Newsy Tuesday: Book Nook Time! Reviewing "Goodbye to a Good Dog" by Peggy Frezon & a GIVEWAY!

 

While September is National Pet Memorial Month, pet loss can happen at any time. Sometimes we know the loss is coming, at other times it may come out of the blue due to an accident or sudden illness. No matter how it happens, losing a beloved pet is traumatic and life altering. We are never ready for it. Sometimes, knowing our pet is in their golden years or very ill, we experience anticipatory grief. Other times, a sudden loss can shake us to the core. We have all lost beloved pets, and we carry that loss with us always. 

 

So how does one move on from the loss of a  pet? 

 

This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click link & make a qualifying purchase, I may receive a small commission *at no extra cost to you.* 

 Enter a new book by author Peggy Frezon - Goodbye to a Good Dog: Healing, Comfort, and the Hope of Heaven After the Loss of Your Pet.

As many of you know, I wrote a children's book, my third FiveSibes Tale, Wolfie, What Is The Rainbow Bridge? (co-written with my grandson) specifically to help children navigate their grief /anticipatory grief of loss of a beloved pet. 

So what about adults? 

Of course we are the grown-ups and we *know* all-too-well what grief is, and have our own ways of dealing with such loss, but what about if there was a tool—a book—to help us and guide us in the direction of healing that also serves as a gentle reminder of the love shared with dogs. A book whose author really understands the two sides of the coin to loving a dog: the joy and the pain. A book that helps us to gather up all those memories and wrap them around ourselves like a warm blanket?

I feel this is such an important, yet not always discussed topic—what happens after we lose a beloved dog? What do we do? How can one move forward? How can a pet be memorialized? Will I ever feel like loving another dog? The questions and feelings and emotions whirling around our minds at such a time are endless, and at times, confusing.

I'm so excited to introduce you to Peggy's new book, which I just finished reading, and she's been so kind to offer one as part of a Giveaway! (Details and entry form further down). This book really resonated with me as I lost the last of my FiveSibes, "Wolfie," coming up on five years in December. Goodbye to a Good Dog is written by an author I've known and respected for many, many years. I was so looking forward to receiving a copy of Peggy's book, and honestly, I could not put it down. Even when I was in the car waiting to pickup my grandson, or waiting in an office for an appointment, I whipped the book out of my bag to keep reading. 

This isn't a book just about grieving. Although, of course, that is what surrounds the words and thoughts within the pages. It's really a book about our relationships with our dogs, how to help heal after their loss, and the love we will always carry for them.

Here's the video trailer teaser for the book... 

 

Reminder: Don't miss entering the 

Book Giveaway at the end of this post! 

 

 

 PEGGY FREZON

Author Peggy Frezon pictured with now furangels "Kelly" & "Ike"

Trivia: Peggy's dog "Kelly" was also featured in my book,

EPIc Dog Tales: Heartfelt Stories About Amazing Dogs Living & 

Loving Life With Canine Epilepsy 

Peggy Frezon is a multi-published author and editor. In addition to being a contributing editor at Guideposts and at Angels on Earth magazine, Peggy is also a popular writer for more than 20 years, and a regular contributor to several devotionals, including All God’s Creatures Daily Devotional for Animal Lovers. She is also frequently published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, and has contributed to numerous devotionals including Faithful Paws, Faithful Purrs, Miracles and Animals, Ultimate Dog Lover, Animals and the Kids Who Love Them, When Love Wags a Tail, One Minute Devotions, Pray a Word a Day, Strength and Grace, Gary Chapman’s Love is a Verb, and David Jeremiah’s Grace Givers.

Besides Goodbye to a Good Dog; Healing, Comfort and the Hope of Heaven After the Loss of Your Pet,  Peggy is the author of six other books about the human-animal bond—Mini Horse, Mighty Hope, the amazing story of Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, The Dog in the Dentist Chair, Faithfully Yours: The Amazing Bond Between Us and the Animals We Love, Heart to Heart Hand In Paw, and Dieting With My Dog, and the Dieting With My Dog Guide to Weight Loss & Maintenance. 

 

Peggy and her husband also run "BrooksHaven," a forever retirement home for senior golden retrievers. Currently living there with the Frezons are: "Sophie," a 13-year old rescued puppy mill breeding mama and now Therapy Dog; "Petey" another senior dog and all around good boy, and "Augie," rescued from a horrible abuse situation.

