It really hurts when someone dies, whether it was a person or a beloved pet, but why is it that sometimes the death of a pet is harder on us? If you’ve ever experienced this and thought you might be a bad person because of it, this article is for you.
Losing a dog or any pet you’re close with can be worse than losing some relatives or even friends for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons for that is because what a dog or companion animal offers you is not something a human can. The unconditional love that they provide is not something a human is truly capable of when you really break things down.
According To Psychology Today,
The death of a pet can hurt as much as the loss of a close relative or friend. It is common for humans to have conflicts with family members over religion, money, politics, and so forth—conflicts that may create emotional distance between them. Humans and pets do not have these types of conflicts—pets are 100 percent dependent on their human companion. Yes, you may become angry at your dog for chewing your shoelaces or leaving a “surprise” on your carpet, but these feelings of frustration and anger quickly dissipate after your pet looks up at you with funny ears and wide-open eyes.
According to an article that reviewed multiple studies and was published in the journal Society & Animals in 2002, the death of a companion animal can be as devastating as the loss of a human significant other.
Mourning A Dog
Studies have even proven just how damaging the death of a companion animal can be, and it is very close to that of losing your significant other. When your dog of however many years passes there is no funeral, and there is no time off of work. You are forced to deal with the mourning process all on your own, and that makes it ten times worse.
A lot of people might even try to tell you to get over it, and that in itself is complete shit. You cannot go from seeing this precious creature every day to not seeing him or her at all without feeling something. There is nothing wrong with missing your partner in crime. When you lose someone in your family that maybe you didn’t see often, it might hurt, but it’s rightfully going to hurt more when the ball of fluff that you’ve been caring for day in and day out for years passes. When he or she is gone, your whole routine has to change.
Dogs respond to praise from us in ways that we could only wish other humans would. They rely on us for everything and even go out of their way to make us feel better when they don’t understand what is even wrong in the first place. When you lose a pet, you’re not just losing a pet, you’re losing your security blanket. You are being forced to give up someone that is basically a child to you, your child.
There is nothing wrong with missing your dog, and you’re not a bad person for missing him more than Great Aunt Suzie. If you have ever lost a precious pup, I am truly sorry and hope you find peace.