A MOTHER-of-two is helping Boltonians overcome the loss of their pets 16 years after a traumatic experience at work changed her life forever.

Carrie Ball was an 18-year-old nursing assistant at Ian Robert Beaton’s Castle Street surgery when she was left ‘inconsolable’ after witnessing a dog be euthanised for the first time.

Now 35 and having given birth to her second child, Carrie’s preparing to open Cycle Counselling – a new service aimed at bereaved people for whom losing an animal can also mean losing a best friend.

“It was the very first time I’d seen an animal die. It was 16-years-ago now, but I still remember the moment vividly,” remembered Carrie.

“I was inconsolable. The owner of the dog was actually asking if I was alright and from that moment I just thought that I didn’t want anyone else to feel that way.

“I realised that person is going home to an empty house. That they’d come into the surgery with their best friend and were leaving on their own.

“I wanted to be the person who’s there as a shoulder to cry on.”

Having completed a pet bereavement diploma at Ascot’s Animal Care College, Carrie went about putting her new training into practice, helping people deal with the aftermath of their loss through her day job.

“It was quite a new thing back then. To some it probably seemed faddy or a bit twee,” said Carrie, who was a trailblazer in a field that’s now an acknowledged part of veterinary care –with courses accredited by the British Veterinary Nursing Association.

After working in surgeries in Worsley and Bury Road, Carrie took decision to go launch her own pet bereavement business following the birth of her now five-month-old daughter Erin – who was born with a rare Oesophageal condition that affects feeding.

While spending more time looking after Erin, as well as seven-year-old son, Quinn, Carrie has set up Cycle Counselling.

The new business is named after psychiatric pioneer, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, who explored how the bereaved pass through a cycle of five stages of grief before accepting their loss.

She’s currently waiting for a sole trader license and in the meantime has been helping people for free – consulting over the phone and via Facebook, quickly building up a client base while she converts the summer house of her Little Lever home to a face to face consultancy room.

Carrie proceeds through questions about the relationship before exploring ways that they can cope with grief more effectively, or helping the client see issues they might not be conscious of.

“Sometimes the death of a pet can raise other things that they might not have come to terms with. It opens up old wounds,” she explained.

“In some cases they may have bought a pet through loneliness after having lost someone and when the pet dies, it brings back that grief too.”

Among ways of helping people cope, Carrie creates ‘grief packs’ including seeds for planting flowers to remember a beloved pet and candles to light in vigil.

She also encourages people to write down their feelings of the lost animal and helps people navigate the guilt some people feel when getting a new pet after the death of a previous animal.

One of those to benefit from Carrie’s counselling is Karis Chadwick, whom she helped following the death of Karis’ 12-year-old German shepherd, Lenny.

“Losing a dog is horrendous. You lose a family member. I wasn’t sleeping or coping very well at all,” said Karis, 25, from Little Lever, who works at Pets at Home

“When I spoke to Carrie she was fantastic and so understanding. She gives you alternative methods of coping with your grief that you would never have thought of – but which work.

“Because your mind is closing down to the grief, you’re not functioning as you should be. Carrie suggested loads of fantastic things to do that really helped.

“Carrie helps you to calm down, understand what’s happening and open your heart again. It’s worth it. And at the end of it all you’ll have someone that’s helped you and is also a friend.”

“It’s about supporting people and helping them through the pain; letting them know that I understand the depth of feelings and I’m here to listen and understand,” added Carrie.

“It’s a service I thought was needed. I’ve seen a lot of animals come and go and it doesn’t matter whether the animal has scales, feathers or fur – I’m here to help and listen to people through what can be one of the hardest times of their life.”

To find out more, visit facebook.com/cyclecounselling visit cyclecounselling.com or email cyclecounselling@hotmail.com