Today, on my daughter's 9th birthday, I have to let her know that her dog died in his sleep overnight. Happy birthday. FML
JDCH_99 tells us more.
OP here -- we told her. We didn't have a choice. She was devastated and will be for some time. She's spent considerable time at farms, so she gets the whole cycle-of-life thing but it's different when there is an emotional connection. There won't be any dogs in the near future. Maybe in the spring we can talk about adopting a rescue dog.
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Top comments
ExtremeEncounter 32
What? On practically the same day her dog died? Most people grieve for a while before they just up and get a new dog/pet.
juturnaamo 29
She's 9, she's going to notice her dog is missing.
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Comments (88)
xAaron 10
Look on the bright side... All dogs go to heaven :)
summy5455 5
give her puppy as a gift
StupidUsername89 23
Wow sorry op
Etweens96 25
It's always hard to lose a beloved pet. I'm so sorry about your loss and this is a terrible way to start a ninth birthday! I just hope your daughter tried to have a wonderful birthday
FalloutScrolls 25
This hurts my heart thingy...
worldclassrager 41
Well a new dog can be a birthday gift...
TallMist 32
I wouldn't do that, personally. For anyone, especially a child, to lose a beloved pet on their birthday can hurt badly and, from what I've seen talk about from personal experiences online, the child will likely just ignore the new pet due to sadness and wanting nothing to do with another dog... For the while, anyways. I'd say give it at least a year or two before getting a new pet.
mperniciaro 15
I'm so sorry for your loss. I just lost my dog tonight from heart failure. She was only 11. Death is never easy, no matter the age. I hope she can still have an enjoyable birthday.
GhostFox 34
That bites all around. Be gentle breaking it to her, but don't give her one of those excuses like he is sleeping for a long time. Explain what it means, and let her grieve in her own time- don't run out and adopt a new dog until she is ready. Tell her that he loved her and that she doesn't have to not celebrate her birth because he died that day, but that she doesn't have to pretend that everything is okay either. Make sure she understands it isn't anything she did that made him pass on that specific day, he just couldn't keep going anymore. If anyone tells her to cheer up because he was "just a dog," do her a favor, and honor his memory, and punch them in the face. Or verbally bitchslap them. On the other hand, at least it was peaceful. When our 12 y/o dog died, it was after he had a stroke in his sleep that killed about half his brain. We had to spend close to 36 hours with him in pain and confused, unable to walk, and slowly dying because the vet was closed, and even if they hadn't been, we didn't have the money to take him. We had to keep him in pain medication induced sleep until he passed, because he had seizures that cause him to vomit and be in pain whenever he was awake. I still miss him and it's been months.
Rababco 29
Sorry about your dog and that sounds like a horrible way for him to die. That must've been really traumatic on you and your family.
kaylabunny1999 22
Not a great idea but you could temporarily say it ran away then tell her you got a call from the vet saying they found him dead?
GhostFox 34
I'm sorry, but no, this isn't just a bad idea, it's an awful one. Lying to her about it is a betrayal of her trust, and saying he ran away would give her false hope that he would 'come home.' In the time between the two, she would probably just worry herself sick over where he was.
reyse_labrecque 4
#GrrrrrrrMondays No accually that really is too bad and is very bad timing