to be seriously p**sed off that...

[seeker]

...the email I received this evening headed "We are mourning the loss of a very special little person" was about the death of a dog.

I adore my animals, and I do genuinely grieve when they die - and I will mourn the dog in question - he was a seriously fab Jack Russell, but surely you don't use word like this about an animal? Or do you?

No, you don't. It is bonkers.

Some people do.

I think it's weird, YANBU

Well I don't think I'd ever describe my dog a a person. SO no I'd never use words like that.

YABU for being pissed off though. They are obv. very upset and not thinking right.

you are being completely reasonable

To be honest, I think you are being a little odd. Sure, I wouldn't refer to an animal as a 'person', not send out emails announcing death. But who knows how the sender felt - why does it upset you so that they should be sad? It doesn't diminish sadness for any other death if this person is sad, does it?

Well a dog isn't a person so I would have assumed they were talking about a child. So wierd to use the word person but not to mourn the dog

no. on account of it not being a PERSON but a bloody dog

twats

YANBU
Although mu mother certainly views her dogs as 'people'.
There is something improper about it, I don't know, if I received an email like that, I would be terrified they lost their child.

Why on earth would you send that in the first place? YANBU at all!
Does the sender have a child you were concerned about?...my heart would be in my mouth as I opened that email!

YANBU

A Dog is a dog, a person is a person.

Initially it dounded like a child had died. Not quite the same thing as a dog.

Yes, they do have children. And of course they should mourn the dog - he was lovely. And I'm not questioning the email - the dog was very much loved by a wide circle of people and they needed to be told. But he wasn't a person. And I was relieved when I opened the mail and found it was "only" the dog - which is not a good way to feel when you hear someone's bad news.

If I had got that email from a friend/family I would have very probably been sick.

I would have assumed someone had lost a child.

I would then have been very angry that someone had made me feel that way when I realised it was a dog.

No way saying people shouldnt grieve for their pets. I love my dogs and have been known to send cards when someone's dog has died.

But that email is weird and a bit attention seeking.

I know somebody who was unable to work for a week when his cat died. 55 year old grown man and he couldnt get out of bed because he was so wracked with grief.

YANBU.