My daughter is 7 yrs old, and unfortunately, she has had to experience more than her fair share of death in those few short years. We have always been honest with her about death. We have never lied and said so, and so is just sleeping, giving her false hope that they will one day wake up or putting the fear or sleep in her head. With that being said, she is a very soft-hearted little girl who honestly wears her heart on her sleeve. She lost her Great-grandma at 2.5, and yes, she remembers her name and things about her. We donât tell her things, and she just knows them. We have lost my uncle and my granddaddy since. She also talks about him. But our main source of sadness comes from the loss of our family dog. We got our dog three years before we had our daughter. He was her protector, you could say. Unfortunately, our dog was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and after many doses of medication, he still couldnât walk. We had to make that hard decision to stop his pain. We told her that he was very sick and didnât feel well and he went to heaven. But she will randomly cry because she misses him. We just got back from grabbing a quick dinner, and she was bawling in the back seat. When I asked what was wrong, she brought up our dog. I just held her and reassured her that he is feeling much better and has people looking out for him. But I am honestly at a loss as to how to handle it. Maybe I am not handling it correctly, but I just need some advice. Thank you in advance!!
Keeping an open conversation is definitely best. Grieving is a process and takes a lot of time. I know there are also lots of books that you can purchase specifically for kids about grieving to help with the process. If my dog died I would be a hysterical mess for years. So what shes going through is totally normal! My oldest two lost pets to a fire almost 7/8 yrs ago. It still comes up at times and they get emotional. Hang in there momma!
Thatâs all you can do. Be there to comfort as she grieves. I just went through the same thing with my daughter a couple yrs ago. It takes time to heal. Youâre doing good mama
Itâs a part of life. And teaching how to cope at a young age by being honest and letting her grieve as she needs will help her cope with things as she get older into adulthood. Things happen in life and we need to teach our kids we dont have control over it, but we can deal with things as they come and they will get through it.
The fact you are open about death and arenât feeding her the âtheyâre just sleepingâ line is SO important. Youâre doing fine, momma. Death is hard to navigate, especially for a young child, but itâs best you donât lie and keep that open line of conversation. Like the person above said, buying books for children on death helps the grieving process. Keep hugging her and reassuring her, itâs the best you can do 
I told my daughter that he had gone to be a star in the sky . We used to go out on a night and say good night to him .
Sounds like youâre handling it perfectly, mama. Just be honest with her and let her know that itâs always ok to be sad about losing someone, and that itâs ok to cry. Sheâll miss them forever, that just means she loved them. Thatâs what grief is, all the love we werent able to give people/pets while they were here with us.
We had to get a puppy quickly when we had to have our dog put down my girl was 8 at the time and missed a week of school because she cried so much he says to this day madison healed her broken heart she is 21 now itâs so hard on us grown-ups little ones take it so hard
Just let her grieve and have her emotions. Grief is hard on everyone and as a child it is good for her to get her feelings out.
Being open about death is always a good thing. When my father committed suicide, I was told that he âjust went to sleep and never woke upâ ⌠I was terrified for years until I learned the truth.
Youâre doing great. There is a Daniel tiger episode that deals with the death of his fish that might help as well. I love that episode. But I think they colored some pictures of the pet, talked about some memories. I lived on a farm growing up, so death was unfortunately something I saw quite often. Itâs not easy, but talking about it, talking about memories always helped me.
Maybe get her a plushie that looks like the dog ? She can give it a hug when sheâs missing the dog.
Alot of shelters will allow you to volunteer to come in and âsocialize with the fur babiesâ might actually help her heal and cudos to not sheltering her from death my little girl is 5 and we are the same way
I would let her pick another dog or amimal of her choice to help cope itâs great you told her what happened to him and not the story of taking him to a farm
When I was 6, my favorite pup died from cancer. I went through similar experiences as your daughter. What helped me most was receiving a stuffed animal that looked like my Sage girl. After that, I would purposefully search out more German shepherd stuffed animals and eventually had a whole herd of them. Granted she was a king German shepherd and they looked a slight bit different, but I got the idea and it helped a ton.
