Dealing with a loss of a beloved pet

Boys with Schultz, 2009

Something that happens in everyone's life is dealing with the realization that no one lives forever, we all die. The subject is never an easy one, when it comes to our children. Losing a loved family member or friend is one of the worse things that can happen in anyone's life. Especially so, for a child, whether they are 2 or 18 it brings all kinds of questions and emotions into their minds.

August 26, 2011 is one of those days for our family. We didn't lose a human family member but a family member all the same. Our beloved dog, Schultz, passed away, and was discovered by my kind-hearted, animal-loving son.  The emotions that the boys are feeling are ones that I as a mother wish I could take away and put them inside me instead of them. This loss is very traumatic for my boys and for us as a family. We are a family that moves around, or at least in the past we have, and one of the constant beings in their lives have been Schultz. Our family doesn't live right down the road from grandma's house or have cousins, aunt and uncles that come for xmas dinner. The boys haven't been able to grow up with weekly, monthly or even yearly visits from relatives or to relatives' houses. We had one constant in the past 15 years(besides each other of course), our dog Schultz. He ran and played with Alex since he was 1-1/2 years old, grew older and welcomed Anthony into the family. Schultz played with the boys when friends were not there, listened to their stories, gave them comfort by just placing his head on their lap and letting them pet his head. He ran along side them when they were mad at the world or just mom and dad, and was always happy to see them. How do you explain to them that yes yesterday he was there and today he just isn't there? And the question of why, even though we all know that he was an old dog, it still doesn't make the pain any less in our family's hearts. It is a part of life, this thing called death! Another lesson even though a painful one that everyone learns about sooner or later in life.

I loved that old dog too and now I have to show them that life does go on.  Sometimes one painful step at a time!