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Comment by thinkingtoilet | Hacker News Reader

People will laugh at it, but pet bereavement should absolutely be a thing. The saddest I've ever been in my life was when my dog died. Perhaps seven days is a bit much, but when you go to the bargaining table you don't start with what you want, you start past that point then negotiate down.

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I felt the same but my preference is to have enough PTO to take off for that.

Yes, the fairest and least corruptible system is to just provide PTO. People can use it however they see fit.

Same. My boy pug dying in 2019 was so distressful that I was coughing up blood the following morning. My father had a massive heart attack a couple months later and I was still numb to the point where I couldn't process it emotionally.

For some, esp. those who choose to be childless, a relationship like that is probably the closest we'll come.

I was happy the startup I worked at during that time allowed me to take a week off as sick pay... sent flowers with a handwritten note from our HR leader the following morning, but I opted to come back after a couple days as I needed to take my mind off things.

Sometimes, those small acts of kindness in hard times can make a world of difference

Absolutely, pet bereavement should be taken seriously. Losing a pet can be one of the most devastating experiences, often comparable to losing a close family member. Pets are part of our daily lives, routines, and emotional support systems

yep same. It hit me harder than some of my human relatives. I had hard time getting out of bed for days.

The saddest I've ever been in my life was when my dog died.

I take it you've never lost a child? Because I've lost both and sad as it was, losing a dog doesn't even come close. Losing the dog was sad, but I got over it and eventually adopted another pup. Losing the child was so unimaginably awful that I struggle to find the words...

Police knocking on my door at 2am to tell me. Calling my wife at 2:30am to tell her (she was away on business). Waiting for her to find a flight home. The funeral. Dealing with the estate. Waking up every few weeks feeling like it was all a nightmare, only to realize it was not.

It's fucking awful.

I’m sorry about you child, but it doesn’t mean that we have to belittle someone’s grief because you’ve had it worse.

I'm sorry for you loss but it's silly nonetheless to try and codify a solution to an individuals issues.

I think the issue is that it comes off as egregiously woke.

"Woke" makes absolutely zero sense here. I think the word you're looking for is "sensitive".

Anything you don’t like is woke. No sexist jokes in office? Woke. Bro culture is frowned upon? Woke. Can’t make jokes about gay and black people? Woke, woke, woke.

It's woke to grieve important members of your household? You don't think that's a little reactionary?

It makes no sense as a policy.

It makes no sense until it happens to you and your manager doesn’t give a shit.

Does it expand to all pets? If I have 10 small dogs I could easly get an extra 1 week/year off. What about reptiles, fish. My girlfriend's cat?

Again, it doesn't exist because it makes no sense.

pets aren't people

So?

Feelings are woke. Caring about anything or anybody is woke.

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