Paired with a picture, Greg wrote on Instagram: ‘I’m sorry to bring such horrible news, but we had to put our lovely Barn to sleep earlier today. For this reason, I’m absolutely in favour of Greg taking some time away from work for compassionate leave. Barney had gathered quite the online fandom (Picture: Greg James)What are your rights? Beth Hope, a coach and leadership specialist, says there’s no statutory right to leave for losing a pet, plus no general right to paid bereavement leave for most losses, either. She tells Metro: ‘The one real exception is parental bereavement leave for a parent who loses a child.