22 | DECEMBER 10 • 2020
H
e had a human name.
And for Jill and
Mitchell Solomon of
Farmington Hills, losing their
dog, Danny, to cancer was like
losing a family member.
The 12-year-old Dalmatian
was a rescue dog, a loyal com-
panion who was part of their
daily lives for more than a
decade. He underwent radia-
tion treatments, but the cancer
was aggressive. Danny’s loss
was so devastating, Jill says,
“we needed help.”
“When we lose a person,
there is immediate support
from family, friends and clergy,
”
she explains. “When you lose
a pet, many do not understand
that the grieving process is the
same. The pain and loss are
the same and possibly worse. I
know many people think you
should just ‘get over it’ or ‘get
another pet.
’ We will always
grieve for our Danny.
”
The Solomons found com-
fort and a judgment-free zone
with the local pet loss support
group Beyond the Paw Print.
The group was founded in
2009 by Dr. Micky Golden
Moore of West Bloomfield, a
Jewish chaplain with St. Joseph
Mercy Health System, who
endured her own struggle with
grief after the loss of her cats
Pablo, Isabella and Nellie. She
founded the support group to
help others after experiencing
the feeling of not having any
place to turn.
“I want people to know the
grief is real; they’re not alone
and support is available,
”
Golden Moore says. “Partly
because of our society’s dis-
comfort with death and dying,
friends may want us to quickly
move on and feel better. But it
doesn’t always work that way.
”
Golden Moore wrote the
new book Tails from Beyond
the Paw Print to help those
who are struggling. Danny’s
story is one of 22 stories of
“love, loss and lessons learned”
from various support group
members.
“Beyond the Paw Print is
a safe place for people. It val-
idates your ability to grieve
without judgment,
” Jill says. “I
could cry openly while I talk-
ed about Danny. We attended
meetings in person for about
a year. Without Micky and the
group’s support, we would have
been completely lost.
”
Golden Moore has a doctor-
ate degree in communication
studies from Wayne State
University. She spent more
than 30 years as an adjunct
professor in the U.S. and
United Kingdom, specializing
in public speaking. But she
IN
THED
JEWS
Dr. Micky
Golden Moore
“I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW
THE GRIEF IS REAL.”
— DR. MICKY GOLDEN MOORE
The
Crushing
Loss of a
Pet
Support group and new book
comfort grieving pet owners.
ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER