Die emotionale Belastung, die der Verlust eines geliebten Haustiers während der COVID-19-Pandemie mit sich bringt, wurde deutlich. Die Studie ergab, dass der Tod eines Haustieres – insbesondere eines Hundes – häufig als herzzerreißend, verheerend und in manchen Fällen schmerzhafter beschrieben wurde als der Verlust eines menschlichen Familienmitglieds.
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The emotional toll of losing a beloved pet during the COVID-19 pandemic has been revealed in an international study, revealing that grief for animals is often profound, enduring and still widely misunderstood.
Co-authored by Professor Damien Riggs from Flinders University and led by Professor Elizabeth Peel from Loughborough University in the UK, the research challenges the long-standing assumption that grief for animals is somehow less valid than grief for humans.
Drawing on survey responses and interviews with 667 pet owners in the UK, the study found that the death of a pet — particularly a dog — was frequently described as heartbreaking, devastating, and in some cases, more painful than the loss of a human family member.
“Many people spoke of their pets as best friends, soulmates, or family members,” says Professor Riggs, from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University.
“Their grief was overwhelming and long-lasting, yet often hidden or dismissed.”
Published in the journal Death Studies, the research focused on experiences of pet loss during and after the pandemic. COVID-19 restrictions disrupted how people were able to say goodbye to their animals, intensifying feelings of sorrow and trauma.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07481187.2025.2557716
Absolutely.
I lost both of my long lived soulmate, dogs during Covid.
They both lived along good lives, but especially during the social isolation of Covid losing them was absolutely devastating and even today I can’t think about them without feeling deeply emotional.
And yes, I think it is harder to lose a dog, especially a “soulmate“ dog then it is a human simply because there’s a dependence and a sense of obligation similar to that of a child.
To this day, I still can’t bring myself to get another dog simply because I don’t want to deal with that crushing, inevitable day. I just can’t handle it anymore. I’ve had several dogs in my life, but the last two were just soul wrenching.
Lord would I be mad if any grant money was used for this.
„- reconceptualizing animal bereavement to decenter human exceptionalism“.
Sounds like some people have issues in their personal relationships if they value their dogs life more than a family member.
I lost my old boy Oliver (cat) during Covid – I couldn’t find a vet to come to our place to put him asleep due to restrictions and I wouldn’t allow his final moments to be terrified in a car and at a vets office. (He always hated that)
It was a long night staying up with him to let him know he wasn’t alone and he passed away in my arms. It was comforting to know he lived a very long life. A former street cat in Downton Dallas, to living on the beach in Florida and finally leaving this earth here in Switzerland.
During covid? This happens *every time* I lose a dog. I’m on my seventh dog now and I deeply grieved the first six.
This is my experience losing a pet ANYTIME.