ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to guide professionals in better understanding the unique ways in which prisoners experience pet loss. Indeed, the loss of an animal can be minimized by those in the general population and often even more so within the prison setting. The chapter examines the issues, with a special focus on Prison-based Animal Programs (PAPs), and concludes with recommendations for counseling practice. In many PAPs, homeless dogs from animal shelters or assistance dog organizations are brought into the facilities for obedience training with the end goal of adoption in the community, or prisoners may train animals for more specialized work. New research is exploring post-traumatic growth associated with loss, considering how loss can be transformational and result in close relationships and a different perspective on life. Although the field of bereavement has transformed, there is still little known about how prisoners experience grief, and how this might impact their participation in a PAP.
