The Experience of Companion-Animal Ownership and Loss, and Implications for Wellbeing

This project explores the lived experience of animal ownership and loss, and the implications for wellbeing. By examining subjective experiences of animal ownership with socially functional animal-owners, it was possible to gain a deeper insight into the psychological dimensions underpinning human-animal interaction. Animals, traditional and non-traditional, were found to provide a vital psychological function as a selfobject for their owners offering psychological growth opportunities. Animal loss can be as important as a significant human loss leaving owners vulnerable to grief. Findings dispel the notion that owners who emotionally invest in their animals may be psychologically deficient or lacking social support.