Time off work when your dog passes

[Arabiannights01]

I just think that I love my dog more than most humans and when it is her time to leave, I will be a distraught- mess for a while, I don’t think work will want a sobbing mess in front of customers. There should be a system where you get some kind of compassionate leave imo.

I note that you say "cared about" not loved. But why the constant need to make comparisons?
People who feel deep love for animals generally tend not to think much about whether an animal is more or less important than a human. It's often noticeable that whilst non-pet people talk about anthropomorphism, and accuse us all of having "fur babies" that we love more than people, those of us with a deeper connection to animals are largely not the ones making these comparisons between dog and human. Our companion animals play a completely different role in our lives than humans do, so we tend to accept them as they are, rather than constantly dwelling on whether they are more or less important than a person is.

Unfortunately when you get a pet you have to accept that you will more than likely pass before you do. My Dalmatian Casey was my sole companion during Covid lockdown, we were isolating alone and I truly don't think I would have got through it without her. When she died I was heartbroken, I cried, I sobbed, I took half an hour to compose myself and then I sent an email to let my work colleagues know what had happened and asked that they not mention anything to me as I would not be able to hold it together.
The idea of taking a day off never occurred to me, certainly I wouldn't expect the company to fund one!

my manager once sent someone home because one of the girls was in a horrendous mess after her dog died. She did it begrudgingly and wasn’t thrilled we were all trying to justify how she needed it. I think case by case basis but if someone is really upset in work they’re not going to get anything proper done that day

Yes, to everyone, to society. We need kids, they are the future of society! My pet dog is not going to work in the nursing home when you get old or drive the bin wagon is it?

They are not to me, but I get your point.

Absolutely, accusing people who get on with it of not loving their pet enough is dreadful.

Same here. My dog is ancient, and I have had her for a 1/3rd of my life. She has got me through break ups, break downs, so many things. I nearly lost her last year. I even had a vet booked to come to my house to help her on her way. Thankfully, she rallied. In the lead up to it, I could not function at all. I was not eating or sleeping. I don't work, but there is no way I could have managed if I was. I dread to think about the time when I do lose her (which being honest will be before Xmas).
She is a dog, yes. But she will never be "just" a dog.

Ask for unpaid leave. Or work extra hours to make up for the time off.

I notice you missed off the 'deeply' to suit your narrative.
I disagree, I've found that whenever someone complains about a dog on MN, you always get people comparing dogs to kids. The point is was making is that the pet matters to the owner/family, the kids matter to society.

And you bloody well know that's not what I meant.
It is vile to talk about lack of resilience and tell people to "get on with it" as if it's nothing.
I hardly left the house for two years after my dog died because I was so traumatised. I couldn't have "got on with it". He was my emotional support.

I didn't take time off after my boyfriend left me. I adored him. I was broken to pieces. I dived into work. I had a big team to manage and lots of work to do, so it was a great distraction. I was working with clients/customers/passengers. I was more compassionate than ever and helped beyond anyone's expectations. One person I helped even asked me if I'm an angel. So my great work came from great sorrow. Instead of staying at home crying my heart out. (I did that for months on my off days though).

Parental leave was just the first example I thought of, the point I was making was that employees should not expect to receive a benefit that is only applicable to certain life circumstances that actually apply to them.

My dog died on a Monday morning. My 17 yo daughter found her beloved dog (that she had grown up with) dead/dying on the kitchen floor at about 6 am.
I phoned in sick.
It wasn't just my own grief I had to deal with, but my daughter's too. I called my ex DH, he came over and we dug a grave in the garden and had a little ceremony.
I was also late to work the following morning because I took my daughter to school (in order to make sure that she did go to school).
And I got into a lot of trouble with work, but they didn't dock my pay.

Thing is, you have to do what you have to do. And if you've got a good boss then they will grant sick or compassionate leave. But no, I don't think it needs to be recognised as a special category of leave.

OP I think some people are being a bit harsh! When my last dog died I was absolutely distraught. I couldn’t speak to anyone outside of my immediate family for 3 days and thankfully I had an amazingly understanding boss who told me to take the week off and that gave me time to try and put myself back together. It was recorded as sick leave (if she recorded it at all) and that would have been because my mental health was so poor due to grief.

As a manager of a large department, I encourage my staff to do what they need to look after themselves and if that means taking time off to grieve a pet then I would totally support that.

But for this woman, losing her dog could have been as painful (for her) as you losing your dad. I'm sorry for your loss - but it's unfair to dismiss peoples pain and heartbreak, and how devastated they feel when their beloved dog - or cat - dies (or horse, as a pp said earlier...) Just because YOU never want any pets.

our 10 year old lab has 3 major surgeries this year. We were unsure of she will make it.. hubby and I alternated sleeping downstairs with her for 16 weeks. (Not easy as we have a newborn too) however she has recovered and is back in her bed in our room… I can’t tell you the joy and love that floods me every morning when I get up and see her there… we would be so lost without her so I understand how you feel/most people do about their pets. Annual leave entitlement (compassion leave/maternity leave etc is so much better here in the UK than any of the 5 countries I have lived in but I don’t think we would get compassionate leave for pets…

It's also not appropriate to tell somebody that you know they'll get another dog. None of them are ever replaceable.

How many pets do you think people lose every year? 🙄

💯

If you haven’t got any leave left when your dog dies, you’ll have to take unpaid leave.

Yep. Agree!

My last cat was 18 years old. I get that animals are such an important part of people’s life for so long

when she was ill I got to take emergency leave (paid back the hours) to take her to the vet

any short visits to the vet was flexible working. anything above that and after she died was annual leave. This seemed right to me

It would also be like telling someone who has just had a still birth that they can try again for another baby.
You keep those thoughts in your head.

I am sorry for your loss and I am sure you are sorry for my loss of my just as loved pet and much missed too.

You also know you must have more MH issues going on than just a pet dying to have as extreme a reaction continuing over 2 years. Hope you are getting or seeking the MH support you need and I would kindly suggest this thread is not helpful for you.

TBH wouldn’t even have occurred to me to expect compassionate leave* when our much loved dog was PTS after 14 years.

What did (quietly) really upset me was the colleague who said, ‘Oh, well, you can always get another,’ - as if I’d had my laptop nicked or something.

Some people have literally no idea - I dare say there are plenty such on MN, judging by the number of anti-dog posts.

*I was however granted it for 4 days, no question, when my very elderly mother, with dementia, had a nasty fall, and I needed to go and stay with her 60 miles away.