Some say a dog is man's best friend, but cats, lizards, pigs and other pets can also hold a special place in their owners' hearts, even when they're gone.
That is why the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has introduced a pet-bereavement policy that allows staff a day off to mourn a departed dog, cat or whatever animal happened to be close to them.
Pet-bereavement and "pawternity" leave (when pet owners adopt a new animal) is increasingly being offered in the US, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
The UKZN policy, which applies for employees' registered pets, came into effect in April.
Librarian Ashika Pramlal took pet-bereavement leave when her dog Coco died last month. She had to plan his funeral and burial according to Hindu rites and mourn his loss.
"Coco was my baby and I loved him to bits," Pramlal said. "I had him for 14 years. To me, he was like a human child because I do not have any children.
"I welcomed the pet-bereavement leave because I needed that day to prepare for his burial, to go to the vet and to just sit down and talk to my friends about Coco," she said.
UKZN spokesperson Normah Zondo said that for many university staff their pets were like family and this resonated with the leadership of the university.
Ishana Gangaram, an administration officer at the university, took bereavement leave when her husky-German shepherd cross Margo died in April.
"The leave took away that stress of applying for leave for something that was not planned," she said. "It doesn't make me feel guilty that I took a day off to mourn."
Labour lawyer Jonathan Jones said employers should know what they were letting themselves in for.
"Employees could argue attachment to other types of pets such as rabbits, rats or birds or even cold-blooded pets such as reptiles, snakes or fish."..