Does one recite the blessing of "baruch…dayan ha'emet"[1] upon the death of the beloved family dog?

The Biur Halacha writes:^[2]

When one is informed that one's wine has spoiled one recites the blessing "…dayan ha'emet." This is also true if all of one's possessions were burned or if one's animal died and all other similar situations in which one is distressed.

Based on a simple reading of the Biur Halacha, it appears that one who is distressed by the death of one's dog is permitted to recite the blessing "…dayan ha'emet" upon its passing.

However, Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein argues that the ruling of the Biur Halacha should not apply to "a man's best friend."^[3] He notes that the other cases listed by the Biur Halacha are all ones of great financial loss. Back in the day, one's animals were often one's only source of income. The death of one's animal, especially a cow or goat, was often the first step toward poverty.

The only reason one would be inclined to recite "…dayan ha'emet" upon the death of one's dog would be out of a feeling of love and sadness, not out of a concern for a great financial loss. As such, it would appear that reciting "…dayan ha'emet" upon the death of a dog is inconsistent with the ruling of the Biur Halacha, and would therefore be unjustified. It is only upon the death of a person that the blessing "...dayan ha'emet" is recited out of a feeling of love and sadness.

Nevertheless, Rav Zilberstein rules that one is permitted to recite "…dayan ha'emet" upon the death of a valuable guard dog whose death might make one's valuables and other property vulnerable to robbers until the dog is replaced. Similarly, a blind person may recite "…dayan ha'emet" upon the death of his guide dog because it is considered to be a situation of financial loss as such dogs are very expensive to replace and to train. Here too, however, if the seeing-eye dog is covered by insurance or government assistance, reciting “…dayan ha’emet” may not be justified.

[1] The issue of reciting the blessing with or without “shem and malchut” is not relevant to this discussion. We are only examining whether the blessing, in any form, is justified upon the death of a dog.

[2] Biur Halacha 222 s.v. "dayan."

[3] V'ha'arev Na Vol. II p.169.