Kids at camp. Dog is going to be put to sleep. Tell them or not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should have given them the opportunity to say goodbye. I still remember our dog being put to sleep while we were at school and we didn't get a chance to say good bye.
Truly a mean and unforgivable act.

I agree. I was 13 and I was at a day camp when it happened and I was so hurt my parents did not let me say goodbye. She was a family dog. I was the closest with her. It was very hard for me to move on from. I vowed never to do that to my kids.

If the camp means more to your kids than the dog, then just wait. But for most kids, the love of their dog is more important than any camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would wait. If for no other reason than you won't be there to comfort them.

This

You go and pick them up! I was more upset about our family dog passing away then most human deaths I encountered as a child and teen. Unless this was more a dog than a family pet, I just don't understand sending a dog off to euthanize, letting the kids play in camp all week, picking them up and saying "Oops, dog has been dead for 5 days now. We told him, you loved him. How was camp?"

I just don't get the infatuation with camp in this area. They aren't quarantined. It isn't mandatory to stay or go. Some things are a tad bit more important than a summer camp. What if grandmom died? Would you just have the funeral and announce it the kids at pick-up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would wait. If for no other reason than you won't be there to comfort them.

This

You go and pick them up! I was more upset about our family dog passing away then most human deaths I encountered as a child and teen. Unless this was more a dog than a family pet, I just don't understand sending a dog off to euthanize, letting the kids play in camp all week, picking them up and saying "Oops, dog has been dead for 5 days now. We told him, you loved him. How was camp?"

I just don't get the infatuation with camp in this area. They aren't quarantined. It isn't mandatory to stay or go. Some things are a tad bit more important than a summer camp. What if grandmom died? Would you just have the funeral and announce it the kids at pick-up?

Really? Grandma is the analogy you use?

[Anonymous]

I would have been very, very upset about this at that age. I think though that it is probably very different for different children. You know your kids best. They're older than my kids, so it's hard for me to say what i would do in your shoes - because even my kids might not be the same as i was back then. Either way, so sorry. it's so hard to lose a pet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would wait. If for no other reason than you won't be there to comfort them.

This

You go and pick them up! I was more upset about our family dog passing away then most human deaths I encountered as a child and teen. Unless this was more a dog than a family pet, I just don't understand sending a dog off to euthanize, letting the kids play in camp all week, picking them up and saying "Oops, dog has been dead for 5 days now. We told him, you loved him. How was camp?"

I just don't get the infatuation with camp in this area. They aren't quarantined. It isn't mandatory to stay or go. Some things are a tad bit more important than a summer camp. What if grandmom died? Would you just have the funeral and announce it the kids at pick-up?

Really? Grandma is the analogy you use?

NP but I was more traumatized by my dog dying than my grandma passing away. I wasn't extremely close to her, my dog was much more sad of a time.