One of the concerns a lot of our clients have is trying to explain the process of losing a pet to their children. Losing a pet is often a child's first experience with death and it can be difficult for many to understand, particularly for younger children.
Not only with adults, but children may also feel a sense of loss, sadness and confusion that they're best friend will or is no longer here. As parents ourselves, when the time came to put to sleep our family dog, we decided to be open and transparent with our children. We explained to them that she was very poorly, but she would be having a little injection that would send her to heaven and she wouldn't be in pain anymore. Of course there are lots of questions such as "will she be able to come back?" or "can we go to heaven to visit her?", but we find that by being transparent and allowing them to grieve in their own way helps the process. In our children's eyes, heaven is exactly like the Disney film "Coco", so they're content thinking of her happy up in the sky with other relatives who have passed.
It's very common in society to avoid talking about death, and the death of a pet should be private or not valid to grieve over. Trying to forget the death of a pet instead of celebrating memories does not assist in the grieving process. Children should be reassured that their feelings are valid and it's ok to cry, worry, be angry or confused. There are also several books available that may help in the explaining process such as I Miss You Every Day: A Children's Book About Pet Loss by Erika Larson or a pet memory workbook
