Most pet owners agree that the hardest part of having a companion animal is when the time comes to say good-bye to them for the last time.

For some people this is a moment they can’t face, and we have had several welfare concerns reported to us over the last few weeks that relate to owners not being able to take their beloved pets to the vets to be put to sleep.

In one case we were able to directly assist an elderly gentleman, who was housebound, to do the right thing for his very old and very sick dogs, to end their suffering.

We have kept in touch with him, and he seems to be coping reasonably well without his best friends but he is undoubtedly lonelier and sadder without them.

In the other cases we have simply needed to ask the owners when their pets last visited a vet, and this has been the gentle nudge that was needed.

Although the island’s vets are operating on a restricted basis because of Covid, they are all available for emergencies.

We can’t give bereavement support but we do understand how traumatic the death of a pet can be, and we encourage people to visit the Blue Cross’s website www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-bereavement-and-pet-loss, or call their bereavement support service (0800 096 6606) between 8.30am and 8.30pm.

The Samaritans, too, are there to help and can be contacted on 116123.

Just because we’re in lockdown and there are big health issues all around us, this shouldn’t make bereaved pet owners feel as though their grief is unimportant. It isn’t.

When animals die pet owners often find their loss is trivialised by those around them, and it can be a very lonely experience.

Although we are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, many people frown upon mourning and visible grief in relation to the loss of a pet, and they have a ’just get another one’ approach, which is seldom helpful.

Locking away grief doesn’t make it go away.

Express it, and don’t hide your feelings in a misguided effort to appear strong and calm.

Don’t try to avoid it by not thinking about your pet. Instead, reminisce about the good times.

This will help you understand what your pet’s loss actually means to you.

Coping strategies including rearranging your schedule to fill in the times you would have spent with your pet; preparing a memorial such as a photo collage or memory box; and talking to others about your loss.

Working through your feelings with another person is one of the best ways to put them in perspective and find ways to handle them.

Grief may also be accompanied by guilt if you have had to make the difficult decision to have your pet put to sleep.

Euthanasia (which in Greek translates as ’good death’) is something we do as an act of kindness to avoid suffering, and a pet owner should never feel guilty about it.

Losing a pet is often the first time that a child becomes aware of death. It is usually better to be honest with a child and explain the truth as clearly as you can.

Be careful when you use the term ’put to sleep’ as a child may expect their pet to wake up again later.

Children may want time to say good-bye to their pet and seeing the body may help them understand what has happened.

It is generally believed that other pets benefit from being able to see the body of their dead companion, so that they can process the death rather than think the dead animal will return at some point.

This is especially true of herd animals, like horses.

But please don’t let the thought of dealing with grief put you off adopting.

We have some wonderful animals, like Avon (pictured), waiting to meet you as soon as we’re able to re-open for animal viewings.