Losing a pet is something very painful and not everyone understands. For people who have had a pet, it becomes another member of the family and, with its loss, a great void is created. Furthermore, the fact that it is not socially accepted to feel so bad about the death of that little family member makes everything much more complicated and painful.
It’s possible that everything reminds you of your pet, that getting rid of their things is very painful, and you may even consider that having a new dog is a betrayal of your old one. These feelings are completely normal and you should not feel guilty for experiencing them.
Keep reading this Psychology-Online article to find out how to get over the death of a dogwhat to do if you can’t get over the death of your dog or any pet and know the phases of grieving for its loss.
Phases of grief for the death of a dog
When a pet dies, for many family members, a process very similar to when a family member dies begins. That is why the phases of grief are the same, although not all people go through all the phases or spend the same amount of time in each of them.
- Denial phase. Since it is such painful and shocking news, the usual first reaction is to deny what happened, not wanting to admit that your little friend is not coming back.
- Protest or anger phase. It is quite common for frustration at not being able to do anything to reverse the situation to transform into rage or anger. Therefore, it is common for culprits to be sought and criticism arises such as “that’s because you insisted on buying a cheaper feed” or “we should have taken him to the vet sooner.”
- Negotiation phase. They look for ways to solve the problem, in a somewhat calmer way, even though it has no solution.
- Depression phase. In this phase the person finally accepts reality and understands that his partner is not coming back. It is a very painful phase that takes some time. There are people who report feeling depressed over the death of their dog. Because in this phase of grief you have feelings similar to those you have during depression. You may not want to leave the house, you may feel apathy, you may cry all the time…, just like in depression. In this article we talk about the.
- Acceptance phase. In this phase, a small recovery begins to occur and the daily routine is resumed although remembering our pet continues to cause pain.
How long does the duel last?
How long does it take to get over the death of a dog? As we said, the duration of each phase and, therefore, of the entire grieving process, is very variable. This duration It depends on the type of relationship you had with the pet. and the circumstances surrounding his death. For a person who had a very close relationship with their dog and who died due to an illness or an accident, the grief will be more painful and longer than for a person with a less close relationship and if the dog’s death was due to to old age.
Other risk factors that are related to a longer duration of grief is the age of the person, for example, it is quite difficult for a teenager to accept the death of his friend than for an elderly person. In this article we talk about the.
Feeling that your feelings are validated by your environment and that your family members understand and share the pain allows the grief to be more bearable and last less time.
Anyway, the grief to overcome the death of a dog takes time and it can be long. There may be days when you think, “I can’t get over my dog’s death.” It may also happen that you feel guilty for the death of your dog. It is part of the usual emotions in a duel. During grief, it is normal for you to experience different emotions. Below we explain what to do to grieve in the best possible way.
What to do to get over the death of a dog
What to do when your dog dies? How to overcome the death of a dog by euthanasia or naturally? Below we will see tips to overcome the death of your dog:
- In order to turn the page, it is important do a farewell ritual. It is not necessary to bury it, many times writing a letter to the pet or saying a few words can be enough to make it easier to close that chapter.
- Another very useful activity is create a legacyThat is, making a photo album or planting a tree in their honor can be a great help to be able to let go of our friend more easily.
- Despite the pain you may feel, watch over you It’s very important. Eat healthy, exercise and try to get dressed every day and not stay in your pajamas. This can be crucial when it comes to feeling better.
- Talk to others That they have gone through the same thing can be very useful when it comes to feeling understood. As we said in the previous section, feeling that your feelings are valid and that it’s okay to have a hard time with your pet makes the grieving process much easier.
- Give a new meaning to your life. Before, a large part of your life focused on caring for your pet. It is important that you now cover the time you dedicated to it with other activities that have good meaning. Signing up for volunteering, for example, can be a great option.
In this article you will find more information about .
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- López Ramírez, E. (2017). Grief process in children associated with the loss of a pet.
- Moreno Alfaro, A. (2015). The grieving process after the loss of a pet: description and recommended variables.