“Recognize the reality of animal bereavement”: should we establish leave for the death of a pet ?

88 % des propriétaires s’accordent sur le fait qu’il est aussi difficile de perdre un animal qu’un proche. MIDI LIBRE – JEAN MICHEL MART

The SPA, Wamiz, Santévet… What these companies have in common is that they offer their employees who have to deal with the death of their pet an additional day of paid leave. A device that could one day be generalized in France ?

Those who have never had pets can hardly understand the feeling of sadness and the immense emptiness they leave behind after their death.  And yet, for the 50% of French people who live with a cat, a dog or a rodent, these balls of hair are an integral part of the family.

The SPA, Wamiz and other companies, particularly in the animal sector, recognize the importance of these furry companions in the lives of their employees. They have also made an additional day of paid leave available to their employees in the event of the death of their pet.

"This allows you to take the necessary steps but it’s above all a symbol, detailed in the columns of 20 Minutes the president of the SPA Jean-Charles Fombonne. The idea is to recognize the place that the animal holds in one's life.

"This device is not intended to compensate for the loss but rather to recognize the reality of mourning in the face of the death of an animal&quot ;, adds animal health insurance specialist Santévet.

As difficult as losing a loved one

It must be said that according to an Esthima/Wamiz survey dating from 2020, "88 % of owners agree on the fact that it is also difficult to lose an animal that a loved one". Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the bond with our furry companions has become stronger and stronger, as evidenced by the unexpected success of the touching book Its smell after the rain , in which Cédric Sapin-Defour describes the loss of his dog Ubac.

However, some employees may be reluctant to share their pain with their colleagues, especially in companies less aware of this issue. Some say the law should change to guarantee all bereaved pet owners paid leave, while others fear it could create inequalities between those who have pets and those who don't. rsquo;have none.

The debate to change the law to allow owners of bereaved dogs and cats to benefit from 24 hours of paid break had already been launched by the Animalist Party, which had supported this proposal for the legislative elections of June 2022. Without the proposal coming to fruition. Today, no provision for recognizing animal mourning exists in French law.