You are doing a great job. My dad died on my daughterâs seventh birthday, the next year they lost their babysitter and great grandmother within a week of each other, and about 8 months later they lost their bus driver. Itâs hard as a parent to see them upset because they miss them but comforting them is all we can do.
A new furry friend⌠they are the best when dealing with grief
My son lost his best friend on 9-24-19 it was very hard for him and to this day he still talks about her and cries I just let him say what he has to and I hold him while he cries we did get a new pup and that has helped him but he still talks about his peanut butter.
Awww ya gotta let her grieve. And this seems to be her process currently, just respond with love. Maybe get a picture of her and her bud so she can always have that. And just keep reassuring her hes pain free now. And happy in doggy heaven (if thats ur thing)
Was she aware of his declining health - are there moments you can remind her of that helps her see he was in pain ?
You did a great job explaining it! Losing a pet is so emotional for any human. My daughter had THEE hardest time when we lost our dog. Her great great grandma had passed and obviously she was very sad, GG was the greatest but when we had to put our 7 year old dog down our daughter was so emotional. We got Moose when our daughter was 15 months old. They were BEST friends.
Thereâs a poem called Rainbow Bridge. Itâs about pets and it may help her out.
You donât really need to DO anything except being there⌠She needs to go through the process of grieving and then coming to terms with it⌠Lots of hugs and love is all you can do!
Following my son is 4.5 years old and we just lost our 11 year old pit back in April and he still asks for her we keep telling him she was sick he still thinks she is at the âdoctorsâ thatâs what he tells people
You are doing a fantastic job!
Unfortunately this is just one of those time will heal, things. When the times right and youâre all ready for another dog, let her become involved in making the choice of dog x
You are doing an amazing job! The book The Invisible String is great a book to help with kids with the grieving process.
Maybe getting another animal will help her?? I know it did for me when I was a child and lost my first dog. I was very very sad and then one day I came home to a puppy. I still missed my first dog but having another puppy made it better day by day. My daughter just lost her first dog 3 weeks ago. We are looking for another dog to bring into ours lives and give our love to another animal that deserves it!!
So many hugs to you momma, itâs so hard to see our sensitive babies hurting. My 6yo will randomly start balling because of something that is long past or not even happened⌠grief and fear/anxiety are all incredible real even at such young ages. Supporting and creating a warm, caring environment for her to feel those things and deal with them is all you can do. While another dog can absolutely help, Her learning to cope will be a life skill she needs
My heart aches for her 
Get her a new companion. She has so much love to give, and there are so many out there that are longing for a little girl to live them and give them a home.
This is so hard. It has almost been exactly 1 yr since we had to say goodbye to our pup. We got him the year my husband and I married and he passed away when my oldest was 9 and youngest was 3. They both still talk about him all the time. They will still cry out of no where because something reminded them of him.
He used to sleep with my oldest and nighttime was her worse time. To the point at times she was inconsolable.
I had her a blanket made with a bunch of pictures of her and him on it for her bed. Eventually, I made the decision to get another dog. Not to replace the one we lost and I got an entirely different breed. She has not cried another night since.
Also, Every time they bring up our 1st, we talk about him. Even if weâve addressed the same thing 100x, we still talk About him. We all miss him, he was the best dog ever but the quiet of the house was getting to me too. A new dog will never fix the pain of losing a dog, but somehow (especially for the kids) it helps. So sorry for yalls lose and I hope this helps
We told our kids who lost their nanny and our family dog that they are in heaven in the stars and they can see them all the time. Let her know that her doggy chose her to share her home and she was Really lucky to have had such love from her dog. Keep memories alive by âremember the time thatâŚâ not easy, but honesty is always best. We said things like ânuni was so sick, and the medicine just didnât work, she didnât want to hurt anymore so she said goodbyeâ
Both my children have experienced this and we purchased a stuffed animal that resembles the pet we lost also I have blankets made from shutterfly with pictures of the dog. This helped alot in the grieving process.
