This is a thinking person's guide, and as such it supplies a theoretical framework for understanding attachment and loss as well as actual advice on everyday care, costs, and regulations.

Preface

ix

Acknowledgments

xiii

Introduction

xv

PART I. PETS: A LOVE STORY

Overview

The Concept of Attachment

3

(18)

Role of attachment in human development. Attachment throughout the life cycle. Effects of disruptions in attachment. Pets and attachment relationships.

What Pets Are to Humans

21

(18)

Brief history of the human-pet relationship. Conscious and unconscious motivations for having pets. The place of pets in our lives.

Attachment, the Family, and Children

39

(14)

How relationships are learned. Regulation of emotions. Pets and family functioning. The family, the sick pet, and medical expenses.

The Elderly and Pets

53

(18)

Benefits and burdens of having pets. Concerns about the future of both owner and pet. Variations of owning pets. Getting help. Dealing with one more loss.

PART II. TO HAVE, TO NURTURE, TO PROTECT

Overview

Acquisition Advice

71

(18)

Criteria to consider: time, energy, space, economics, lifestyle, temperament, motivation, age. Providing veterinary care.

Life Span, Aging, and Physical Decline

89

(12)

Dealing with the inevitable. Quality of life issues. Emotional and financial considerations. What veterinarians can and cannot do.

Legal Issues

101

(18)

The rights of animals. Laws, rules, and regulations. Inadequate care and malpractice suits.

PART III. WHEN THE BARKING STOPS

Overview

Unexpected Loss

119

(16)

Accidents and other disasters. The impact of trauma. The sense of helplessness. Taking action.

The Question of Euthanasia

135

(8)

Philosophical dilemmas. Who makes the decision and how. personal, familial, and social conflicts. The role of the veterinarian. How it is done.

Grief and Bereavement

143

(16)

Social expectations and personal experience in grieving for pets. The process of bereavement. Allowing for time.

Children and Loss of a Pet

159

(14)

Dealing with illness and death. How the family can help.

Following the Loss: ``I Will Never Have a Pet Again!''

173

(8)

Loyalty to the lost pet. Guilt. Accepting a change of heart. Dealing with the uniqueness of each relationship. What a new pet can and cannot do for you. New beginnings.

When Recovery Is Hard

181

(18)

Complicated grief. What we learn from loss. Being there as sympathetic listeners. Helping others. Support groups and other resources.

References

199

(2)