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The death of a loved one. It’s something that none of us like to face and yet, it’s a part of life. And when that loved one happens to be a pet, it can oftentimes be really challenging for your children to emotionally process (especially if they’ve never lost anyone before).
Our dog, who passed away nearly 2 years ago. We still miss him.
Thankfully, there are some things that you can do that will help your kids to better cope with the loss of a family pet. If you’d like to know what some of those tips are, here are five supportive methods to keep in mind.
Listen to them. If you’ve ever had someone close to you die, then you know what it’s like to be filled with all kinds of emotions. You also know how important it is to simply have a listening ear available. Although it can be hard to see your children hurting, try and not focus so much on “fixing it” for them. Instead, provide lots of hugs and kisses and more than anything, your willingness to listen to whatever it is that your children have to say about what they are going through.
Answer any question they may have. Death can be really hard to understand. This means that during your children’s grieving time, there’s a pretty good chance that they are going to have a lot of questions. Ones like “Why did our dog have to die?” and “Where do dogs go when they die?” Sometimes, providing explanations can be difficult. If you go to your local library or even an online book website like Barnes and Noble, you should be able to find books that will help you to address any concerns your kids may have surrounding the issue.
Encourage them to express their sadness. Although it’s perfectly OK for your kids to cry or to have moments when they want to be quiet and process that they are going through, after a couple of days, encourage them to express their sadness by drawing or painting a picture, writing a song or poem or doing something else to display how they are feeling. It will prove to be a good release for them and also a way for you to gauge how they are moving through the grieving process.
Memorialize the loss. It really is up to you if you want to bury your pet or not in your backyard. But whether you do or not, find some kind of way to officially memorialize the loss that you and your family has just experienced. It could be by framing a photo of your pet or doing something in honor of your pet. By putting forth the effort to do something special to commemorate the loss, it will prove to be just one more step towards your children’s healing.
Be open to getting another pet. If you’re wondering how you can know if your children are truly ready for another pet, if they start to ask, it’s time. So if you lost a dog a few months back and your kids are saying that they wish they could have another one, websites like Dogs Now are places you can go and view their puppies online. You never know. In a matter of a few days, you may have a new pet. Not one to replace your old one, but one who can put new smiles on you and your children’s faces.
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