We all know what it’s like to go through a grieving process, when a family member or loved one dies, we need time to accept that person is no longer with us, but what happens when our pet leaves us?Our animal’s mourning remains a topic of little conversation.
In addition, many people who have never had the affection of an animal do not know what it means and therefore denigrate and minimize the mourning of the animal, so the bereavement person has yet to deal with another negative feeling: the lack of acceptance of their pain.
- If you’ve been grieving for your pet.
- You may have met people who said phrases like “it’s just an animal.
- ” “adopt another.
- ” among many others.
- It doesn’t help the person who just lost his faithful friend.
- Can you imagine going to a funeral and saying the same thing.
- For example.
- About a baby who just died.
- Can you say?Don’t worry.
- Can you have another one? Or if the person has lost his parents.
- Say.
- “Can you adopt another parent?”.
The emotional impact of losing a pet may still be underestimated, so much so that many people don’t care when, for example, their best friend goes through a duel caused by the loss of the animal. to avoid talking about it because they don’t care.
When we go through a grieving process for the loss of a loved one, funeral rituals can ease our pain, they can help bring to our side the people we need in these times. Doing justice and allowing an adequate farewell from that person gives us an initial comfort.
In this way, these rituals create a context and an atmosphere in which pain can be expressed, with others who share the same feeling, but what about an animal funeral?
It is true that there are crematoriums and cemeteries intended only for animals, but publicly saying goodbye to your great friend is completely different from what it would be if you were a person, there is no procedure or custom that, in case you lose your dog, cat, rabbit, turtle, gives you the opportunity to say goodbye as you deserve.
Not saying goodbye to your pet can be detrimental to the grieving process, especially if you feel guilty about your death. Maybe your pet has had a health problem and you blame yourself for not giving it more dedication and attention, maybe those cysts that were the result of a certain medication could have been avoided.
Here are some thoughts that can cross your mind and invite you to feel constantly guilty, but most of the regrets you feel about animal death are the result of euthanasia, which is denied to humans, but one of the most commonly used options to alleviate animal suffering.
Euthanasia makes many people guilty of the death of their pets, finally choosing a date for it, even many people who opt for euthanasia end up feeling murderous, but we must not forget that when using this option it is because there were no alternatives. for salvation.
That’s where support is critical. Let the person who has suffered the loss express this feeling in words, empty it and deal with it, do not keep it in your shoe like a stone that will gradually injure your skin.
In the first phase of grief, it is unlikely that the person who suffered the loss is ready to have another animal, it is normal that he feels that somehow he would betray the memory of the deceased friend, placing another who would somehow usurp it is also not a good idea, because the new animal can predict a new future suffering like the one he is currently going through.
What the person who has suffered such profound loss and injury needs is affection, time to talk, shut up, get angry at the world, ask questions and, above all, help you when you give the first signs that you want to move from one stage of mourning to another, until the experience is integrated into your life.