Is it too much for a reader if a dog dies in a thriller?

I'm currently writing a romantic thriller that is pretty edgy. I received some feedback that surprised me from an editor. She said that I would lose readers that are animal lovers because of a scene with an animal? Is that true?

I'm also an animal lover. I don't want to offend anyone. Honestly, it never occurred to me that it would be a problem. It's a work of fiction. It's not even like a movie where a real animal is needed. Still, the scene is pretty violent.

I posted this discussion on amazon.com. click on the link in the title bar to go by and post a comment.

What are your thoughts on this?