ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses loss and grief among those working in animal shelters or rescues. After describing the types of loss experienced by shelter workers, the chapter discusses the ways loss and grief may be complicated for this population. For example, shelter workers grieve animals that were not pets or family members. They may not be allowed the typical emotional grieving process or public mourning process (e.g., no burial location or urn, may feel ashamed by mentioning it to others). The loss is also of greater quantity or magnitude. Most pet owners can expect to experience the loss of a pet once every 10 years, on average. Shelter workers might experience the loss of more than one animal a day; it is a regular part of their job. Because there is no literature on this topic to date, concepts and strategies are taken from other caring professions in which the caregiver experiences or witnesses those under their care leaving or dying. This includes literature on foster parenting, nursing, and hospice work; adapted here to provide insight into the psychology of animal-shelter loss and grief. The chapter will also include strategies for prevention and treatment of grief complications. The chapter ends with two case scenarios with discussion questions.
