A co-worker of mine recently experienced the worst part of pet ownership. She awoke on a Sunday morning to find her dog had passed away. She took him to the vet and took care of everything that needed to be taken care of. When she returned home, she found herself alone and without a pal to greet her at the door for the first time in 11 years.
Obviously this was going to be a very difficult time for her. Knowing this, she promptly called into work and said she wouldn’t be in for a while because her pet passed away. Word got around to everybody at the office. Some were sympathetic, and others smirked at the excuse for missing work. “Because of a pet?” they would say. “I lost my Dad and was at work the next day!”
This situation brings up a good question. Should people be allowed to miss work because of a the death of a pet? I believe different people may need time to recuperate when a loved one passes away, regardless of whether the loved one is an animal or a human. Some people may be a bit closed to their pets than others. And why not? Pets are usually with their owner for a large amount of time through their lives.
There always seems to be a group of people that doesn’t get it, though. Some people have never owned a pet. Others have owned pets but don’t care for them properly and couldn’t care for their own mother. These are the people you’ll need to lie to. So maybe when you call in sick when Buster passes away, you might just want to lie and say “I have the flu.” instead. It may save yourself from the drama of the 50% of the world that doesn’t seem to get it.