Matt Johnson Says 1 Year of Pet-Loss Advocacy Followed Dog Alan Shearer’s Death
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 18
Matt Johnson Says 1 Year of Pet-Loss Advocacy Followed Dog Alan Shearer’s Death
1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 18
Matt Johnson said the death of his pug Alan Shearer last year felt like losing his “best friend” and was a “unique and profound” grief unlike other losses he has experienced.
The 43-year-old presenter said the dog helped him manage lifelong depression, gave him purpose to get up, walk and focus, and acted like a daily “dopamine injection.”
Johnson said he has spent the past year urging people to treat pet bereavement as legitimate grief, arguing many feel they are told it is “only a pet” and do not deserve to mourn.
Alan Shearer had originally belonged to Johnson’s former housemate Paul Darling, who named the dog after the ex-England captain before giving him to Johnson five or six years ago.
If science proves pet grief mirrors human loss, why does society still dismiss the pain so many people feel?
As 97% of owners see pets as family, why don't more workplaces offer pet bereavement leave?