Home Foreclosures Bring Added Anguish for Pet Owners

June 30, 2009

Deerfield, IL —The grief caused by the loss of a pet or animal companion is very real. The current economic climate has exacerbated that grief for many families who have been forced to abandon their pets as they face foreclosure on their homes. While some foreclosure victims regrettably leave pets behind to die, there are many more that must make the difficult decision of forsaking a beloved family pet to a shelter or animal rescue group, only compounding the stress they’re already under from losing their homes.

“Attention and support need to be given to the psychological aftermath of making such a difficult decision,” says Betty J. Carmack, R.N., Ed.D., CT, a retired professor of nursing, author of Grieving the Death of a Pet and longtime pet loss counselor.

Dr. Carmack points out that people facing the loss of their home are making a responsible decision when they choose to take their pet to a shelter, and that doing so in no way negatively reflects on their love for that animal. She comments, “It’s important to understand that resolving the accompanying feelings of strong grief, guilt and powerlessness is a process that will take time.”

Guilt and grief are often intensified by the perceived societal stigma of relinquishing an animal companion. In addition to feelings of loss, foreclosed pet owners often face criticism and accusations of heartlessness from friends, coworkers, shelter employees, or their own family members.

The Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), The Thanatology Association, provides resources specifically for those grieving the loss of their pets, as well as a broad spectrum of grief-related issues. A link to the resources can be found on the ADEC Web site home page.

The Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), founded in 1976, is a professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence and recognizing diversity in death education, care of the dying, grief counseling and research in thanatology. Based on quality research and theory, the association provides information, support and resources to its international, multicultural, multidisciplinary membership and through it, to the public.

Contact: Kasia Chalko
111 Deer Lake Road, Suite 100
Deerfield, IL 60015 USA
+1-847-509-0403 x351
kchalko@adec.org

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Updated: June 30, 2009