 

 

When we lose a beloved dog, or five, our pain is so deep, so profound, we may not know how or if we are ever going to get past the loss. Everywhere we look we see our beloved dogs. In their (or our) beds. Their now vacant place on the sofa. Their no-longer touched food and water dishes that once splashed or spilled on the floor while they ate. Their worn leashes and collars now hanging idly without a purpose from their hooks. Their once well-loved and played with toys lying still on the floor. The tufts of fur left behind.

 

All those things once enjoyed, now lie dormant. The halls of the house now echo with memories of their pattering paw steps we once so looked forward to hearing as we knew they were eagerly coming to greet us.

I could not put down Peggy Frezon's Goodbye to a Good Dog book.

 

"The Without." How Can One Navigate the Pain of Losing a Beloved Dog? 

Dealing with loss is different for each one of us. We are all individuals and how we deal with loss can run a wide range. What I love about Peggy's book is that there is something helpful in it for everyone. Seriously. While she shares not only her experiences with loss and grieving a dear dog, but also some helpful things to do while navigating the grief. 

In her book, Peggy talks about "The Without." This chapter really hit home for me. I, myself, am now into several years in "The Without" stage of my FiveSibes and two previously adopted dogs. One by one, they made their journey to the Rainbow Bridge. And now I am one of "The Withouts." A club I admit I hate being a member of, yet at the same time proud of that membership for it means I had my incredible, loyal, beautiful, loving, silly dogs share my life. And that is something I would not trade for anything. 

And that, for me, is the key takeaway of this book. 

Peggy's "Ike" ~ one of her dogs who inspired the book.

 

There is a saying that "If my love could have saved you, you would have lived forever." No truer words have been spoken. And if you are a member of "The Without," you know exactly what this means. 

Not Just For Humans. Dogs Grieve, Too. 

"The Without" is not just for us humans. It also touches the dogs who remain. They feel the loss, too, and must also navigate "The Without"…dealing with the loss, grief, and missing pack mates. They, too, must work through grief and muster up positive energy for the family and the dogs left behind, because in my many years of experience with multiple dogs, dogs do grieve. They miss their pack family members and, like us, must also move forward. 

Dogs also sense that we—their humans—are sad, and only as a dog can, even though they are grieving, will try to make it better for us. More licks, more snuggles, more walks, more just being together. Dogs are pretty phenomenal.

Peggy mentions that when we are left without, "It's not simple. It's not easy. And it doesn't exactly end...You are going on a journey. A journey through all the complex emotions you feel when you lose someone important in your life. Your grief is no less valid because it's for a dog." 

In helping the reader understand the journey grief takes us on, Peggy has shared her own stories from dogs she has lost, as well as other dog parents' who have graciously shared their stories.

How Sharing Stories Help

I, myself, have learned that when going through loss, hearing others' stories reinforces that we are not alone in our love for our dogs, nor in feeling such grief and sadness when we lose them. Hearing ways a dog's legacy can continue to not only help us heal from their loss, but to also show us that in keeping their memories alive, we get to relive those amazing moments, and in turn, share all those good times with others. 

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn." 

~Romans 12:1:  From Goodbye to a Good Dog

And while we all may never fully heal from loss, we can, in time, find a way through the grief, but always keeping our dog(s) and the love we shared in a cherished forever place in our hearts. 

Beautiful Quotes Validate Our Emotions And Help Heal Broken Hearts

Another feature to this book that I really enjoyed reading were all the beautiful Christian quotes Peggy incorporated throughout the books (as you can see from an example quote above) that really touched me with such an understanding of what we as pet parents are going through. Even if you are not Christian, this is a beautifully, sensitively written book for any dog parent. And for me, the shared sentiment that we will one day be greeted by our furangels on a beautiful Rainbow Bridge extending to Heaven, is comforting.

 

 "It's not simple. It's not easy. And it doesn't exactly end...You are going on a journey. A journey through all the complex emotions you feel when you lose someone important in your life. Your grief is no less valid because it's for a dog."  

~Peggy Frezon, Author of Goodbye to a Good Dog

 

"Ike" was a working dog with Therapy Dogs International

"Pawprints and Photographs" & "Write It Out"

All of the chapters are inspiring. Both "Pawprints and Photographs" and "Write It Out" especially speak to me and really touch on two ways that I personally find very helpful on so many levels. Writing about, and photographing, my beloved dogs. Two things I am so grateful I did a lot of when they were here with me. And the writing, I continue to do in their honor.

