whether you made the decision too soon—or waited too long.
You may feel guilty about something you did or didn’t do.
You might be struggling with the silence of the house.
Maybe someone said something that made your grief feel small.
You may have questions about God, prayer, heaven, or what Christians can reasonably hope for after the death of an animal they loved.
Or maybe none of those things is the reason you’re calling.
Maybe you just want to tell someone their name.
You can do that too.
You don’t have to defend your grief here
One of the painful things about pet loss is discovering that other people don’t always understand it.
You may have heard:
You won’t hear those things from me.
I won’t ask you to prove that your grief is serious enough to deserve a conversation.
The relationship mattered.
And because the relationship mattered, losing it can hurt deeply.
The relationship was real.
Therefore, the grief is real.
Sometimes presence is the ministry
Pastoral support doesn’t always mean having an answer.
There are losses for which no carefully chosen sentence can make everything all right.
Sometimes what matters most is knowing that someone is willing to remain present while you hurt.
That is something grief has taught me personally, and it has become part of the heart behind Faith Harbor Pet Loss Support.
Presence doesn’t have to fix pain to make a difference.
Sometimes we talk.
Sometimes we pray.
Sometimes you tell stories.
Sometimes there may be tears.
And sometimes the most important thing another person can do is listen.
You don’t always have to know what to say.
Sometimes love simply stays.
If you would like prayer
You are welcome to ask me to pray with you.
You don’t need to know what to pray.
You don’t need to sound strong.
And you don’t need to have everything figured out spiritually before you call.
Grief can bring questions alongside faith.
Sometimes the prayer may simply begin:
“God, this hurts.”
That is enough of a place to begin.
What pastoral support is—and what it isn’t
Faith Harbor Pet Loss Support provides compassionate, Christian pastoral support for grief.
It is not psychotherapy, professional mental-health treatment, veterinary care, or an emergency service.
I cannot diagnose a medical or mental-health condition, make veterinary decisions for you, or guarantee that I will always be immediately available when you call.
But when I am able to speak with you, I can listen.
We can talk about what happened.
We can talk about what you’re carrying.
We can talk about faith.
We can pray together if you would like.
And you don’t have to pretend that you’re doing better than you are.
If you are in crisis
If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a mental-health crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (opens in a new tab).
If there is an immediate life-threatening emergency, call 911.
If your pet is alive and experiencing a veterinary emergency, contact your veterinarian or the nearest emergency veterinary hospital.
Faith Harbor’s pastoral-support number is not an emergency or crisis line.
If you’re not ready to call
That’s okay too.
You don’t owe anyone a conversation.
The free support guides at Faith Harbor are here whenever you need them.
Start with whatever hurts most today.
You can read quietly.
You can come back tomorrow.
And if someday you decide that you would rather hear another person’s voice, the number will still be here.
Support doesn’t always begin with knowing what to do.
Sometimes it begins with knowing you’re not alone.
Reach Faith Harbor Pet Loss Support
Pastoral Support
Pastor Shawn Miller
pastorshawn@faithharborpetlosssupport.com
If I am unable to answer, please leave a message and I’ll return your call as I’m able. You can also email me if writing feels easier than calling.
There is no need to prepare what you’re going to say.
Just begin where you are.
Comfort. Hope. Healing.
One step at a time.