Lab colleague on guilt and animal loss

Lab colleague and animal chaplain Sarah Bowen, who has appeared on several Lab webinars, recently wrote for Spirituality & Health on the phenomenon of guilt surrounding animal loss. You can read the full article here; an excerpt appears below:

Guilt related to animal loss is particularly acute, especially when we feel complicit in that loss. Our relationships with animals at the end-of-life often carry a burden that our relationships with humans do not: the choice of whether or not to euthanize. This choice brings with it a host of emotions both during decision-making and afterward. The guilt we can feel over this act is often unrecognized or unacknowledged. People trying to be helpful may try to offer words of solace, such as “You made the best decision you could, or “It was the right time.” And yet, in our gut we remain unresolved and feeling guilty.

You may also be interested in Lab webinars on the human-animal relationship and spiritual care therein.