A Phenomenological Approach to Disenfranchised Grief Experienced by Pet Owners After Pet Loss

The purpose of this study is to explore the grieving experiences of pet owners who have lost their companion animals, and to provide an in-depth understanding of their unacknowledged and inexpressible sorrow. To this end, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 10 adult participants from across the country who had experienced pet loss within the past six months. Each interview lasted between 60 and 90 minutes, and the collected data were analyzed in four stages using Giorgi’s phenomenological method. The analysis yielded 315 meaning units, 60 subcategories, and 18 categories, which were further synthesized into seven themes: ‘The vivid sorrow of pet loss’, ‘Farewell through funeral rituals’, ‘Grief that is unexpressed and unacknowledged’, ‘Self-suppressed sorrow of loss’, ‘Psychological responses to pet loss’, ‘Psychological growth and relationship redefinition after loss’, and ‘Efforts to grieve’. This study highlights the unspoken grief experienced by pet owners and underscores the importance of establishing sociocultural support systems, developing tailored mourning programs, and laying the groundwork for specialized tools to assess disenfranchised grief.