I lost my dog August of 2016. I still cry about it, sometimes. Grief sucks but it is so important. Hug her tell her, âItâs ok to miss him, I miss him, tooâ and let it be.
It is actually really good to allow our kids to feel those emotions and help them through it. Even though it is hard.
Iâm so sorry for your loss. My husband, 2 kids and I just said good by to our 10 year old family dog too. Our daughter is also 7 & our son just turned 9. Iâm due to have my baby in just a few short days and we have all just been a bundle of emotions.
All I can say is just be there for her, just the way you are now. As many cuddles as she needs. 
We are going to get a picture turned into a teddy/pillow for our kids to cuddle with as well.
We told our kids days in advance to what was going to happen with our old man puppy so they had time to process and give as many cuddles as possible and to take as many photos as they wanted. But in the end nothing could have prepared them for that kind of heart break. It broke us as parents to witness their breakdown⌠itâs only been 3 days since his passing for us and the home just seems so much quieter.
Sending love from my family to yours. 
The is a book (Life Is Like the Wind (A Big Hug) Life Is Like the Wind (A Big Hug): Innes, Shona, Agocs, Irisz: 9780764167478: Amazon.com: Books) that is non religious and absolutely amazing to help understand death in a way that wonât make a child worry.
I think you did a great job. You mentioned heaven so are you a Christian? If so what I did with my 4yo is say that the dog and cat we had to put down went to heaven and is with Jesus right now because they were just so very sick and couldnât be here right now. I told her that they are better and happy now and no longer hurting. It helps because she says that she knows she will see them again one day with Jesus and it brings her ease.
I know you cant âreplaceâ animals but maybe you could take her to a shelter and pick out a new dog⌠Could be a good way for her to cope? I know as a kid when i lost a pet my grandmother and mom would take me to the pet store to pick out a new pet and it helped me get through the intial pain.
Heartbreaking.
Just be there for her. Eventually it will get betterâ¤
We read the book âthe 10th good think about Barneyâ I still remember it to this day -
Iâm almost 30 and still cry from time to time about one of my dogs. Itâs natural for the hurt to resurface.
Poor baby !! Time will heal. Just keep being an amazing mom and reassuring her through every emotion
Thatâs a tough one my daughter has had herâs English Boodle (1/2 English bull 1/2 poodle lol) Since she was about 6. She is now pushing 14 and our furbabys life expectancy is only about 10 years old. I dread the day he has to cross the rainbow 
bridge. they become family 
I was the same as a child and still as an adult. I would say you are doing exactly what you should be doing. It is sad because they are not there anymore and we miss them, but its happy because they are in heaven happy and not in pain and we will see them again one day. Give her love and comfort and let her know it is ok to be sad and miss them, but always remind them that they are not hurting and happy playing with all the other dogs.
Let her know that you all miss her dog so she isnât embarrassed and doesnât react if other kids tease her for crying or talking about it. Even adults start crying at odd times when grieving. Itâs part of emotional part of life. Talk about funny or happy times you all will never forget. Draw pictures of the two of them doing things. Hang them up in the house. It will pass in time.
Iâm worried about my daughters we got a puppy when my oldest was 6 months old. Now my oldest is 13 and the dog will be 13 in September and I know we will have to put her down very soon she canât see, barely walk but we donât want to lose her she is the best dog we ever had. She been the protector of my kids for so long. We cry every time we see her try to get up after sleeping for a few hours. Idk what Iâm going to do. She will walk right into a wall. She has had a stroke and seizure. Ik she is in pain but itâs so hard to think about. My oldest will listen to my husband and I talk about it and she will scream and cry saying no she is my dog u canât do that. Iâve explained to her it wonât be much longer.
PersonallyâŚget another dog?? N time sheâll focus on the new oneâŚsheâll bondâŚ
Youâre doing fine. She is going to be sad off and on when sheâs thinking about him. Just hug her and let her cry a little.
Get her a stuffed animal that looks like the dog. Thatâs how my daughter same situation coped
Get her baby dog. Make her smile!
