A 2026 study published in PLOS ONE examined the lived experiences of nearly 1,000 adults in the United Kingdom. Participants were asked about different types of loss they had experienced, including the death of family members, friends, and pets. They were also asked which loss felt the most distressing and whether their grief interfered with daily functioning.

Here is what stands out:

• Roughly one in three participants had experienced the death of a pet.
• Almost everyone who lost a pet had also experienced the death of a person.
• 21 percent reported that the death of their pet was the most devastating loss of their life.
• A subset of participants met criteria consistent with prolonged grief disorder after losing a pet.
• Patterns of grief symptoms were nearly identical whether the loss involved a person or an animal.

In other words, the emotional and psychological response to pet loss can mirror the response to human loss. This challenges the long-standing cultural assumption that animal loss is inherently less significant.

Prolonged grief disorder refers to persistent, intense grief that significantly interferes with daily life well beyond what is culturally expected.

Symptoms may include:

• Intense longing or yearning
• Difficulty accepting the death
• Persistent sadness or anger
• Emotional numbness
• Disruption in daily functioning

Research suggests that pet loss can trigger this level of grief in a meaningful minority of people. Yet diagnostic systems have historically focused only on human loss.

When grief after pet loss is dismissed or minimized, people may feel:

• Embarrassed about their emotions
• Isolated
• Invalidated
• Reluctant to seek support

This can compound suffering.

Pet loss often falls into what psychologists call disenfranchised grief. This is grief that is not socially recognized or validated.
You may hear statements like:

• “It was just a dog.”
• “You can get another one.”
• “At least it was not a person.”

These responses can unintentionally communicate that your grief is disproportionate. Over time, this can lead people to suppress or question their emotional reality. Grief that is not validated tends to linger.

If you are grieving an animal companion, consider the following:

Normalize the Intensity
There is no hierarchy of grief. Your emotional response reflects the bond you had.

Create Ritual
Hold a memorial, write a letter, plant something, or create a photo album. Ritual helps the brain process finality.

Allow Ambivalence
If euthanasia was involved, it is normal to feel both relief and heartbreak. Both can coexist.

Monitor Functioning
If grief is significantly interfering with sleep, work, relationships, or daily responsibilities for an extended period, professional support can help.

Seek Validating Spaces
Talk with people who understand the human-animal bond. Support groups or therapy can provide space to process without judgment.

The research underscores a broader issue: when certain forms of grief are minimized, people may not receive appropriate care.

Pet loss can:

• Activate attachment trauma
• Exacerbate depression or anxiety
• Trigger unresolved earlier losses
• Surface existential questions about mortality

Clinicians increasingly recognize that animal loss deserves the same psychological seriousness as other forms of bereavement.

More than half of households have companion animals. Statistically, most pet owners will experience this loss at some point. The evidence is clear: grief after pet loss is real, neurologically grounded, and for some, profoundly life-altering.

If you are navigating this kind of grief, your response is not dramatic, excessive, or misplaced. It reflects love and attachment. And love, in any form, leaves an imprint. If you would like support processing a recent or past loss, Therapy-Connection offers compassionate, evidence-informed care for individuals and families navigating grief in all its forms.