How Much Grace Do We Offer Those Grieving Pet Deaths?

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4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

They are best friends who are with us through all of life's ups and downs. They love us unconditionally, even when we aren't our best selves.

Many people consider their pets to be part of their family. That's why when our pet companions pass away, it can be devastating. Some research suggests that losing a pet can be even more difficult to cope with than the death of a family member.

Today, more people are seeking out pet loss support. There's also a movement to push for more policies at work like pet bereavement.

We discuss how our understanding of grieving over the loss of a pet is evolving, and how we support those experiencing the loss.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Indicator is a podcast where Daily Economic News is about what matters to you.
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0:17.1	Make America affordable again.
0:20.4	Listen to The Indicator, the Daily Economics podcast from NPR.
0:27.8	For 15 years of my life, I had two constant companions.
0:36.6	Misha was a 12-pound Yorkie mix who never met a stranger.
0:40.6	She had a very refined palate.
0:42.9	She loved long hikes, and she also loved hoarding tennis balls.
0:48.1	And Pasha was a seven-pound pup of indeterminate breeding.
0:52.2	After I rescued him, it took a while for him to learn to be a dog,
0:56.6	to enjoy walks without being hypervigilant, to figure out how to play with Misha. But he got there,
1:04.6	and along the way, he decided he was my sworn protector. He would put all seven pounds of himself between me and the world.
1:14.5	Apasha died in February 2023.
1:17.8	Misha followed him across the rainbow bridge a year later, almost to the day.
1:22.6	And even though they'd lived good, long lives, I wasn't ready,
1:27.2	and I don't think I ever would have been ready.
1:30.5	Because they're our best friends, and they're with us through all of life's up and downs.
1:35.3	They love us unconditionally, even when we're not our best selves. As pet ownership grows in the U.S.,
1:42.0	so too does our relationship with our furry companions.
	...

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