CHARLIE'S LAST WALK
A Guided Journal for Pet Loss
Walk through your grief with Charlie as your companion. Evidence-based prompts for the non-linear journey of loss.
✦ EVIDENCE-BASED GRIEF FRAMEWORKS
✦ WRITTEN BY PAIGE CUMMINGS, BS MA
✦OPTIMIZED FOR GOODNOTES & ADOBE
✦INSTANT DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
ABOUT THIS JOURNAL
Grief doesn't follow a schedule
Neither does this journal.
This isn't a fill-in-the-blank workbook or a tidy step-by-step process. Charlie's Guided Journal is a gentle, therapeutic companion built around the real story of Charlie's Last Walk — woven through evidence-based prompts that meet you exactly where you are, on your hardest days and your quieter ones.
Because losing a dog isn't a small thing. It's losing your morning routine, your reason to come home, the one who knew you without words. You deserve more than a blank page.
Charlie's Guided Journal honors the messy, nonlinear, deeply human experience of that loss — and walks beside you as you find your own way through it.
"Grief doesn't follow a straight line. You don't move neatly from denial to acceptance. Grief doesn't work that way. Instead, you spiral — feeling hope one moment, devastation the next, guilt in the afternoon, gratitude by evening. You might accept the loss on Tuesday and wake up in denial on Wednesday.
That's not failure. That's grief."
— Paige Cummings, BS, MA · Charlie's Last Walk: A Guided Journal for Pet Loss
AN EXCERPT FROM THE JOURNAL
What's Inside
Here's a sample of what you'll find inside…
SPECIAL SECTION
Anticipatory Grief — When They're Still Here
Grief doesn't always begin at the moment of loss. For many of us, it starts the moment we know what's coming — when we're doing daily quality-of-life assessments, watching them struggle, and asking ourselves the impossible question: is it time? This section holds space for you if you're still in that in-between place — not yet goodbye, but no longer okay.
"For me, grief started before Charlie died. It started when I knew I might have to make the decision to end his pain."
PART TWO
The Impossible Choice
The decision to let them go is the heaviest thing a person can carry. This section doesn't try to make it lighter — it sits with you in the weight of it. The what-ifs. The second-guessing. The question of whether you chose too soon or waited too long. Choosing euthanasia is not a failure of love. It is love in its most selfless form.
"Charlie's battle didn't begin that morning. It had been going on for seventeen months. Twenty-one pills a day."
PART THREE
The Waves of Grief
You don't move through grief in a straight line. You spiral. Hope one moment, devastation the next. Acceptance on Tuesday, denial on Wednesday. This section meets you in the spiral — wherever you are today — without asking you to be further along than you are.
"Each morning at 6:00, I would forget he was gone. I'd reach for his leash, save a bite of food from my plate for him, and listen for the tick-tack sound of his nails on the wood floor."
COMPLETE JOURNAL CONTENTS
✦ A. Before You Begin
✦ B. Introduction: How to Use This Journal
✦ C. Special Section: Anticipatory Grief
✦ D. Part One: The Overwhelming Days
✦ E. Part Two: The Impossible Choice
✦ F. Part Three: The Waves of Grief
✦ G. Part Four: Legacy and Remembrance
✦ H. Part Five: When Guilt Won't Stop
✦ I. Part Six: Opening to Love Again
✦ J. Afterword
YOUR HEALING COMPANION
Begin Where You Feel Ready
Each section is marked with a letter at the bottom of every page. You can work through the journal in order, or turn to whatever section calls to you today. There are no right places and no wrong places to begin.
“Grief does not move in straight lines — neither does this journal.”
DIGITAL FORMATS
Choose the Format That Fits
How You Grieve
Available in multiple digital formats for every device. All versions include the complete journal
Choose the one that works best for you.
PRINT VERSIONS
Also Available in Print
Through Amazon
GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALING
K9 Hearts Gift Card
Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is offer someone a place to begin. If someone you care about has lost their dog, they may not yet have the words for what they're feeling.
"This gift says: I see you. Take your time."
FROM $9.99 · DELIVERED INSTANTLY BY EMAIL
GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALINGAbout the Author
Paige Cummings is the heart behind K9Hearts. With 30 years of experience walking alongside people through their hardest moments, and a personal loss that changed everything, she built something she wishes had existed when she needed it most.
When her heart dog Charlie Brown came into her life, she never imagined losing him at just three years old. That grief — and her B.S. in Psychology and M.A. in Forensic Psychology — became the foundation for everything at K9Hearts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Mobile Bundle includes files sized and optimized for smartphones and smaller screens, while the Desktop & Tablet Bundle includes files optimized for iPad, tablets, and laptop/desktop screens. The Complete Bundle includes all four files — both Mobile and Desktop versions.
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No prior reading is required. Many readers find it helps to read Charlie's story first, then move into the journal prompts when they feel ready. Others open the journal first and return to the story in between prompts. There is no wrong way to grieve.
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Yes. Charlie's Guided Journal includes a dedicated Special Section on Anticipatory Grief — designed specifically for those who are still in the in-between place, not yet at goodbye but no longer okay. This is a unique feature not found in most pet loss journals.
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The Adobe PDF version uses the free Adobe Fill & Sign feature and works on any device. The GoodNotes version is formatted and optimized for the GoodNotes app on iPad and tablet, with interactive writing fields designed for stylus use.
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All digital products are delivered instantly after purchase via email. Your download arrives as a ZIP file containing all versions clearly labeled and ready to use.
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Send us an email at hello@K9Hearts.com or use our Contact Us tab at https://www.k9hearts.com/contact.