Many people who experience the loss of a pet can often be surprised by the severity of their grief. And some feel ashamed when they admit that it’s been harder than when they’ve lost a person in their life, even someone as close to them as a parent or sibling. So why can pet loss be so hard?
There are a hundred different reasons why a particular loss may impact a person more strongly than another, but underlying them all is the fact that our pets love and accept us unconditionally. They make us feel important and needed every single day. They make us feel safe and less alone in the world and are a constant, reliable source of support no matter what life throws at us. These are all things we often spend our lives searching for in other relationships, but rarely find.
When an animal companion dies, we also lose more than just that physical presence of a cute, furry friend who keeps us company and makes us smile. We often lose many of our daily routines and the rhythm of our day becomes completely disrupted. We can suddenly feel like our whole identity is lost when we’re no longer a dog mom/dad, caregiver, animal advocate, etc. Most of all, we can suddenly feel very alone in the world and like no other soul will ever understand us or love us quite as much. Quite as unconditionally. That’s a lot to process and to grieve for.
This isn’t to say that every person will feel pet loss this deeply, but many of us do. Sometimes it’s related to the special bond we had with our pet, sometimes it’s related to the particular time in our life that our pet was with us or when they died, and sometimes it’s related to a link to the past that our pet connects us to that suddenly feels broken. Whatever the reason, it’s important to realize that the loss of a beloved companion animal can be one of the most challenging experiences for many pet parents and it’s not just the loss of a ‘dog’, ‘cat’, ‘horse’, ‘bird’, ‘guinea pig’ or whatever the animal may be. It’s the loss of a best friend, a family member, and a daily physical reminder that we all deserve to be loved and accepted for exactly who we are no matter what.
If you are struggling with the loss of an animal loved one, please Contact Me or join my weekly peer-based support group HERE.
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