Pet Bereavement

“Am I Crazy to Feel So Sad About This?”

The belief of enjoyment and treasured experiences from having a loving a pet is well known and felt by every animal lover I know, so why is it that losing such a great gift is looked upon as an experience that should be easily overcome or made light of in our culture? ‘It’s only a dog’, I hear people say, or ‘Not to worry you can just buy another one’!

The emotional attachment we as humans experience when becoming bonded to our pet is imprinted in our minds in the same way we treasure our relationships with friends and family and is developed over a number of years, and the similarities in how we experience grief is the same pattern of mourning and loss. This will vary and be influenced by our own personal emotional reactions.

It can at times be hard for others to recognise the extent to which the loss maybe affecting you and it is not uncommon as in human grief to move backwards and forwards through the different stages until the feelings of grief finally move towards acceptance.

A person grieving for their loved animal friend may experience phases of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance in the same way we would experience the loss of a human.

In some cases the relationship will be long-standing, or a result of a rescued or raised companion even attached to the memory of another person, which may result in an intense grief lasting several months or longer.

If your family or friends love animals, talk openly, and don’t hide your feelings in a misguided way to try to stay calm or strong.

Just remember your feelings of grief are genuine and deserving of support.

For further information, or to seek the support of a grief counsellor, please get in touch.