ABSTRACT Few socially recognized death customs are available for bereaved pet owners, who may experience adverse mental health as a result of disenfranchisement and other complications surrounding pet loss. Additionally, pet owners can experience complex grief when the death is by euthanasia. When a human loved one dies, societal infrastructures allow mourners to express loss through death rites. Such customs often include a eulogy; a traditional testimony of praise which serves a number of functions in human bereavement, allowing the mourner to celebrate the life of the deceased, publicly validating their loss, and facilitating a “letting go.” This study assessed the value of eulogy writing as a therapeutic memorial device for bereaved pet owners. The text of 19 human-style pet eulogies, provided by professional celebrants, was investigated using inductive thematic analysis and emerging themes revealed two higher order categories: Structural Content and Emotional Content. Lower-order Structural Content themes included references to “biographical detail” of the pet, “relationships,” “spirituality,” and “death.” Lower-order Emotional Content themes included the strong presence of “love” and “joy/happiness,” as well as “sadness” and “guilt” around euthanasia. Similarities in content and structure were found between pet and human eulogies: praising the deceased and describing fond memories and happy times spent together. This suggests that human and pet eulogies may also share similar therapeutic benefits: allowing mourners to “let go,” providing validation, and a means of retaining a remembrance bond with the pet. We suggest that eulogy writing could offer a powerful tool to allow bereaved owners to process their loss within a positive framework, and recommend that supporting professionals, like veterinarians, social workers and bereavement counsellors, should consider exploring the use of eulogy writing as a coping-strategy option for vulnerable bereaved clients.

中文翻译：

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赞美死去的宠物：人性宠物颂的内容与功能探析

摘要 对于失去亲人的宠物主人来说，很少有社会公认的死亡习俗，他们可能会因被剥夺权利和其他与宠物丢失相关的并发症而经历不利的心理健康。此外，当因安乐死而死亡时，宠物主人可能会经历复杂的悲痛。当亲人去世时，社会基础设施允许哀悼者通过死亡仪式表达损失。这种习俗通常包括悼词；一种传统的赞美见证，在人类丧亲之痛中具有多种功能，使哀悼者能够庆祝死者的生命，公开证实他们的损失，并促进“放手”。这项研究评估了悼词作为对失去亲人的宠物主人的治疗性纪念装置的价值。19篇人性宠物颂文，由专业主礼人提供，使用归纳主题分析进行了调查，新兴主题揭示了两个更高阶的类别：结构内容和情感内容。低阶结构内容主题包括对宠物“传记细节”、“关系”、“精神”和“死亡”的引用。低阶情感内容主题包括“爱”和“快乐/幸福”的强烈存在，以及围绕安乐死的“悲伤”和“内疚”。在宠物和人类的悼词中发现了内容和结构的相似之处：赞美死者并描述美好的回忆和一起度过的快乐时光。这表明人类和宠物的悼词也可能具有相似的治疗益处：允许哀悼者“放手”，提供验证，以及一种与宠物保持纪念联系的方式。