Dealing with the Death of a Pet

Losing a family pet is a difficult experience that effects people more than it is openly discussed. One study had found that 38% of subjects surveyed on connections to family members and pets ranked their pets as the closest of all.

Children can especially struggle with the loss of a pet. There are some helpful books and some helpful online resources. Books include: “Up In Heaven” by Emma Chichester Clark, “Saying Goodbye to Lulu” by Corrine Demas, and The Tenth Good Thing About Barney” by Judith Viorst. Good online sources include, the Kids Health Web Site and the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement Web site. One suggestion from an online site is to make a scrapbook with memories of the pet and record memories and humorous instances next to the photos.

See Janice D’Arcy, Pet Death a Double Burden for Parents, The Washington Post, Mar. 27, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.