These are live totals from anonymous reader polls. Read them next to the research: in a 2026 UK study, 7.5%[1] of people grieving a pet developed prolonged grief, so heavy feelings are far from rare.
Before you read
Every figure below comes from real votes by visitors to this site. Each person gets one vote per poll, and votes are anonymous; we see totals, never names. The bars update live, so the picture shifts as more people answer, and small polls can swing noticeably with a handful of votes.
This isn't a scientific survey. People who find a pet loss support site are more likely to be struggling than the average owner, and they choose whether to answer. Treat the results as a room full of people saying “me too”, not as a measure of how everyone feels. If you haven't voted yet, you can answer the polls first.
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Alongside the evidence
The strongest recent evidence comes from the RSPCA's pet bereavement survey of more than 4,000 UK owners and a 2026 PLOS ONE study of 975 UK adults. Both are far larger and more careful than a reader poll, and both paint a picture of grief that is common, intense and often unsupported.
75.4%[2]
75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died.
66.9%[3]
66.9% of respondents were surprised by how intense their grief was after losing a pet.
56.7%[4]
56.7% of bereaved pet owners in the RSPCA survey could not find the support they needed.
If you chose “nothing yet” in our poll on support, you're in line with that last figure: many bereaved owners simply don't know where to go. Our overview of support options was written for exactly that gap. It's a big one: by our estimate, around 850,000 US households a year[5] lose a pet and then can't find the help they want, based on US pet cremation numbers and the RSPCA's rate of owners left without support.
Everyday life
Our questions about the emptiest time of day and how workplaces responded touch the parts of grief that research has only recently measured. In the RSPCA survey, 28.4%[6] of respondents couldn't take any time off after their pet died, and 77.4%[7] believed employers underestimate the impact of pet loss.
56.4% / 43.1%[8]
If your own answers matched those patterns, it's worth knowing that small changes help: a replacement routine for the time you used to spend together, a short request for a day off, one person you can text. Our guide to pet grief over time covers what often shifts in the first months.
The heavier polls
Some of our polls ask about things people rarely admit, such as whether they fear they waited too long before euthanasia, or whether they told a child a gentler story than the truth. When you read those totals, remember that every option was written because real people feel it. None of them is the “right” answer.
The research suggests guilt is especially tied to the euthanasia decision. A 2025 study of bereaved owners (n=123[9]) linked heavier grief to feeling excluded from the decision and to worrying it came too early, while feeling supported by the vet team was linked to less guilt. If that poll result looks like a crowd of people with your exact thought, that's worth knowing: it's a shared, understandable reaction, not proof you did something wrong. A counselor who works with pet loss can help you untangle it.
With children, parents in the RSPCA survey overwhelmingly asked for better guidance: 93.4%[10] said so. If you used a softer story and now regret it, it's rarely too late to gently add the truth. Our article on supporting children after pet loss explains how.
Making sense of it
How do you mark the day your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
To turn a feeling into a next step, try the grief check-in. It's private and gives suggestions that match how you're doing right now.
Free tool
Pet loss grief check-in
A private, two-minute check-in on how you're coping, with ideas that match where you are.
Beyond the numbers
Seeing that you're not alone helps, but it isn't the same as being heard. If you'd like to talk to people who understand, a pet loss support group is a good place to start, and many are free. You can also ask us for options near you, or browse pet loss support by area on your own.
Reader polls
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
How do you mark the day your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
How did your workplace respond when your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Did you take time off work after your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
They accurately count the votes cast, but they don't represent all pet owners. Voters are self-selected visitors to a grief support site, so the results lean toward people who are finding things hard. For population-level figures, use published research such as the RSPCA pet loss survey, which we cite alongside the polls.
The results are live. Every new vote updates the totals, so a poll with only a few answers can move a lot in a day. As more people vote, the percentages usually settle. We never adjust, seed or pre-fill the numbers, so what you see is exactly what visitors have chosen.
Yes, this page shows the current totals for every poll. On the individual poll cards elsewhere on the site, you'll see the results right after you answer. Voting first keeps your own answer from being nudged by everyone else's.
No. Votes aren't linked to names or email addresses, and results are shown only as totals. Your browser remembers that you've voted so the poll can show you the results next time, but that stays on your device.
Some of the largest and most recent studies on pet grief come from the UK, including the RSPCA survey and the 2026 PLOS ONE study. We label where each figure comes from so you can judge how well it applies to you. Grief reactions are broadly similar across countries, even if support services and workplace policies differ.
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.