Honestly, youâre doing the best you can. Unfortunately, the only way around grief is straight through it. I was like that as a child, and we had a lot of barn cats so I experienced a lot of loss of pets. It never got easier, but the only thing to do is let her feel it and be there for her. Explain to her that it hurts now, but it will get better over time
My daughter was very good about it. I told her that she had to go to sleep because she was so old then she went to go live with god in doggy heaven because we couldnt give her the medicine that she needed.
Death is beautiful and natural. Two things every living creature shares:life and death.
While their sweet vessel is empty, they live on in our happiest memories and moments we shared with them. As long as we keep them in our heart, they will live for eternity. Itâs a true honor to see the end of a pets time. <3
Loss of a pet is truly heartbreaking, can never be replaced, however you can bring in a new pet to divert her little mind!
Let her know that grief/sadness takes time that everyone deals with it differently. Ask her if she wants to get a journal to write in whenever she feels sad or if she can remember something funny about her dog that makes her smile.
I had a dog I grew up with he was a good protector and always followed my brother and me around. One time he got into the house and found my brother and me. He farted and ran out of the room. Another time he jumped on the trampoline and was having fun bouncing on heâs own. Even after 15 Years those are some of my favourite memories.
I think your doing great! Keep comforting her when she does get upset and let her know you also get sad sometimes. Only thing I would also do is talk about all the good memories and focus on those rather than the lose.
Also a little keep sake might help comfort her. I know you can get little hand made knitted teddies that look like a lost pet
Iâm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately I know what youâre going through, though my daughter is 4. Thursday afternoon, we lost our 13 year old dog, who Iâve had since childhood when he was 8 weeks, Friday early morning, we lost our 8 months old gsd to parvo, Friday afternoon we lost the only kitten from a stray we adopted, and today we lost my daughterâs dog who caught the parvo.
Telling our 4 year old daughter that 4 of her legs went to heaven in a 2.5 day period has been HORRID!
Her puppy is also with the other family members in heaven. Theres a book written for kids regarding this topic. Cant remember what itâs called tho⌠sorry 
I lost my dog about 10 years ago and sometimes I still get sad about it. The best way to help her is to let her feel all her feelings and make sure she knows its okay to grieve
My kiddo is 5 and she to has dealt with alot of loss but her kitty and doggy are the hardest for her. She cries everyday for months. I actually had a shirt made and a little locket bothe with a picture of her and her doggy. When she starts to feel sad she puts the necklace on and she puts hee shirt on a stuffed animal and cuddles with it. This has helped wonders. She still gets sad but now she just asks if she can have her âangelsâ (dogs name)
Grief comes in waves. The best thing is to keep reassuring her that everything will be okay and life will eventually move on. I have a Christmas Ornament that looks just like my sweet Daisy. It cheers me up. I also made a key chain with her name on it so I have it always. Loosing a pet is rough.
My daughter and son in law had there dog cremated and heâs in a special box plus they have a picture of him. Tell her your dog is happy and playing in heaven and that yaâll should go and rescue another dog to honor him and let her pick it out.
My daughter lost a cat n she cried n asked me a million questions i told her that there is a lil girl in heaven who needed a friend like she had and jesus gave her her wish and my daughter was ok with that she still crys for her kitten but said she knows a lil girl in heaven is taking care of her 
To be honest, it sounds like you are handling it perfectly. Lots of hugs and reassurances.
Your daughter may also have reached that age where she truly knows they people who die arenât coming back. Maybe some reassurances that you and her dad are still strong and healthy as well.
Mr. Rogers wrote a book called âWhen a Pet Diesâ and itâs really a great resource especially for younger children. But being honest with her and giving her the time and space she needs to grieve honors her emotions and allows her to learn to feel her way through the hard stuff. What a great foundation youâre laying! Well done, mama!
