Great article on how serious the loss of a pet can be. Pets are just not animals but actual family members. Their value to the individual is that of a child to many. This is not something odd or crazy but is in fact quite a normal attachment. Some individuals may have more severe attachment to a pet but no studies show this to be unhealthy or bad. In fact, it is human to love an animal, especially a pet as if one of the family. In many cases, pets to some are better family than people.
The article, “Here’s Why People Need to Be Taken Seriously When Grieving the Death of a Pet” by Maryanne Garvey explores this and dismisses the statement, “it was just a pet” to be something more than a minimal loss but a very emotional and serious loss. The article states,
“We can feel very, very intense grief when a beloved pet dies. A pet is a family member. When any beloved family member dies, those who love him or her grieve. One can grieve as much or even more over the death of a pet as that of a human,” Cohen explained.
To read the entire article, please click here
Please also review our Pet Loss Grief Counseling Training and see if it matches your academic and professional needs.