Exlaining Loss of Pet to 2Yr Old.

When our beloved cat died, my son was 3. He asked where she was, and I sat him down and told him that her body had stopped working. That she was very old and sick (which is not true in your case, but you just explain it in very simple terms, like his body stopped working because he got very sick, which is partially correct). We went over this a few times and he was not troubled by this, strangely. I said if we miss our cat, we can look at pictures of her and talk about her. Now, after we have gone through 6 dead fish, when I tell him that their bodies stopped working, he says, "yes, they are dead".

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We went through this twice with my 2 year old daughter who is now six. We lost of pets about 8 months apart. We went to the library and got a book. I can't remember the title but, the librarian helped us find it. Our daughter enjoyed the book and it helped a little. I'm not sure if she really understood either because whenever we drove by the Vet's office she would say, "that's where Sweet Pea is" We had our pets cremated and have them in a bone shaped urn with their pictures on it and every now and then she will get a little sad remembering them. I think the best thing is to not dwell on the fact that they are gone and have them remember happy times. As far as the brother dog, he is going to grieve too and will need to be comforted as well. I don't know if you have gone to a site called the Rainbow Bridge yet, very beautiful poem that you and your family might enjoy. Sorry for you loss.

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There is a wonderful book called "Lifetimes". I forget the author, but I know you can find it on amazon. It is a picture book and I have used it with all four of my boys. (We went through a period where 5 extended family members died in a three year period.) It is a factual, simple book about how every living thing has a lifetime.

My twenty-two year old was just talking about how all his friends have a difficult time talking about death, and he thinks that that book really made death very understandable to him.

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Hi A.,

I'm sorry for your loss. I actually had to go through this situation 2 months ago when my 17-year old cat had to be put to sleep and my 3-year old was quick to ask me where he is. I just told her that Jock Meister (our cat) went to kitty heavan where cats are no longer sick and can run and play like they did when they were kittens. She accepted the explanation pretty well and immediately went on to ask if we can get another pet and she's always wanted a chinchilla and a macawa and a rabbit . . . Obviously she was ready to move on but I wasn't so I had to tell her that I was really, really sad right now but when I was no longer sad, we can discuss getting another pet. I hope this helps you some.

Take care,

L.

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We had the same situation with our family dog last October when my daughter was about 2 and a half. We bought the book Dog Heaven at Barnes and Noble. Eight months later our daughter still talks about our dog - and how she's eating lots of biscuits in dog heaven. We explained to her that when dogs get old sometimes their bodies stop working and they don't live forever, that it's ok to miss the dog. We also spend a lot of time looking at pictures of the dog and telling stories about her. Every once in awhile someone will ask how our dog is doing and our daughter will be the first to respond, "she's fine, she's in dog heaven."

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I'm so sorry for your loss. Two things that helped my daughter and I when we lost our dog.... Freddie The Fallen leaf, by Leo Biscalia and Rainbow bridge on line. They have a virtual place where you can go to pay respect to your pet. You can change the toys you give him, change the season. www.rainbowsbridge.com

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Hey A....I am so sorry for your loss. It's so hard...we have 2 dogs too, who've been with us before we got married and had kids. I dread the day...

There is an excellent children's book to explain this...it's called "Dog Heaven". You can probably get it at any library and it's definitely in bookstores. It is written for a small child, with big words and great pictures. It's incredibly simple and sweet...and helps a child understand what happens when a dog passes away.

I hope this helps...good luck :)

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