Answering an End of Life Question About a Beloved Pet for a Machesney Park Child

This story just chokes me up. Anyone who has had a pet has probably dealt with the end of life of a cherished friend. How do you explain this to a child who has to put her pet dog to sleep?

It's a common thing when you are in the waiting room at the vet to visit with others who are there to have their pets taken care of. On Thursday, a friend of mine took his cat, Rizzo, into the vet in Machesney Park to get a routine booster shot when he encountered a young 6-year-old girl who also sitting in the waiting room, without her pet. Her mom was seeing the doctor with her 11-year-old Great Dane, Odin. He shared this encounter:

So I take the Cat to the Vet tonight to get his booster. Check in and sit down with the cat carrier in lap. A little sweet girl sits down next to me, asking about Rizzo sticking her finger in to pet him. She then asks me " Is he here to get a shot" I say yes he is, "what for" she asks? I say his yearly booster, she then says " My dog is here to get a shot to, but it's to make him sleep and go to heaven, he is behind that door". Well s**t how do you answer that with a big ass lump in your throat?:-(

How would you answer that question? How would you have handled the same situation if you were in that same waiting room?

The young girl was very brave to be with Odin when he crossed the rainbow bridge.

Odin had to be put to sleep.

By the way, Rizzo the cat is doing fine!