need advice

hi i need some advice please my friends dog just died n shes really upset , n another dog she wants 2 no if it will help 2 show her other dog her compinan. she also has a 4yer old little girl.

I am not quite sure what you are asking..

Is it - should your friend show the body of the poor dead dog to her other dog and her small child ?

If so, when did the dog die ? AS nature takes its course a body becomes quite unpleasant and needs to be dealt with fairly promptly.

I have shown the body to my other dogs and I feel it helps them to understand. I dont have any children, but I think the child is too young.

THalice's Mum

Me no speako da lingo......

It may help people to offer advice if they could read your post.

Try re-posting it minus the 'text-talk' so us old gits can understand you.

I think its obvious what the opening poster is asking I have heard allowing the other dogs helps them accept a pack member has moved on, as for the child? well obviously it all depends on the condition of the dog, to be honest I would rather just tell the child the dog has gone to heaven rather than showing her a dead dog.

Mo

don't think i would show the child....i was horrified as a child i came downstairs one morning and saw our beloved prince had died...shudders xxx

no i wouldn't show a child. another pet is different but that would be (as already pointed out) a very distressing thing for a child to see.

ohh no i dint mean show it 2 child just other dog sorry dinp put it very well ok her dog died n she wonders if she should show her other dog her compinan, and how should dhe tell her daughter wot should she say i. fink she told her alredy, she just asked if she should show other dod, its me who wants to know what she shuld tel her daughter so ican help her as much as i can. thanx 4 advice its brillent il tel her.

oh no i dint maen she wondered if she should show her little girl her dog, i just added that bit os i wanna help her as much as possible. shes probley alredy told hetr little girl i just wondered if there is neway she can make her dauhter feel better.
she did wonder if she should show her dog her compinan tho, thanx 4 advice, i wanna help her as much as poss i hate 2 c hher un happythanx xx

i would show her other dog not sure on the little en thou
ATD x

Hi,

I would certainly show the other dog but almost straight away after the death. I wouldn't keep the dead dog for any length of time - as already stated, a corpse gets very unpleasant in a very short space of time.

As far as the 4 year old is concerned, I wouldn't show her. I have a 5 year old Son and there's no way he'll see any of our dogs after they've died (well not at 5 years old anyway).

If I had been in that situation I would most likely tell Oscar that the dog has gone to Heaven, but will be watching and looking out for him; making sure he's a good boy and kind to people; making sure that everything will turn out OK for him, no matter what happens. I'd try to explain about Rainbow Bridge where dogs can run and play all day long etc so he would know the dog is happy and at peace.

Of course this isn't strictly true but at such a young age, I think they need to understand the dog has gone and isn't coming back, but it gives them something to hold onto.

Having said that, I tried this approach when our goldfish died a few months back. I told Oscar he'd gone to Heaven and he asked if Fish (that was his name) was really up in the clouds. I explained about the body being here on Earth but his spirit leaving and he asked if he could feed him to Yiannis 'cos Yiannis loves fish! Not the reaction I was expecting!

Laura xx