By Racheal Harris, PhD candidate at Deakin University, Australia; Author, Educator, Animal Guardian
1. Grief
People still feel a lot of conflict and guilt about expressing grief related to the death of their companion animals. There seems to be a pervasive sense that we should be impacted less by the loss of an animal than we might be after the death of a human. This is especially true if we have friends and family members who have lost a partner or a child (or if we have lost a partner or child ourselves). There is a fear that we will be judged for mourning an animal, or criticised because it’s not a human relationship that we have lost but “only a pet”. Due to the intimate relationships we share with animals in the domestic space however, it is often the case that we feel their loss more keenly – even if we don’t want to talk about it. We need to be more open to feeling and sharing this grief.
2. Memorialisation
Despite a hesitance to communicate grief publicly, private forms of memorialisation for companion animals are increasingly artistic, finding expression in ways that are not seen in human memorialisation rituals. Tattooing, partial preservation, wet preservation, and taxidermy are all gaining popularity as methods of paying tribute to lost pets. While some of these recall Victorian traditions, others are quite new. Similarly, there is an increase in the number of people who opt to have their animal friends cremated, so that they can later be buried together.
3. Eternity
Contemplating the afterlives of our companion animals allows us to engage more openly with our own ideas about spirituality and the afterlife. Religion and more wide-ranging spiritual concepts can be difficult to navigate when contemplating our own mortality, but when we begin to consider them in relation to the afterlives of companion animals, particularly when it comes to spiritual reunions with them, it opens up new ways of considering how we might exist beyond the confines of the physical body.
4. Virtual Life and Death
Animal influencers, like Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub, are representative of the posthumous celebrity that animals are beginning to enjoy. It seems that humans are just as inclined to avoid saying farewell to the animals that they have known solely online as they are when losing their real-life animal companions. For those of us who have established social media accounts for our animals, the after-death maintenance of these can keep us connected to support networks in the virtual world, as well as being a valuable outlet to express our grief.
5. Continuance
Staying in contact with departed companion animals is becoming more popular and common. While continued relationships can centre around grave sites, remains, or physical memorials, the use of mediums to relay messages from the animal spirit is a new avenue through which continuing dialogues may take place. In parallel to this trend, there is a growing interest among individuals seeking to develop their own psychic abilities, with the specific goal of communicating with their companion animals. Workshops focusing on spiritual communication are increasingly available online and face-to-face.
About Racheal Harris
Racheal’s research looks at the afterlives of companion animals, with a focus on their memorialisation, and the continuation of relationships bonds between the living and the animal spirit over the course of the human lifetime. In 2019, she published Skin, Meaning and Symbolism in Pet Memorials: Tattoos, Taxidermy and Trinkets, which looks at the practice of tattooing and taxidermy in relation to the commemoration of companion animals. In her current work she intends to expand on these themes, whilst also considering the role of Spiritualism and its mediumistic practices in maintaining afterlife relationships. In addition to her academic interests, Racheal is a qualified Companion Animal Bereavement Counsellor and Companion Animal Doula.
To get involved with Racheal’s research, please visit www.animalafterlives.com or contact her directly at harrisra@deakin.edu.au
@racheal_anne83