 

While reading this book, I have to admit, I get through a few pages and then I pause a long moment... 

I remember. 

Tears fall. 

I remember some more. 

Then the smiles come.

 

Why smiles? You may be asking, "How can one smile in the midst of grief?" First, grief comes in many stages. Secondly, the smiles come from all those wonderful, silly, loving moments spent with our beloved dogs, and we get the unique opportunity to relive those amazing times over and over. In a sense, it's like getting to visit with them again.

 

Within the pages of this book, Peggy has shared some really wonderful suggestions to honor and pay tribute to our furry best friends, which in turn helps our wounded hearts. Her discussion on photographs (which I am a huge fan of and why I created and host the FiveSibes #FlashbackFriday weekly blog hop. Others are invited others to join in and "hop around" the posts, and share a photo of their own and the memory attached to it. It can be a blog post or any social media post). The point is to be able to once again relive those special moments, from yesterday or yesteryear. 

  

"Healing begins when we start moving forward." ~Peggy Frezon, Author of Goodbye to a Good Dog 

I also agree with Peggy suggestion of writing. In that I am a writer, I do find writing to be so very healing. I enjoy continuing writing about my dogs, even though they are now all furangels. Writing, whether it's a poem, a story, an article, a photo caption, etc., it is a wonderful way to be able to work through happiness and grief. It's a healing process. And, for me personally, writing helps not only to keep my dogs' memory alive, but it gives me that chance to revisit different special moments in time.I've shared with them. Same with photographs. I have even created a hash-tag for those flashback moments: #MemoriesAreVisitsForTheHeart  - because they surely are. And the touching part is that readers also appreciate trips down Memory Lane, which circles us straight back to Peggy's thoughts on sharing our dogs' and their memories with others.

 

 Keepsakes Are Important And Healing 

 

 

 

Peggy lists so many helpful anecdotes, tips, and suggestions to help grieving dog parents navigate the stormy seas of grief. Many of them I have done, and still do. And they all help to remind us of yet another great saying, "To grieve deeply is to have loved fully." And, as Peggy reminds us, that love shared with our dogs can be memorialized through a myriad of ways, whether it is writing, watching videos, looking at photos, commissioning artwork, getting a meaningful tattoo, or getting a keepsake piece of jewelry, and so many other things she lists. 

 

Goodbye to a Good Dog is a helpful tool to all dog caregivers who are facing that final journey with their dogs, or who already have. It is also a book of hope. And in the darkness of loss, hope is our light. And in that light, the beacon always shines on the eternal unique love that existed between us and our dog(s).

 

"The most simple, honest words can convey the deepest meaning." 

~Peggy Frezon, Author of Goodbye to a Good Dog

Peggy's words, thoughts, and recommendations for remembrances and tips on healing truly help after such losses. She discusses the 5 Stages of Grieving-Canine Edition, and her words are comforting. Dogs are our family, and grieving for them as the deeply loved members of our family they were, truly resonates and will touch the hearts of anyone who has lost a beloved dog. 

 

Without giving away too much more of this book, I have to add that I feel this is a must-have for any dog family's library.  

 

*Reminder: Be sure to enter our Giveaway at the end of this article for a chance to win a print copy of Goodbye to a Good Dog !*

 

A few specifics - the book is a perfect size to tuck into your purse, backpack, computer bag, messenger bag, and even some pockets! The length is 192 pages, and the book itself measures 5.09" x 0.55" x 7.02" in size. It is available on Amazon in two formats: Print and Ebook. This book is a great idea for someone you know who is dealing with/about to deal with a loss of a dear pet.

 

You can purchase Goodbye to a Good Dog:  

Healing, Comfort, and the Hope of Heaven After the Loss of Your Pet 

on Amazon.

 

 "Remember the Joy. Celebrate the Love." 

~Peggy Frezon, Author of Goodbye to a Good Dog

Now...before we get to the Book Giveaway, which I'm thrilled to host, I'm very excited to bring you the following personal interview I did with Peggy so we can hear more about the origins of, and hopes for, her latest book! *Don't forget to enter the Giveaway for a random drawing at the end of this post for one print copy of her Goodbye to a Good Dog book!*

 Photo Courtesy of Peggy Frezon

DOROTHY "FIVESIBESMOM" WILLS~RAFTERY (DWR/FSM): Hi, Peggy! Thank you for taking the time to share with us information about your new book, which I just finished and really loved it. When did you first begin working on Goodbye to a Good Dog?

