Pet obituaries give owners a place to share grief
Here’s my latest freelance story for AP, a piece about online pet obituaries. As a dog owner, I could relate to the deep love owners feel for pets.
Also, look for the February issue of Latina magazine for an article I did about the effect Hollywood stereotyping has on the lives of Latinas building professional careers.
Grieving pet owners find solace in online tributes
By MONICA RHOR
For The Associated Press
They provide comfort in times of distress, laughter in moments of gravity, love during spells of loneliness. They are, to paraphrase writer Edith Wharton, a heartbeat at one’s feet.
Pets are our best friends, faithful companions and family members. And not even death, it seems, can break that bond between animal and human.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in the increasing number of pet obituaries springing up on the Internet, in some newspapers and on social media sites.
On websites such as Doggy Heaven and Immortal Pets, on blogs such as The Orange County Register’s Pet Tales, on countless personal Facebook pages, grief-stricken pet owners funnel their sadness into heartfelt, often heart-wrenching tributes.
The obituaries — accompanied by photo montages, poems, and notes of condolence from friends and fellow pet owners — are part therapy and part memorial, a way to grieve and a way to immortalize.
The sites also testify to the coveted place pets hold in American culture. About 62 percent of households, or 71.4 million homes, now include pets, according to the American Pet Products Association. Pet owners spend an estimated $48 billion on food, supplies, medical care and grooming for their animals.
“It’s a reflection of the social fabric,” says Samantha Gowen, who writes The Orange County Register’s Pet Tales blog, which regularly includes obituaries sent in by readers. She notes that most pet owners are aware that they will likely outlive their animals, which gives the relationship a special poignancy.
“There’s a great sense of empathy when it comes to pets and their lives,” says Gowen. “Pet owners are all connected by their pets and death.”
Online obituaries offer pet owners a way to tap into that network, find support and channel the pain of losing a pet. Kristin Tomyn, a 39-year-old real estate agent from Indianapolis, was distraught after the sudden death of Dakotah, her 12-year-old Siberian husky, and was searching the Internet for consolation when she stumbled across Doggy Heaven.
The site’s home page, with a sky-blue background and a logo of a dog collar glowing like an angel’s halo, appealed to Tomyn. As did the Doggy Heaven mission statement: “All dogs go to heaven. Doggy Heaven is a place of solace and joy where you can honor the memory of your departed canine companions.” …
To read the rest of the story, click here.