Depending on their lifespan, your pets can be around for as long as you can remember. You feed them, you worry about them and you don't bat an eyelid at spending extortionate amounts in vet bills because they're part of the family.
So it probably comes as no surprise that 18-year-old Emma McNulty was devastated when her 14-year-old beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Milly, passed away suddenly.
When Emma phoned her employer to explain that she was too upset to work, she was met with two options: to find cover for her shift or risk dismissal.
The teenage student, who was working part-time in a sandwich shop, claims that she was 'fired and left unemployed the same day as losing her best friend'. Now she is petitioning to allow bereavement leave from work following the death of a family pet.
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Emma, from Baillieston, Scotland, was due to start her shift at 3pm on Saturday, but says she messaged her manager at 10am and was told it was her responsibility to find alternative cover.
The other option was to face disciplinary action and after her search was unsuccessful, Emma says that she was told not to bother working the rest of the week, before receiving an email to say she had been fired due to gross misconduct.
She told Glasgow Live : "I informed my manager I could not come into work as I was too devastated and physically sick to do so.
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"Instead of being shown the compassion and sympathy stated in the contract, I was sent a number of nasty messages and told I had to cover my shift as no bereavement time was allowed for pets.
"I did not go to work that day and I was fired and left unemployed the same day as losing my best friend, this caused me extreme distress and sickness."
Speaking to the BBC, she added: "I was sacked on the same day as I lost my dog. Milly was 14 and I am 18, so I don't remember a time when she wasn't part of my life. We did everything together. I was so close to her and she was my best pal."
The petition, which has now amassed over 3,000 signatures, reads: "I recently lost my dog, a valued family member and companion, I grew up with her and developed a close relationship that only grew each day.
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"I think it's disgusting how some company's think it's acceptable to treat someone in this way with no remorse, a family pet (in my case my dog) has just as much importance as a human family member. It's time companies acknowledged this and give people the time they need to grieve with no worry of losing their job."
You can sign the petition by clicking here.
Featured Image Credit: Credit: Emma McNulty