Adjustment to the Death of a Companion Animal

As pets provide many important benefits of a psychological, social, and physiological nature, loss of a companion animal can be a devastating event. The adjustment process, although similar to that experienced when a human dies, may be hindered by a lack of social support and opportunities for healthy confiding in others. In the current study, 49 adults completed questionnaires assessing grief experience, mood, physical symptoms, and new pet acquisition. Questionnaires were completed 2, 4, 8, and 26 weeks after the pet's death. Each time, subjects also wrote an essay in which they either confided details, thoughts, and feelings about the pet's death (confiding condition) or wrote essays on events unrelated to the pet (control condition). Results indicated that, with few exceptions, the grief experience associated with the death of a companion animal is similar to that associated with the loss of a significant human. Confiding had little effect upon the adjustment process, but individuals reporting deeper relationships with their pets had more difficulty adjusting to the loss. Those with more intimate relationships were also less likely to acquire a new pet within six months. Other pre-existing family pets and the cause of the pet's death had no effect upon adjustment. These findings indicate that pet loss can be a significant event for many individuals, especially if the relationship with the animal was strong. Suggestions for facilitating adjustment and ideas for further research are presented.