Grieving a pet is real grief, and there are trained people who will listen for free. Every number and set of hours below was checked against the operating organization on August 25, 2026. Hotline hours change often — if we have something wrong, tell us and we will fix it the same week.
Nothing on this page is sold, and no one listed here paid to be listed.
508-839-7966
Monday through Thursday, 6–9 p.m. Eastern, with 24-hour voicemail — leave a message any time and a trained veterinary-student volunteer calls you back at the next shift. Run by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine since 1996.
vet.tufts.edu/pet-loss-support-helpline
Checked against Tufts' own page, August 25, 2026
607-218-7457
Staffed by veterinary students trained by professional grief counselors. Hours vary by semester with volunteer availability — call the line to hear the current schedule. You will be prompted for a name before connecting; you can simply say "anonymous."
vet.cornell.edu — pet loss resources
Checked against Cornell's own page, August 25, 2026
630-325-1600
Leave a voicemail and a volunteer calls you back. Listed as an active resource by Cornell's veterinary college.
Listed on Cornell's resource page, checked August 25, 2026
855-352-5683
A support line run by a national veterinary hospice organization, plus free scheduled online support groups led by grief professionals. Broader daytime hours than the university hotlines.
Checked August 25, 2026
855-245-8214
24/7 access to grief counselors, widely referred by veterinary practices when a loss happens outside hotline hours.
Checked August 25, 2026
Free moderated chat rooms and video support groups, if talking on the phone is not your thing. Founded by a grief therapist; run by trained volunteers.
Checked August 25, 2026
988
The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text, 24/7. Pet loss can land on top of everything else a person is carrying. If any part of you is in that place, call 988 first and a pet-loss line second.
You will talk to a trained volunteer — usually a veterinary student — whose whole job is to listen. There is no formula, no time limit in practice, and no judgment about how much a dog or cat can mean. You can stay anonymous. Nobody will diagnose you, bill you, or try to hurry you along. People call the day of a loss, the week before a scheduled euthanasia, and on anniversaries years later. All of those are normal calls.
Grief for a pet is what researchers call disenfranchised grief — grief the world does not fully grant permission for. That is exactly why these lines exist. Using them is not overreacting.
Maintained by Furry Friends Records, a small tribute-film label. We keep this directory because pet-loss hotline listings around the web go stale, and a wrong number is the last thing a grieving person needs. Every entry re-checked when we update this page. Nothing here is sold. Last updated August 25, 2026.