US companies offer employees leave for proper pet bereavement

Pet-owners in several US companies who lose their beloved companions can take up to three days leave to "grieve" properly and deal with the initial shock, a US media report said.
Pet bereavement days are not required under federal or state laws, but at least three US national companies have allowed their mourning pet owners to take time off work from one to three days.
Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, the largest chain of boutique hotels in the US, allows managers to grant up to three days off to employees, whereas pet insurance company Trupanion gives employees one paid pet bereavement leave.

"We allow people to actually do that grieving process and just be able to heal. I think you need closure when you lose a pet, and it's important to have the time to do that," said Dani Kahn, coordinator at Trupanion.
"It's really very, very difficult to function, and if you can't function, you certainly can't function at work, and you're really not the person you were before. You need the time to get back to some sense of normality," pet loss counselor Janet Zimmerman told CBS Miami channel.
Janet noted that 30 per cent of pet owners who were surveyed said they felt grief and sadness for at least six months after losing an animal.

According to studies, pets are clearly part of the family for many of us. People experience the same numbness, shock, disbelief, guilt, and anger as they would if a person died, the report said.

"I've seen people who can't get out of bed at all. They can't eat, they don't accept phone calls, they are so lost," Zimmerman said.
Erica Lee, who was left "heartbroken" after losing her beloved dog 'Chief', took a day off work to stay with her son described the recuperating experience as "invaluable".
"Being able to stay home with him and grieve with him was invaluable. It was so, so important to me," Lee said.

"This should absolutely be the norm for many businesses if not all," she added.