There isnât anything you can do other than be or comfort and let them know youâre there to talk whenever they need. Our cat of 14 years was diagnosed and passed away 3 months later. Itâs been 7 months since then, my kids are 9 and 5, and we as a family are still grieving heavily and I donât see that changing anytime soon. Unfortunately part of life is experiencing grief and itâs lengthy process. The sadness never really goes away, it just gets easier.
I believe you handled it perfectly! You have given her the tools and space she needs to grieve. I still randomly cry over the loss of my pets and Iâm 53. Do what you did! Hold her and ask questions and reassure her it gets a little better everyday and soon when she thinks of them it will be with a smile first!
Sounds like she is dealing with it just fine. We had to make the same decision in april for our 14 year old doberman. Our 9 year old took it hard. Begged to go to the vet with us, even though we were honest about the situation. Our vet was amazing with my daughter, told her all about the rainbow bridge. She will still randomly cry, or carry his collar around. And we talk about Rufus and allow her to grieve a little bit. We also have another dog, and having him helps a little. Hank isnât hers like Rufus was though. Prayers for you and her, it does get better.
Just let her mourn and get it out of her system. Let her know he was hurting and isnât anymore, heâs happier now. My 11 year old daughter lost her cat about 6 months ago and she does the same thing. It comes and goes.
We lost my rotti a year ago in April. My 9 year old now (7 at the time of our rottis death) has also been through a lot of loss and the main source of his pain was also over losing our rotti. I had the dog 3 years before my son was born as well! I had put him in therapy because of the losses in our family so he could learn to better cope with them. The therapist said that most of their work revolved around the loss of our rotti. We surprised him with a rotti pup for Christmas 2019 and he was thrilled! But it still doesnât keep the heartache of losing our boy away.
Allowing her to learn to cope with grief is healthy, itâs a good thing you donât sugar coat death for her. She would eventually learn the truth anyways. Try to remind her of her happy memories an let her know that he is young again and pain free. An that her memories of him will always keep him with her.
She has to grieve. Tell her he doesnât hurt anymore, that he canât come back but you think he watches over her. If youâre open to another dog, tell her some day another dog might need her love.
Let her be sad pets are family⌠then when sheâs ready have her pick out her new best friend with you⌠check out some breeds or the same as before find one that fits you ans your life style and get it ⌠let her know dogs have shorter lives than humans because their hearts give out so much love in that short time
My son put his dog to sleep today hes had him 13 years my son is 31 and he is hurting we all are. We told our grandkids that our dog is now in heaven with there great grand parents and he is no longer suffering. Itâs a part of life we all will die one day. Its better to tell children the truth Instead of shielding them from it. Because you never know if one of there friends or family may one day die they need to know it is a process of our life
When we lost our cat my son asked if he was in heaven with grandma and grandpa. Yes we told him. He said well thatâs good, Iâm sure heâs sitting on her lap and sheâs petting him taking good care of him. Heâs 8. Kids at that age need enough info to understand but not be overwhelmed. So if they ask questions that can be given a simple answer thatâs best. He cries too about it sometimes and I just remind him that grandma is taking care of him and that his cat watches him everyday from heaven.
Read up on the rainbow Bridge with her. That helped my son immensely. It may still come up here and there as it still does years later with my son. Also, maybe have her write a letter to the dog in heaven. You are doing just fine by talking to her and comforting her. Its just part of the process.
Following my 2 and 3 year old lost our family dog 2 weeks agoâŚand they are very upset
Get on web and fine the Rainbow Bridge saying it is great for adults and also kids makes people feel better and understand also
I think you should surprise her with another dog when the time is right.
Get a new puppy soon. Change the focus.
You need to get another pet and let her take care of it she needs something to love
Please donât go out and get another dog right away let her grieve first. What I did with my step kids when we had to put our 18 year old dog to sleep, I had paw prints made for them to put next to their bed so they could still talk to him whenever they needed and I also let the youngest who was 7 at the time keep his collar. It also helped them seeing me grieve with them for the loss of our family member so we would be able to talk about him in heaven, that heâs still with us in spirit but heâs no longer in pain and heâs playing in running around with the great grandparents waiting for us.