Our Beloved Tasha

Once again we have had to let go of our older Dog, Tasha.  She was always a little fighter, she fought her way through a heart problem and everytime we thought we would have to come the decision of letting her go she would recover.  It wasn't until this last time, she couldn't even hold herself up, let alone eat or go the bathroom.  It was time to say our good-byes.  Tasha was a 14 year old cock-a-poo (Cocker Spanial cross Poodle), she had a few health problems but always fought through them.  I do feel it was her age that made her body not able to recover.

We lost our beloved Toby back in May 2010 and now our Tasha this September 2010.  Its been tremendously hard loosing both of our loving pets in a matter of a few months apart.  The house has been awfully quiet, although my daughter has been taking care of some of that. 

This time around my daughter was 10 months old and she continues to drop food on the floor looking for the puppy to come clean up.  It saddens my heart that I can't completely explain things to her, but I have explained to her as best as possible to a 10 month and in hopes that she does comprehend some of it. 

I think children are a lot smart than sometimes we preceive and even though my daughter may not completely understand every word that I say when explaining the loss, it does help to put things at ease.  Maybe more for myself I'm unsure.  My daughter may not remember any of this when she gets older but for the now I feel it is good for her, and maybe will help with future explanations for me. 

What did you do to explain the loss of a pet to your child/children? Or any other thoughts would be great to hear!