Can Losing A Pet Feel Like Losing A Human?

Explore the deep grief of losing a pet and why it can feel as intense as losing a human. This guide offers a fierce, loving path to honor your pain.

Can losing a pet feel like losing a human? Let’s just cut through the bullshit.

The question itself is a symptom of a society that has taught us to rank our heartbreaks, to measure our grief on a scale of acceptability.

We’re told, in a thousand subtle and not-so-subtle ways, that the love for an animal is a lesser love, a practice run for the “real thing.” And so, when our animal companion dies, we are left not only with the searing pain of loss, but with a layer of shame and confusion.

We ask ourselves, “Is it okay that I feel this much? Am I crazy for being this devastated?” Let me be clear: your heart is not crazy. Your heart is honest.