Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to explore how the role a pet played before disposition and how the owner lost his/her
pet affect the pet owner’s next pet adoption decision. Results from Pearson chi-square tests of independence show
no significant relationship between how the respondent viewed his/her pet before relationship ended and the length
of time he/she waited before adopting another pet. However, a significant relationship was found between how the
pet owner lost his/her pet and the length of time he/she waited before adopting another pet. Respondents who said
they lost their pet voluntarily were more likely to wait longer before adopting another pet than those who said they
lost their pet involuntarily. Moreover, the results confirm that respondents who viewed their pet as a child, before
end of relationship, were more likely to hold funeral rituals than those who viewed their pet as a friend, a family or
household member. Finally, those pet owners who lost their pets and decided to adopt another pet are likely to
choose a pet of the same species but different breed. Implications to theory and practice are discussed.

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