Helping Children Grieve After Pet Loss

By Clay Horton

Saying goodbye to our family dog was one of the toughest days of my life.  Emotionally, I knew the day was coming.  We made sure to make it a great morning.  I gave my dog an egg and some cheese, and my wife and I tried to make it the best car ride ever.  I won’t recount all the time at the vet, but our vet made it a peaceful and beautiful goodbye.  We shed tears and we drove home with empty hearts in our empty car.  

But then it hit us.  It was now time to face the kids who had obliviously had a great morning with their grandparents. What would we tell the kids?  How would we tell the kids?  

Children's Grief

Losing an animal is oftentimes one of the first times children experience grief.  All the family members find themselves grieving, often at different stages of grief.  It’s important for the children to see adults in their lives grieve in a healthy way.  From tears, to sharing fun memories, to lots of hugs, the loss of a dog is a milestone in one’s life and the children will learn to grieve by watching the adults.  

Amid our grieving, some good friends dropped off a care package.  Along with Scoobie Snacks for the kids and a bottle of wine with a dog on it for the adults, they gave us some crayons and a giant roll of butcher paper.  As we unrolled the paper, we discovered drawing prompts.  As we colored together, each drawing our own picture for each prompt, our hearts were united in grief and the celebration of a great dog.  It was perhaps the single “best” experience for us during that time.  

Grief Book for Children

After that experience, we’ve tried to do something similar for other friends who say goodbye to their pets.  But shipping a giant roll of butcher paper in the mail is a little too complicated.  Therefore, I created Our Favorite Dog Memories: Finding Comfort Through Coloring Together to help other families during their loss. The simple book provides 15 prompts to help families think about and then draw some of their favorite memories with their dog. 

This book is designed to help you remember and celebrate your dog. In fact, your dog is the star of the book! Each page is an opportunity to draw a memory about your dog.  You don’t have to be a great artist at all, but something powerful happens when the family gathers and shares stores.  The book and the pictures you draw are catalysts to help the family open lines of communication and share memories.  

Some of the pages will make you laugh, and some might even make you cry. But ultimately, your dog brought you together in so many ways and in that spirit, you’ll come together again as you work through the book.  

Whether you are buying this book for your family or as a condolence gift for friends, my hope is that through this book, children and adults will find comfort through coloring together.

You can have your own copy of Our Favorite Dog Memories: Finding Comfort Through Coloring Together: CLICK HERE NOW  (this is an affiliate link-feel free to browse)