Is losing a pet really as painful as losing a human family member? How do you know when pet grief has become something you need help dealing with—and what should you NEVER say to someone whose pet just died?

Tom Kelly sits down with longtime friend Judith Eve Rosen, LCSW, a clinical social worker specializing in veterinary social work and author of Life After Pet Loss: Daily Reflections for Working Through Grief. Judith explains how an experience in a veterinary emergency room inspired her to specialize in pet loss and the human-animal bond.

📖 BOOK — Life After Pet Loss: Daily Reflections for Working Through Grief
Buy Life After Pet Loss on Amazon

📸 INSTAGRAM — @mypetlosstherapist
Follow My Pet Loss Therapist on Instagram

🌐 JUDITH EVE ROSEN
JudithEveRosen.com

00:00 Pet Grief & Life After Pet Loss
00:40 Meet Pet Loss Therapist Judith Eve Rosen
01:09 Is Pet Grief Really That Serious?
02:09 How Judith Became a Pet Loss Therapist
03:05 Veterinary Social Work Is a Real Specialty
03:44 Life After Pet Loss
04:01 Why People Seek Help After Losing a Pet
04:29 The WORST Things to Say When Someone's Pet Dies
05:11 What Is Disenfranchised Grief?
06:13 Does Everyone Need a Pet Loss Therapist?
07:27 PTSD and Traumatic Pet Loss
08:15 How Do You Know When Someone Needs Help?
08:31 Is Losing a Pet Like Losing a Family Member?
09:16 When Pet Loss Becomes Compounded Grief
10:10 Losing a Pet When You Live Alone
10:33 Does Losing a Dog Hurt More Than Losing a Rabbit or Fish?
11:27 Grieving ALL Kinds of Pets
12:58 How Do You Move On After Losing a Pet?
13:22 Keeping Your Pet's Collar, Bed or Favorite Things
14:33 Ways to Memorialize and Remember Your Pet
15:04 What If Your Friends Don't Understand Your Pet Grief?
16:56 Being Patient With People Who Don't Understand
17:45 Helping a Friend Whose Pet Is Dying
19:04 Pet Loss Resources and Support Groups
19:52 How Do You Explain Pet Death to a Child?
20:39 The "Memory Jar" for Children and Families
21:34 Feeling Guilty About Getting Another Pet
22:12 A New Pet Isn't a Replacement
22:41 How Do You Know When You're Ready for Another Pet?
23:29 Life After Pet Loss & Judith's Instagram
23:56 Closing Thoughts

Long Island Based Influencer and Comedian Tom Kelly was complaining about the growth of people doing videos and similar to his. Brittany Stigliano - ThatMom_Brittany on Instagram suggested Tom meet Peter Romanelli of Pizzaiola . . . owner of the Long Island pizza shop that lays claim to the first ever Buffalo Chicken slice. - Was the first Buffalo Chicken pizza slice invented at Pizziola of North Babylon, Long Island? Does every pizza shop owner now also have to be a TikTok comedian? What can comedians and creatives learn from pizza owners? Are pizza shop owners jerks? -

-

Pizzaaiola of North Babylon: @pizzaiolanb

Brittany Stigliano: @ThatMom_Brittany

Tom Kelly goes from celebrity culture to Long Island problems and then ends with a tribute to one of the people who helped shape his life. Tom reacts to the troubling news surrounding Perez Hilton and reflects on fame, career reinvention, getting older, and the difficulty of trying to recreate an earlier high point in your career. It leads Tom to an important realization: sometimes the people who matter most aren't in show business — they're simply the people who love you. Then, a neighborhood debate: Is it wrong to put your dog's poop in somebody else's garbage can? Tom has a definite opinion. Next, we're going to Lindenhurst, Long Island. Tom asked Lindenhurst residents what they hate about their own town. Parking apps, fishing permits, disappearing landmarks, confusing streets, yard-sale rules, the town's legendary reputation for bars — and why Tom actually loves Lindenhurst. Finally, Tom remembers Gary Proce, his former Long Island Lutheran High School athletic director and mentor. Gary helped a shy teenage Tom come out of his shell, nominated him for a Christian Service Award, encouraged his sense of humor and helped give him some of his earliest opportunities. Tom reflects on Gary's life, his many careers, and the importance of telling people they made a difference while you still have the chance. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Coming Up: Perez Hilton, Dog Poop & Lindenhurst 00:52 — The Tom Kelly Show 01:14 — What Is The Tom Kelly Show? 02:13 — Magic Mirror & Listener Shout-Outs 02:57 — Good Morning America & Tom's TV Career 03:52 — What's The Next Chapter? 04:09 — Who Moved My Cheese? & Reinventing Yourself 06:00 — Perez Hilton & The Early Internet Era 06:47 — Perez Hilton's Troubling Livestream 07:03 — Fame, Midlife & Trying To Recapture Success 08:06 — Appreciating The People Who Love You 08:33 — Is It Wrong To Put Dog Poop In Someone Else's Garbage? 09:28 — The Neighborhood Dog-Poop Wars 10:26 — Why Tom Says It's Wrong 11:41 — It's Your Dog. It's Your Poop. 12:33 — Leaving The Apartment & Taking The Podcast On The Road 13:22 — What People From Lindenhurst Hate About Lindenhurst 14:02 — The Lindenhurst Vibe 14:55 — "Swindlehurst" vs. "Lindy" 15:27 — Why Do The Sidewalks Suddenly End? 15:49 — Lindenhurst Parking & Parking Apps 16:57 — Paying To Fish From The Lindenhurst Docks 17:29 — Lost Lindenhurst Landmarks 18:05 — Lindenhurst's Confusing Streets 18:48 — Only One Yard Sale A Year? 19:50 — Does Lindenhurst Really Have The Most Bars? 20:46 — The Football Stadium Problem 20:58 — Missing The Lindenhurst You Grew Up In 21:13 — Why Tom Loves Lindenhurst 21:42 — Remembering Gary Proce 22:21 — How Gary Helped A Shy Tom Kelly 22:54 — The Christian Service Award That Changed Tom 23:31 — Gary Helped Give Tom His First Paid Video Work 24:17 — "Scoop Kelly" & The Adults Who Notice The Quiet Kids 25:08 — Tell People The Impact They Had On You 25:45 — Gary Proce's Remarkable Life & Many Careers 26:30 — A Real Long Island Hustler 26:52 — Remembering One Of The Greats 27:09 — Your Homework: Tell Someone They Made A Difference - Most Importantly - Tom remembers a mentor: former Long Island Lutheran High School athletic director Gary Proce. -