KTAB - When Children Lose a Pet

Losing a personal or family pet, especially one that you've had for a long time, can be hard on anyone, but most especially on a child. It is different for everyone, depending on a number of things including how attached they were to the pet, how old they are and where they are in their intellectual and emotional development, and how many losses they have already sustained in their young lives.

As parents, we may be tempted to "help" them get over it because it's painful for us to see them hurting. For their sakes, the most important thing we can do, especially if this is their first occasion to experience grief over a significant loss, is to reassure them that grieving is the right thing to do when you lose something special to you, and to help them grieve in a healthy way.

Here are a couple links to websites that have helpful information for parents:

From the PBS website:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/emotions/death/article11.html

From Best Friends Pet Care:
http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/Pet_tips/childrenlosingapet.cfm