Why Do Fictional Animal Deaths Make Me So Sad?

There's something about animals dying in movies and TV shows that truly wrecks me. Ask me to watch anything where the world ends or a zombie eats the main character, and it's NBD. But the moment a dog, a horse, or random barn animal dies on screen, I'm crying about it for days.

It all started in 2007 when I watched "I Am Legend" for the first time. After the final dog scene — you know the one I'm talking about — I cried like I never had before. I decided it would be the last time I watched "I Am Legend," and even went so far as to vow to never watch another movie with a pet in the trailer.

To no one's surprise, it happened again when I recently watched the second season of "House of the Dragon." I admittedly wasn't too upset when a certain Targaryen died. To quote Vanessa Hudgens, it seemed . . . inevitable? The show is the prequel to "Game of Thrones" after all, producers kill off main characters like it's nothing. But when Meleys, the sweet elderly dragon, died alongside her rider, I was unwell.

"It's a CGI dragon!" my boyfriend tried to assure me amid my cry session, but it didn't make a difference. Truly, there's just something about animals dying in movies and TV shows that makes me feel a sadness I've never felt before.

As it tuns out, I'm not the only one sobbing over fictional animal deaths. Other people have also expressed their discomfort with animals dying in movies and TV shows. One user on X even said "I was really ugly crying for Meleys like she was real." So what is it about animal deaths that just truly hit different?

Lienna Wilson, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Princeton, New Jersey.

Milissa Aronson is a licensed clinical social worker at Magnolia Psychotherapy, LLC.

The main reason is because animals aren't flawed the way humans are. "Animals represent innocence and purity, psychologist Lienna Wilson, PsyD, says. "We see them as innocent and undeserving of pain or suffering." Characters in a movie or on a TV show, however, are more complex.

No matter how "good" a character is, they all have bad moments. These moments often make the viewer question the integrity of their character or their motives. This doesn't make it OK if that character dies, of course, but it makes it especially hard to see animals — who are actually good and pure and have zero bad intentions — die.

Animals also most often play a loyal or supportive role on screen (and in life in general), so when animals die, it's normally at the expense of a human. Maybe a horse died as it rode into battle or, in the case of "HOTD," a dragon died because its owner decided to turn around and fight. "We may be more saddened by seeing the loss of an animal who did not have that choice but was sacrificed because of the choice of the rider," Dr. Wilson says.

Another reason why animal deaths may be more sad is because of the character's relationship to the animal that died. "Relationships between humans and animal companions are simple, pure, and more generally predictable," Milissa Aronson, LCSW, says. "People describe the love they receive from an animal companion as 'unconditional.'"

So when a dog or cat dies in a movie or TV show, it's possible we're not only sad because the animal is dead, but because we're also "empathizing with the human character who just lost their companion," Aronson adds. (Ahem, "I Am Legend.") I don't know about you, but I certainly hold my dog a little longer at night after seeing an animal die on screen.

Regardless of why we cry when this happens, though, the truth is that we don't have to justify our tears to anyone. I promise that if a CGI dragon recently made you feel some type of way — or any other animal for that matter — you're in good company here.

Taylor Andrews is a PS Balance editor who specializes in topics relating to sex, relationships, dating, sexual health, mental health, and more.