3 Reasons the Loss of Your Pet Hurts

Those of us who grew up with pets, either as children or as adults, or both, know very well the pain that we suffer when a pet dies. Those who do not “know” pets sometimes don’t understand what we understand, that a pet is a full-fledged member of the family.

In thinking more about this, I share with you what you already know, these 3 reasons why it hurts so much when we lose our pets.

1. Our pet is the (only) member of our family who gives us undivided loving attention, listening to us when no one else will, comforting us when we need that, and accepting us at all times in our lives. All we need to do is rub behind their ears or scratch their tummies, feed them and walk them, and they are “ours” for life. They are our confidants, they give all of themselves to us, every single day.
2. Our lives are now empty. Not just because of the examples in #1, but because there is now a gaping hole in our hearts, and we are not quite sure how to fill it. Who else in our lives is there who accepts us totally? Who else listens to us laugh and cry, suffer and smile? There is no one in our family just like our pet, and so we are left with an empty feeling, not knowing where to go with it, or what to do next.
3. We begin to wonder if we should replace our pet with another, and this, too, leads us to a giant question mark. Maybe we should take some time and think about it. Maybe we should go out the day after the funeral and get another dog or cat or bird or rabbit. And maybe we begin to think that the next pet will also die some day, and that death will be too hurtful for us to deal with all over again, so perhaps no more pets would be the better decision. And if we decide to get another pet, should we choose one just like this one, or a different breed altogether?