Bereavement

There are all sorts of emotions associated with the loss of a dog. Owners may feel anger, grief, guilt, denial, or depression. These are normal reactions to the loss of a loved one and should not be denied. Dogs offer companionship, unconditional love, and become an integral part of your family so it is natural to develop a strong emotional connection with them.

It is important for owners who have lost a dog to realize that their friends and/or family members may not understand what they are going through. They may appear unsympathetic to their loss. Therefore, it may be necessary to seek comfort elsewhere. Grief counselling services or pet loss support groups may be more understanding and sympathetic to the way you feel. Veterinarians and/or humane associations usually can provide recommendations or referrals for grief counselling services or pet loss support groups.

People experience grief in different ways. Regardless, those feeling have to be confronted. Some may feel that the quickest and best way to get over their grief is to go out and replace the lost dog with a new one. This should not happen right away; you must take time to deal with the loss of the pet before replacing it ( HYPERLINK “http://www.pet-loss.net” http://www.pet-loss.net). If you decide to get another dog, do not think of it as a replacement, think of it as building a new relationship.

“You can’t control whether or not you grieve. But you can decide whether or not to let that grief control you” (Allen, 2001). The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB) offers services online that may be useful. The services are available to anyone bereaving for a beloved pet. Membership is not required to use the online services at APLB ( HYPERLINK “http://www.aplb.org” http://www.aplb.org).