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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.)
If you need to put the animal down, please include the child to the extent that they are willing and able to be there. Be honest about what's happening, and let them have closure. Impress on them that it's not their fault.
My mother had a pet euthanized while I was at school and lied about it, claiming he had run away because I had left the door open. I found the receipt later, and to this day I still bear a grudge about it.
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