Discussing a Pet's Death

Discuss the September 2016 Book of the Month, A Spiritual Dog: Bear by J. Wesley Porter.
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Anjum
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Re: Discussing a Pet's Death

Post by Anjum »

I don't think that it is a too sensitive topic. Children should learn how to face different sad situations and also learn to take care of their emotions.
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Mailis
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Post by Mailis »

If talking or writing about death of a beloved pet I think it is important not to add to the pain (graphic description of illness, describing the pain the animal must feel) but to try and relieve the loss with some idea that a child might take comfort in and to try and help to them move on.
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Post by atonykamau »

I think talking about a pet's death is important so that the owner can be able to move on, but i would that you only talk about it if the owner is ready.
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rcarr13
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Post by rcarr13 »

A lot depends on the child's age, maturity level and experience with the topic. I would not have a problem with my 8-year-old reading something like this, but he and I have discussed disease and death and although it might be emotional for him, I think he should be aware of the possibilities of a pet getting sick in this way and dying. For a younger child, however, it might be a bit too much information. When mine was about 4 I told him that an animal's spirit went to Heaven (He asked after seeing a dead butterfly), so he understood that death was different than being asleep, but this type of graphic detail was not discussed until more recently.
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Post by jvez »

A very young child will definitely cry at this premise. The story would be better for children who are at least old enough to comprehend the idea of death. Parents will definitely play an important role in explaining this topic to their kids.
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Post by Fuzzy456 »

I think it’s important for death to be discussed in a children’s book. It is important for children to be taught that dying is part of life. It is something that we will all have to face.
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Post by BookishCoffeeBlog »

I find it an incredibly important topic to discuss with children. When I experienced the death of a pet when I was young, I had no idea how to deal with it. I had never lost anyone or any other pet and I was devastated. I think to bring the discussion into existence is important for young minds. It will help with both the death of pets, friends, and other family members.
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Post by Ghost11111 »

Discussing a pet's illness and death is not too sensitive for a kids book. They experience the loss of a pet just like an adult does except they have less experience with how to deal with it. A book like this can help them figure out what is going on and how to get past the loss of a beloved family pet.
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Post by Moodykelz_10 »

I don't think so. Aslong as handled correctly. It's heartbreaking reality of life, we lose our pets. I hate it but it's needs to be told to kids to prepare them.
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Post by rumik »

I don't think it's too sensitive -- I think children ought to be gently explained the situation, instead of pretending like the pet just "got lost" or something.
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Post by Jasy95 »

I know when my first dog passed away, it was really difficult for me to cope with as a child. Having a book like this to read with my parents would have probably helped with coping and understanding what was happening. But I agree with other commenters on saying that this probably would not be ideal unless your child is in that situation already.
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Post by Suzer6440 xyz »

Tough question. Being a sensitive soul myself, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the words I’d use to tiptoe around some sensitive issues. However, I do believe that if children learn hard thing and talk about difficulties in life, they are better prepared to deal with these things appropriately later in life
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Post by Aishwarya KG »

I had my pet with me since the second I was born and I miss him this moment. Its been almost 5 years since he died. When he wasm13, he had this skin infection kind of thing which made him suffer badly and died. He was staying wid us since my grandma, who takes care of him went to abroad to meet her daughter's new born child. And I think that was the most worst time of my life and I still miss him to d core. Time heals!
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Post by Namaste23 »

I feel the same. There were to many graphic details that were unnecessary to describe what was going on with Bear.
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Post by Abi McCoy »

I don't think it's too sensitive. In fact, I think it's important for children to be exposed to the reality of illness and death at a relatively young age as long as it's done in a safe, caring manner. But I do agree, there were some unnecessary details concerning the degradation of Bear's health that weren't really suitable for young kids.
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