Hello, I've come to this site because of deep grief over our almost 17-year-old dog little poodle, Arnie. We had to put him down on 12/29 due to his failing health. I knew that it would be very tough, but it is really indescribable. It seems that the age of the pet just doesn't matter--Arnie was a cherished and beloved family member, always a puppy, and the time is never right. I just wanted to let you know that 17 years ago, right before Arnie became a member of our family, I backed out of our driveway and ran over/killed our other dog, also a small poodle, named Freddie. There was blood, etc. So I have a very good idea of what your son is going through. I'll tell you, honestly, what got me through it. There were two things--(1) friends knew how much I loved Freddie (we had rescued him from a shelter) and kept stressing the fact that "this was an accident," and (2) horror of horrors, about a month later a father in our hometown backed out of his driveway and killed one of this three-year-old twins. Talk about indescribable! I sort of snapped out of it after that horrific accident in our town, and was able to put my terrible incident into better perspective. More than anything, it was the horrible guilty feeling that was destroying me. Knowing that things like this happen to others (and in worse ways, obviously, as in the unspeakable loss of a child) is what helped. I didn't think I could love another dog after that misery, but fell in love with Arnie. I have a photo of me holding him the day we brought him home--all of 2 1/2 pounds at the time--and I remember thinking when that photo was taken, "I will never be able to love another dog." I was so wrong! So just do what you are doing--honor your son's feelings, but also let him know that he is not the only one who ever accidentally killed a beloved pet. It happens, and it is a nightmare, but that is the nature of an "accident." I hope that this is a little helpful.
