Research Synthesis Data

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J
1		Stats	Vanessa	Valerie	Sophia	Andrea	Fentyn	Fabiola	Alyna	Valeria
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3	PROBLEM STATEMENT: Pet owners who are dealing with pet grief need a way to commemorate their pet and connect with others because pet grief can be isolating, stressful, confusing and painful.
4		HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW
5	Type of pet		Cat + Dog	Dog	Cat	Dog	Guinea Pigs + Dog	Cat + Dog	Dogs	Dogs
6	Commemorating their pet
7	Looked at photos of their pet soon after pet died	87.50%
8	Still keep photos of the pet who passed	87.50%
9	Thinks about pet always	25%
10	Thinks about pet usually	25%
11	Thinks about pet sometimes	37.50%
12	Thinks about pet rarely	12.50%
13	Still grieving	12.50%
14	Grieved for over a year	12.50%
15	Grieved for 1 year	25%
16	Grieved for less than a year	50%
17	Keep digital photos of their pet	87.50%						Had digital photos but lost phone so she lost her photos
18	Keep physical photos of their pet	62.50%
19	Keeping photos of pet forever	87.50%
20	Why they kept photos of pet that passed:	88%	Photos remind her of the good memories and it helps to not forget what they look like	Reminds them of good, special memories	Treasures photos of her pet, she loves her pet and wants to remember the amazing time she had with her	Photos hold memories of pet that are important	To remember all the special memories, they still hold so much love for their pet	Lost phone with all the photos so couldn't keep	"Peaches was part of my big life milestones and grew up with me so I feels very attached to her memories"	"I keep the photos to always remember him"
21	Specific memory shared about pet:	87.50%	The pictures and videos of special moments. Taking our dog on walks in Southern California. The first time we gave them a bath.	Growing up together, holidays and milestones.	I looked through old photos and videos. Honestly everything is equally as important		Endy (Guinea pig) loved when I held her and had her in my pocket. She would even lick my hand sometimes, which they don't normally do. Iris didn't care for most people or other pets. But she did LOVE my dog at the time. She would always climb on him and she would allow him to clean her which was very sweet. Wicket (dog) there are too many to really pick one. I think my favorite though was when I first met him. He has just been taken from a neglected home and I had ALWAYS wanted a pug. They said he wasn't very social, but the second he was me he ran to me and would not leave my arms. He covered me in kisses like he knew we were meant to be together.	To remember the interaction with them, happy moments we had and to see things like bed and toys they use to use.	"When I was older I could walk Peaches without a leash and she would be right next to my ankles. I also has vivid memories when Peaches got attacked by a German Shepherd and was hospitalized/survived."	"Canelo was so sweet and attached, and he had a energetic uplifting character"
22	SUMMARY: Overall, 7 out of 8 participants answered that they still keep photos of their pets and plan to keep their photos forever with specific reasons of the importance of those images. The single respondent that did not plan to keep forever was solely due to the fact that she lost her cell phone with all her pets' images. These responses validate that it is important for pet owners to be able to keep their pet photos as a way to commemorate the pet after pet loss. Furthermore, even though the pet may have died over a year ago, pet owners still think about their pets and hold very important memories about them. These photos help in the process of grieving and ultimately benefiting their mental health.
23	Expressing grief with others
24	Talked about it with family + friends in person	87.50%
25	Texted family + friends	62.50%
26	Shared on social media	62.50%
27	Felt comfortable sharing with others	75.00%
28	Felt depression	62.50%
29	Felt shock	37.50%
30	Felt confusion	25%
31	Felt alone	62.50%
32	Felt other:	37.50%			So so sad			So sad and alone		"I felt sadness, heartache, heartbreak, grief, and like I lost a part of myself"
33	Shared grief with others almost everyday	37.50%
34	Shared grief with others sometimes	37.50%
35	Shared only when it happened	25%
36	Felt supported sharing with others	75%
37	Felt comforted sharing with others	62.50%
38	Felt less alone sharing with others	37.50%
39	Felt other:	12.50%							"It was a relief to tell others, but I felt depressed talking about it"
40	Continued to receive support after sharing more than once	62.50%
41	Shared pet with family or partner	87.50%
42	Family or partner experienced feelings of grief	87.50%
43	On describing how they felt about sharing more than once:	75%	still shared with close loved ones more than once however sharing on her social media often did not feel comfortable because it was hard to find someone that could relate to losing a pet like she did at the time	Worried about sharing too much online and not feeling understood if sharing too much, still shared with closed love ones	Didn't share on social media because not a social media person, but felt comfotable sharing in person with close loved ones			Was a teenager when the losses had happened, wasn't active on social media. Still didn't share with others more than once in person as she preferred to keep it to herself.	"Didn’t want to bring it up frequently, didn’t want to share with friends because they didn’t have a pet loss and felt they didn’t know how to comfort"	"I didn't feel comfortable sharing more than once on social media because I was worried about annoying people with posting too much about it. I just shared my grief with my family and close friends in person."
