Resources

Websites

• The Animal Medical Center
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
• The Delta Society
• Pet Loss Support Page (list of links and hotlines)
• University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine

Hotlines and Online Support

• The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals: 1 (877) GRIEF-10 or 1 (877) 474-3310
• The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
• Colorado State University Hotline: (970) 297-1242
• Cornell University Pet Loss Hotline: (607) 253-3932
• Denver Dumb Friends League: (303) 751-5772
• Human Animal Bond Trust
• Iams Pet Loss Support Research Center: 1(888) 332-7738
• PetLossHelp.Org: (201) 567-5596
• Tufts University Pet Loss Support Hotline: (508) 839-7966
• University of Illinois, The Companion Animal Related Emotions Pet Loss Helpline: 1 (877) 394-CARE

Suggested Reading

For Adults

• Bereaved Children and Teens: A Support Guide for Parents and Professionals, Earl Grollman (Beacon Press, 1996)
• Butterflies: Talking With Children about Death and Life Eternal, William VanderWyden (Tabor Publishing, 1991)
• Children and Pet Loss, Laurel Lagoni, M.S. & Carolyn Butler, M.S. (In The Perspectives, July/August, 1994)
• Children and Pet Loss: A Guide for Helping, Marty Tousley (Our Pals Publishing, 1996)
• Children Who Grieve: A Manual for Conducting Support Groups, Roberta Beckmann (limited availability) (Learning Publishing, 1990)
• Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates, Gary Kurz (Cold Noses, 1997)
• Erik’s Hope, Andrea Chicolte (Audio CD)
• A Final Act of Caring: Ending the Life of An Animal Friend, Mary and Herb Montgomery (Montgomery Press, 1993)
• Final Farewell: Preparing for and Mourning the Loss of Your Pet, Marty Tousley (Our Pals Publishing, 1997)
• Goodbye My Friend, Mary and Herb Montgomery (Hervey’s Booklink, 1991)
• Grieving the Death of a Pet, Betty J. Carmack (Augsburg Books, 2003)
• Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies, Janis Silverman (Fairview Press, 1999)
• Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children, Brian Mellonie & Robert Ingpen (Bantam Books, Inc., 1983)
• The Loss of a Pet, Wallace Sife (Howell Book House, 1998)
• On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (Scribner, 1997)
• Pet Loss: Thoughtful Guide for Adults and Children, Herbert Nieburg (Harper Paperback, 1996)
• Pet Loss and Children: Establishing a Healthy Foundation, Cheri Barton Ross (Routledge Publishing, 2005)
• Talking About Death: A Dialog Between Parent and Child, Earl Grollman (Beacon Press, 1990)Tear Soup, Pat Schweibert (Grief Watch, 2005)
• When Your Pet Dies: Dealing with Your Grief and Helping Your Children Cope, Chapter 11: “Other Pets May Suffer Over the Loss,” Christine Adamec (iUniverse, 2000)

For Children Under 10 Years

• Badger’s Parting Gifts, Susan Varley (Harper Collins, 1992) (ages 4-8)
• The Day Scooter Died: A Book About the Death of a Pet, Kathleen Long Bostrom (Zonderkidz, 2005) (ages 4-8)
• The Dead Bird, Margaret Brown (Harper Collins, 1995) (ages 4-8)
• Desser the Best Ever Cat, Maggie Smith (Dragonfly Books, 2003) (ages 6-8)
• The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: 20th Anniversary Edition, Leo Buscaglia (Slack, 2002) (ages 4-8)
• For Every Dog an Angel, Christine Davis (Lighthearted Press, 1997) (ages 6-9)
• The Forever Dog, Bill Cochran & Dan Andreasen (Harper Collins, 2007) (ages 4-8)
• Goodbye Mousie, Robie H. Harris & Jan Ormerod (Margaret K. McElderry Publisher, 2001) (ages 4-8)
• Growing Time, Sandol Stoddard Warburg (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1989) (ages 4-8)
• Healing Your Heart When Your Animal Friend is Gone: A Children’s Pet Bereavement Workbook, Kimberly A. Cardeccia (Bree’s Gift Publishing, 2004) (ages 6-10)
• I’ll Always Love You, Hans Wilhelm (Dragonfly Books, 1988) (ages 4-8)
• I Miss You: A First Look at Death, Pat Thomas (Barron’s Education Service, 2001) (ages 4-8)
• It Must Hurt a Lot, Doris Sanford (Multnomah Books, 1985) (ages 4-8)
• Jim’s Dog Muffins, Miriam Cohen (Yearling Publishing, 1996) (ages 4-8)
• Let’s Talk About When Your Pet Dies, Marianne Johnston (Power Kids Press, 1998) (ages 4-8)
• My Pet Died (Let’s Make a Book About It), Rachel Biele (Tricycly Press, 2004) (ages 4-8)
• Remembering Pets, Gina Dalpra-Berman (Robert Reed Publishers, 2010) (ages 4-6)
• Sad (What Does It Mean?), Sylvia Root Tester (Child’s World, 1980) (ages baby-preschool)
• Saying Goodbye to Lulu, Corinne Demas (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2004) (ages 4-8)
• Six Is So Much Less Than Seven, Ronald Himler (Starbright Books, 2002) (ages 5-7)
• Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children, Doris Stickney (Pilgrim Press, 2004) (ages 4-8)
• When a Pet Dies, Fred Rogers (Putnam Juvenile, 1998) (ages 4-8)
• When Kitty Passed Away: Explaining Pet Cremation to a Child, Linda Makkay & Marlene Hingstman (Bookhouse, 2007) (ages 4-8)

For Children Ages 8 Years and Up

• The Cat Who Went to Heaven, Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth & Lynd Ward (Aladdin, 1990) (ages 9-12)
• Give a Dog Your Heart, Aubrey Fine (Healing Paws Press, 2010) (ages 9-12)
• King Emmett the Second, by Mary Stolz (Dell Yearling, 1993) (ages 9-12)
• Koko’s Kitten, Francine Patterson (Scholastic, Inc., 1985) (ages 9-12)
• Mustard, Charlott Graeber (Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1982) (ages 9-12)
• A Special Place for Charlie: A Child’s Companion Through Pet Loss, Debbie Morehead (Partners In Publishing, LLC, 1996) (ages 8-12)

For All Ages

• Calvin and Hobbes: Death of a Baby Raccoon (Comic strip), 3/9/87-3/18/87
• Paw Prints in the Stars: A Farewell and Journal for a Beloved Pet (Tristan Publishing, 2008)
• Saying Goodbye to Your Pet: Children Can Learn to Cope With Pet Loss, Marge Heegaard (Fairview Press, 2001)
• When Only the Love Remains: The Pain of Pet Loss, Emily Margaret Stuparyk (Hushion House Publishing, 2000)

Videos

• The Land Before Time (1988), Director, Don Bluth