The Long Middle

A favorite collar resting on a folded blanket, representing grief support for pet loss in Bergen County, NJTypes of Loss

Pet Loss Grief: Why It Hurts So Much (and Why It's Real Grief)

Melanie Struble, LCSW, LCADC

When a pet dies, what is being lost is not just a being you cared for. It is an attachment figure. The nervous system response to losing an attachment figure is one of the most well-documented and most intense biological responses there is — and the species of the attachment figure does not change the underlying physiology.