Dealing with the Death of a Pet

I’m Yvonne Perry and I’m the author of The Sid Series. The main character in my book is my grandson, who is now eight years old. His name is Sidney. In real life, he lives in the country. When his family first moved there, the house didn’t have a fence around it. He has owned several dogs and cats—all shapes and sizes, but it seemed like every time he got close to one of his pets, they would run away or die. Sid’s yard now has a fence so Queen and Lucy will stay home where it is safe.

I remember my first dog. Her name was Snooks and she was a German shepherd. I loved it when she had a litter of puppies! I hated it when she died of heartworms. I was about twelve years old. That wasn’t my first encounter with death, but it was the first time I had lost a pet and I was pretty upset because I couldn’t see her or play with her anymore.

I wrote the stories in The Sid Series book to help kids find answers to some things they may have questions about. For example, it’s hard to understand death. It makes us feel sad when someone we love dies. Some adults say it means that you just don’t exist anymore. Others say being dead means the body can’t do anything, so the spirit leaves the body and goes to a wonderful place called heaven. Some people will tell you that dogs and cats don’t have souls so they can’t go to heaven, but I don’t believe that. I believe in a place known as the afterlife. It’s just like the place you existed before you came alive in the body you have now. Most of us don’t remember where we were before we were born, but I call it the Rainbow World. It must be a good place since none of us have bad memories of it.

Scrap is the family dog in my story titled “Puppy Love.” Scrap is old and she’s had a good life, but it’s time for her to go to the Rainbow World. One morning, her family finds her in her favorite sleeping spot, but she’s not moving; she can’t get up and she can’t bark or chase the tractor like she used to. That’s because she is dead. The family is sad and everyone cries. They wrap her in her favorite blanket, dig a big hole in the ground, and put her body in it. It’s like planting a flower or seed, but Scrap’s body is not going to grow like a flower or seed in the spring. The family has a memorial service and talks about Scrap’s death. It’s good to talk about things that you are afraid of or don’t understand. That way, you get more information to help you decide what you want to believe.

You will get some ideas to help you create your own understanding about afterlife or the Rainbow World when you read my story. Don’t worry, it has a happy ending. If you want to read it, let Barbara or Frankie know and she will email a link to you or your parent. You may read more about each of the stories on my Web site: http://TheSidSeries.com.

I have learned a lot from children. So, I’d like to ask you some questions. You can answer them by leaving a comment below.

What does it mean to be dead?

Where do you think Scrap’s soul went when she died?

What do you think happened to Scrap’s body when she was buried in the ground?

Have you ever seen a person or an animal that is dead?

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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife. Purchase on Amazon.com