Over the weekend we became the proud owners of two goldfish named Goldie and Hawkeye. We might also have bought The Avengers.
The goldfish brought our pet total up to, according to Joseph, four chickens, two fish, and a ghost dog.
The ghost dog bit was a little disturbing.
Our poor Maggie dog passed away about seven months ago and I’ll be the first to admit, I still miss her. She’d been a daily part of the kids’ lives since they were born, often walking up and down the hallway between their bedrooms to stand watch.
When Maggie Dog passed away, we didn’t hid it from the kids. I’d read that it was important for children to understand death and loss of pets since it helps them to cope with death and lose of a human family member. Of course, nothing I read told me how to deal with said children thinking their dog is still a daily part of their lives – in ghost form.
In their minds, Maggie dog is still around. We just can’t see her. I suppose it’s not much different than a guardian angel when a loved one passes on, but I’d never heard of a child making that leap when it pertains to a pet. I did a little research and found nothing to help me with this phenomenon.
So I shrugged and hoped that perhaps it wasn’t unusual or a dangerous way of thinking.
To tell the truth, it gives me a bit of comfort to think of Maggie dog still standing watch over my babies.
How have you dealt with the loss of a pet? Have you discovered yourself in possession of a ghost dog or cat?
