Dogs come into your life, provide companionship, and for many people become a very close friend. Years of romping in the grass, fetching sticks and warming your feet are great, but at some point in time, you are very likely to lose your pet to old age. The typical life span for dogs ranges between 12 to 18 years depending upon the breed in question. When the time comes, dealing with the death of your pet can be very difficult and if you have children, it can be even harder.

Normal Grief

People who do not own pets may not understand your grief, but that does not mean that your grief is unnatural or something to be ashamed of. Feeling pain and loss when a dog dies is natural and has the same stages of grief that you would experience when losing a loved one. Just know you are not crazy or silly to feel pain and grief.

Pet Grief

As stated earlier grief over the loss of a pet is similar to typical grief, the stages are a bit different however. Below are a few of the different feelings you may experience after losing a pet:

Guilt – pet owners often blame themselves for a pet’s death, running over in their mind what they could have done to prevent it. This is especially true when the death is the result of an accident.
Denial – it will be difficult to imagine that your pet will no longer be there to greet you when you get home from work. This can become extreme and some owners find it hard to accept a new dog out of fear of being disloyal.
Depression – grief can lead to depression and can leave you tired and lacking of motivation.
Anger – there will be plenty of opportunities to be angry, toward the illness, the driver of the car or even your veterinarian who was unable to cure or save your dog.

It is natural for you to experience these feelings; however it is important that you work through these feelings so you can move on.
 
Expression

You will need an outlet for your feelings because bottling them up inside will only make matters worse. Do not try to hide your emotions or deny feelings of guilt, anger or depression. Expression is your road to healing. There are many ways you can express grief, write poems, talk with friends, cry, scream or even pound the floor but get the frustration out of your system.

Conclusion

For the true pet lover the death of a dog is devastating and it can be difficult to explain these feelings to those who are not similar lovers of furry creatures. Remember that these feelings are normal and you have the right to process your grief. If you have children, remember to be understanding, as they will experience the same grief that you will. It is probably not a good idea to try to replace the pet immediately your child may have a hard time bonding with the new pet because of feelings of guilt.

 

 

Pet Grief – The Radio Dept. – title track from PET GRIEF (2006)

 

American Humane Survey Determines Why Some Don't Own Pets

Filed under: pet grief

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Giving every dog its day: How the grief of losing a beloved pet drove former …

Filed under: pet grief

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