44	Specific memory that brought comfort from others:	87.50%	When boss provided comforting words and shared their experience of pet loss. She felt understood at her workplace where she was still grieving	Received flowers from a close friend who had a dog pass around the same time. They both got their dogs as puppies around same time.	Boyfriend being there for her the whole time, plus a friend who came over the day she had to put down her cat was very special to her		I was supported through out the entire duration of my grieving. Even from work, everyone was really understanding, even though it was supposed to be my first week at that job.	Well, It happened many years ago, I think I received a hug, and words of condolences. Also, I could expect the understanding of my feelings from my family, when some time I felt sad.	"The morning after Peaches passing, my boyfriend sent me a picture of a dog that looks like Peaches and the dog was in a meadow with a path leading to heaven"	"Being able to cry into my sister's arms gave me lots of comfort. Also someone gave me a Christmas present that was so special, a blanket with Canelo's picture on it"
45	SUMMARY: When asked how they felt about sharing more than once with others, 50% of participants shared they had concerns about annoying their social network with oversharing and fearing that people could not relate to them, therefore being misunderstood. A majority of participants felt both comforted and supported when they did share with others. Five out of eight participants experienced feeling emotionally alone through the situation, and the same amount did feel comfortable sharing about their grief. These responses solidify the need for an app like Tail Talk because it is important for pet owners to feel comfortable sharing their grief, especially with those who can offer support without judgment and who can relate to their pain.
46	On coping with grief
47	Grief initially prevented them from concentrating at work/school/social life	100%
48	Specific thing they looked or searched for:	87.50%	Google searched pet's illness to understand more	Google searched pet's illness to understand more	Had google searched pet's illness, talking to people and looking at photos, set aside pet's favorite toys as mementos		For Endy and Iris I made them a little decorated alter with their ashes. I also got two little tattoos for them. Little guinea feet in their fur colors. For Wicket I did a lot of things. I kept things that were his favorites, parted with other things that weren't so I didn't just keep them forever. I have a separate jar with some of his ashes just for myself. I have his tag on my keys always.	I had the support of my immediate family.	"I read online articles on coping with pet loss. Didn't exactly search for it, somehow it came up on my Facebook newsfeed"	"I didn't look for anything outside of just talking to my friends and family and sharing once on Instagram"
49	Shared with others to feel sense of comfort	50%
50	Shared with others to feel sense of support	75%
51	Shared with others to feel connection (to others who lost pet)	62.50%
52	Shared with others for understanding	75%
53	How they remember their pet(s):	62.50%	their unique personalities and the funny things they did				Endy and Iris I remember as my little beans. And I remember not being able to open the fridge without war cries for veggies 🤣 For Wicket, I just think of everything. He was my best friend and I loved him so much. I couldn't have asked for a better first dog. My little pugtato. Too many things to list all the ways I remember him.	Well, I remember them on my memories, at that time not sure if I lost my cell phone or just lost the photos.	"Peaches was like a best friend, I remember her through memories"	"I remember him by looking at his pictures, looking at his videos, sometimes talking about him, and I kept his ashes in a special urn."
54	Overcame grief by talking about it with family + friends	62.50%
55	Overcame grief by posting about it on social media	25%
56	Overcame grief by looking at pictures of pet	62.50%
57	Overcame grief by concentrating on existing pets	37.50%
58	Overcame grief by getting another pet	25%
59	Overcame grief by distracting yourself with work, hobbies, etc.	50%
60	Feel happy when looking back at photos	37.50%
61	Feel sad when looking back at photos	37.50%
62	Feel nostalgia when looking back at photos	75%
63	Comfortable offering support to others with pet loss grief	100%
64	SUMMARY: The most powerful data in this section is that 62.5% of participants had shared to feel connected with others who had also lost a pet. They also wanted support and understanding. 62.5% of participants overcame their grief by looking at pictures of their pet and sharing their grief with family + friends. Though no participants searched for a specific platform to share their grief, at least three participants had a hard time coping with their pet's illness so they tried to look online for answers. Four participants were able to share memories that they remember fondly of their pets. These responses validate how important it is for pet owners to be able to feel connected with others, especially those who have experienced pet loss.
65	CONCLUSION: Though Tail Talk is neither a requirement or a necessity to cope with pet loss, it is rather a tool that would aid with feelings of grief and overall mentall health impacted by pet loss. Its intention is to enhance a pet owner's life even by just a fraction, to begin the process of healing. Through these participants' responses, I believe that Tailk Talk could help provide feelings of connectedness with others, benefit mental health and still prove to be useful even further past the pet loss if users want to log back in time later to reflect and rejoice in their pets' memories.
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