When a Family Pet Dies: A Guide to Dealing With Children's Loss

Pets are often felt to be ?one of the family? and a companion for children when they are growing up ? an individual who is loved in life and greatly missed in death. When a pet dies, it is crucial that parents are equipped to support their children. JoAnn Tuzeo-Jarolmen explains that children grieve for a dead (or missing) pet as they would for a family member, and she gives guidelines on how to identify signs of grief in children. She describes the differences between child grief and adult grief, and takes the reader through the major developmental stages in a child's grieving process, explaining the common types of behavior and emotions experienced at each stage. She also discusses whether pets should be replaced or not and how to encourage children to ?move on?.