Why is losing a pet harder than losing a family member?

Losing a beloved animal friend is made harder by the relative novelty of the experience, often being a person’s first experience with a close death, and by it being one of the few times most people chose euthanasia to end a life.

How do people feel when their pet dies?

Some people find grief following the loss of a pet comes in stages, where they experience different feelings such as denial, anger, guilt, depression, and eventually acceptance and resolution. Others find that their grief is more cyclical, coming in waves, or a series of highs and lows.

Do you grieve more over the loss of a dog?

Many times, I’ve had friends guiltily confide to me that they grieved more over the loss of a dog than over the loss of friends or relatives. Research has confirmed that for most people, the loss of a dog is, in almost every way, comparable to the loss of a human loved one.

Do vets perform euthanasia on ill and dying animals?

And I have talked to many veterinarians who routinely perform euthanasia on ill and dying animals. The vast majority embrace euthanasia as a compassionate and ethically appropriate way to release animals from suffering at the end of life. People are eager to talk about the choices they have made at the end of their animal’s life.

Do you miss your dog when you die?

While the death of a dog is horrible, dog owners have become so accustomed to the reassuring and nonjudgmental presence of their canine companions that, more often than not, they’ll eventually get a new one. So yes, I miss my dog. But I’m sure that I’ll be putting myself through this ordeal again in the years to come.

Does Death Kill Love or the relationship?

They come to see that death does not kill the love or the relationship. We build a new relationship, without our beloved pet — and there is no rush. I use physical approaches, such as drawing a heart as it was during their period of intense grief. The color choices are interesting, as is the size of the heart. Then we draw grief within the heart.