Abstract
Simple SummaryThe aim of this study was the scientific validation of a novel instrument (the Mourning Dog Questionnaire) designed to allow a comprehensive quantitative analysis of grief responses in dog owners after the death of a pet dog, which is a still underestimated issue. This instrument was based on a grid of quantitative measurable outcomes that combines five different questionnaires concerning levels of attachment to pets, responses to the loss of a pet, outlook on life events and grief, perceptions of animals in terms of emotions, needs and legal right. We found that pet owners have the tendency to humanise their pet and perceive animals no differently from humans in terms of emotions, needs and legal rights. In addition, after the death of the pet, a negative view of life was described according to the findings. The Mourning Dog Questionnaire could be a useful tool considering the high numbers of people who are at risk of experiencing the loss of a companion dog, which makes this type of grief as potential major concern for public health and human welfare.People often develop strong emotional connections with their dogs and consider them to be members of the family. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel validated tool, the Mourning Dog Questionnaire, to recognise and evaluate the mourning process in people who have lost a dog. The research model was based on a grid of five different questionnaires: the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire, the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, the Animal-Human Continuity Scale, the Positivity Scale, and the Testoni Death Representation Scale. The Italian version of the survey was posted on social networks. A sample of 369 Italian dog owners filled in the questionnaire (mean age ± SD 42.00 ± 10.70 years). Reliability indices were good for all instruments. The total scores of the five questionnaires correlated with each other. The results from the Mourning Dog Questionnaire support the negative view of life after the death of a pet and people’s tendency to humanise their pet, since dog owners perceived animals no differently from humans in terms of emotions, needs and legal rights. Findings arising from the use of the Mourning Dog Questionnaire will help the implementation of rationality-based strategies to improve the wellbeing, resilience and quality of life of people in the world experiencing the loss of a pet.
Highlights
In humans, bereavement is a natural and common event caused by the loss of a significantly loved person through death [1]
After creating initial descriptive summaries, we explored item response distributions of the questionnaires (PBQ, Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), Animal Human Continuity Scale (AHCS)) that had not been previously validated in Italian and we performed a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), hypothesising that items should group into the same construct as in the original version of each questionnaire
With respect to the circumstances of the dog’s death, 48.80% of the respondents declared that it was unexpected, while 58.00% had opted for euthanasia
Summary
Bereavement is a natural and common event caused by the loss of a significantly loved person through death [1]. According to the standard definition, the term grief refers to the emotions that accompany bereavement, whereas mourning refers to the behaviour that social groups expect following bereavement when a family member has died [1]. Not surprisingly, when a pet dies, some owners can experience significant grief over this loss [4]. The acute phase of grief reactions after the death of a familiar pet often occurs within a two-month time frame around the loss, with uncomplicated pet grief lasting from six months to a year [8]. There are a number of variables that notably influence the experience [7]
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