Dog Mom transforms her despair after the death of her golden retriever…

Alexandra Bonfiglio was strolling down the beach when she came upon a smooth, flat stone that intrigued her. After bringing it home, she painted it with a rainbow and inscribed it with a paw print in honor of her pet golden dog Stella…

After a few weeks, this little handcrafted gift had sparked an initiative to provide solace to mourning pet owners all across the world…

For Bonfiglio, 33, who started the organization Stella’s Angels to help those who have lost dogs, “there is absolutely not enough support in the world for individuals who lose pets since they are like children in their own way.”

This organization, which is based out of Bonfiglio’s Virginia home, brings solace to individuals who have experienced the death of a pet by providing them with a painted rock monument for their pet, similar to the one Bonfiglio created in honor of Stella…

Stella, a 7-week-old puppy, was acquired by Bonfiglio during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2012…

“She was the most wonderful dog,” Bonfiglio says in an interview with PEOPLE. “She was a picture of serenity and peace. She was actually simply a wonderful person… She always appeared to be aware of who was in the most desperate need of her assistance.”

A call from her roommate came in while Bonfiglio was in the car on November 9, 2018, as she was travelling from her hometown of Springfield, Virginia, to her brother’s home in Virginia Beach…

“She was weeping herself to sleep,” she recalls. When they were heading out to the vehicle, they had left the door slightly wide, and Stella had pushed the door open and run out into the street, where she was struck by a truck…

Bonfiglio was in a state of disarray. “I’ve shed more tears over this dog than I have over any other member of our family who has died away,” she adds. “She’s really, really a member of the family,” said the father.

As a way of channeling her on-going sadness into something constructive, Bonfiglio recently posted on Facebook offering to paint rainbow pebbles with paw prints — similar to the one she painted for Stella — in remembrance of her friends’ deceased pets in order to make them feel better.

With such positive feedback from her Facebook friends, Bonfiglio decided to broaden the scope of her charitable offer, posting her painted rock project to a neighborhood Facebook page on October 30 and again offering to paint and gift rocks with a pawprint on the front and the name of a deceased pet on the reverse.

“Within an hour, my phone was ringing off the hook,” she recalls. “Some of the texts I’ve received have been sad.”

They painted and distributed 57 pebbles in the first week with the help of her son, Noah Winters, who is 13 years old. A steady stream of passionate pleas continues to pour into the Stella’s Angels Facebook group, which has also evolved into a safe environment for bereaved pet owners to share tales about the furry animals they so deeply miss with one another.

As for Bonfiglio, she continues to set aside time each night with her son to paint the little monuments to their departed pets…

The family must go rock hunting every other day, according to her. “Not only are we recovering, but other people are also healing as a result of what we are doing. They will get the opportunity to tell their story. They are beginning to believe that their pet has not been forgotten.”

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Dog Mom transforms her despair after the death of her golden retriever…
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