 

PEGGY FREZON (PF): I began working on it about 2 years ago, after losing our 16-year-old golden retriever, Ernest.

 

DWR/FSM: Obviously Ike was one of the inspirations behind your book, as was Ernest and your other dogs who have also passed. What inspired you to write it as a book rather than write about in articles/short stories in one of the other magazines you are published in?  

 

PF: I'd written a few articles about help and hope for grief after losing a pet for Guideposts magazine. Then, my agent informed me that an editor at a publishing house read my article, and asked her if I'd consider writing them a book on the topic! That was very exciting, and since I have rescued and lost so many dogs, I was in a unique position to pen such a book. 

 

DWR/FSM: How did you know now was the right time for this book? 

 

PF: I guess there is no wrong time for a book about love. And this is what I consider Goodbye to a Good Dog to be, ultimately. It's about grieving the loss of our dogs, yes, but it's also about our strong bonds with our dogs and why we love them so much.

 

DWR/FSM: How did you know you wanted to write not just about the loss of a dog, but to write it in an inspirational way? To remind people to keep those precious wonderful moments alive through photos, memories, etc? 

PF: I write inspirational true stories for Guideposts magazines and for many devotionals, including All God's Creatures. So it seemed a natural fit. I took our golden retriever Ike's loss really hard, partly because it was unexpected. I was focusing so much on the traumatic end, and stuck on those images of Ike at the emergency vet. So later, when my husband opened up his laptop and started showing me photos, it was just what I needed to remember Ike during all the happy times. That's one thing I really wanted to share with readers.

 

DWR/FSM: We pet parents sure understand the pain from loss of our dogs. This book truly touches on the positive and healing.  

 

PF: Some people are wary of reading a book about loss and grief, because they think it might make them too sad. But I try to help people understand that his book is about love. It's about the amazing bond we share. And when we have to say goodbye, naturally it's sad, very sad. But we can go on, just in a different way, grateful that we had that wonderful relationship, and that our dog gave us so much love. If we never had to feel this grief, we wouldn't have had that time with our dog. 

 

Peggy's heart dog "Ernest" and also a source of inspiration for her book.

DWR/FSM: Is there a passage that is your favorite in the book? And why?  

 

PF: I loved writing about Ernest, he was that once in a lifetime "heart dog." He lived a good long life. By the time we had to say goodbye to Ernest, we'd learned that we were going to miss him terribly, but that also we were going to be okay. And we knew that we'd fill the empty space in our home and in our hearts with another dog who needed love. That's when we got Sophie. Sophie had been a breeding mama in a puppy mill for 10 years. It felt so good to rescue her from that, and it helped to give our love someplace to go. Now we have Pete (10), Sophie (14) and Augie (5).

Author Peggy Frezon with her current dogs of BrooksHaven

 

DWR/FSM: What is your hope for someone who is about to lose their dog due to an illness, or for the person who suddenly loses their dog in reading this book?  

PF: That they will read this book, find some stories or tips that help them, close the book, find a gentle smile spreading across their face, think about loving and losing their beloved dog and say, "It was worth it." 

You can read more about Peggy, BrooksHaven, 

and all of her writing on her website: PeggyFrezon.com. 

Sign up for her newsletter HERE  

and she will send you a copy of her 

FREE Ebook, What We Learn From Dogs!

 

Follow Peggy on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/peggyfrezon  

Woo! 

This book receives a 

4-out-of-4 Paw Star 

Rating from FiveSibes!

 

GIVEAWAY RULES 

(There's always rules!)

 

To Enter for a chance of winning One (1) Print Book Goodbye to a Good Dog 

(It's free! No purchase necessary to enter):

 

🐾 18+ Years of Age

 🐾 Resident of the USA

 🐾Giveaway Ends October 9, 2026 at 1AM ET 

 🐾 Winner Randomly Selected October 10, 2026

 🐾 For Extra Entries: 

Please visit the sites listed on the KingSumo entry box below! 

 

NOTE: Winner will be notified via Email supplied on the KingSumo. 

**After 48 hours, if no reply, a new winner will be drawn.** 

 

Good Luck! 

 

Do you have a book or product you'd like me to review? Drop me an Email to: FiveSibesHuskyNews(at)gmail(dot)com 

{you know to replace the (at) and (com) with the symbols}

Put "Book Review" in Subject Line & I'll get back to you! 

 

 🐾 🐾

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