Why You Should Never Feel Guilty For Grieving The Loss Of A Pet

Oct 04, 2018

When a pet dies, it's normal to grieve. When other people tend to say that your pet was just an animal, offer a few reasons as to why it's alright to deal with the loss in your own way.

Whether your pet has died of natural causes, had to be euthanized, or has died because of an illness or injury, it's often never easy to handle the loss of this member of the family.

For some, it's comparable to dealing with the loss of a human, according to research.

There are even some pet owners who tend to grieve more for their four-legged companions than they do a person who has died, confused about the reasons they experience these emotions. These people often have others who tell them that they should just get over the death.

There is a reason behind why owners take the death of their pets so much harder than others. When Frank McAndrew had to say goodbye to his dog Murphy, he wasn't sure how he and his wife would handle losing their dog.

They had to make the difficult decision to have Murphy euthanized. A few moments before Murphy died, Frank looked right into her eyes. Murphy looked at her owner with a combination of confusion and reassurance. It seemed as though Murphy knew that she had the people who loved her by her side and that everything would be alright.

Sometimes, people who haven't had a dog or another kind of pet see the grief that overwhelms a pet owner, they often think that the person is overreacting. They don't know why it's such a difficult journey because it was just an animal.

Pet owners know that it's not just a dog, a cat, or whatever animal it may be.

Frank knows people who have talked to him about grieving more over their animals than family members who have died.

It's more than just caring for an animal in your home. You provide food, shelter, comfort, and love for your pet. Your pet is treated like a member of your family, so when that family member dies, it's normal to grieve. Even though the pain is almost the same as losing a human family member or friend, there are no funerals for pets and no rituals that celebrate the life and loss of the family member.

How have you coped with grief after losing a pet? Let us know in the comments, and pass this article along to help people understand that grieving over a pet is completely normal, and absolutely nothing to be ashamed about.