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Notes -
Parents of young kids with a pet that is not long for this world: how did you navigate this? My eldest kinda knows about death but not the rest and Larry the basset hound has got maybe a year tops left. We got him before we were married so he's been a permanent fixture in the family. We've been through a lot with him and I may, in fact, cry about it this time.
I'm leaning towards getting another dog, probably a Golden, before he goes as a way to soften the blow. I'm aware this is a known strategy but is this considered bad form?
(Also accepting input from former little kids of dead pets.)
The second pet of the same type (cat/dog) is usually great because it usually breathes a bit of new life into the older animal. You're not just getting the kids a new puppy, you're getting the hound a new puppy.
The kid angle is too particular to the kid. We've had a few pet losses over the years. My son is sad for a day or two, but ultimately fine. My daughter still brings one up as a point of trauma 8 years later, to the point where my son has expressed horrified dismay at the thought of how she'll react when our oldest cat passes.
Just make sure they know it's something that you'll take care of, and give them space to be involved if they want (memorials, burial, etc).
Seriously my old dog (rest in peace) Benjamin Button'd for a full year after we got a puppy. Then gravity re-asserted itself and her mind continued to turn into soup, but for a year she had a whole new lease on life. She'd even play at the dog park, something she hadn't done for years.
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