Carol Peters

how to explain death to children

because the fearful dog wandered the fields all day and hadn’t been
         neutered
and due to the fearful dog biting the owner who tried to catch him
the owner asked the neighbor to shoot the dog

the neighbor agreed but brought up the possibility of evidence
blood and brains all over the side of the house
still he consented but instead he borrowed a cage from the humane
         society

for days the owner starved the dog to lure him into taking the bait
and because the humane society put down the biting unneutered
         fearful dog
the dog ended up dead

how to tell the children
who thought the dog was being sent away to find a newer and better
         home
(what home could be better?) (wouldn’t he miss them badly?)

they asked their parents whether someone might have already
         adopted their dog
and wouldn’t the dog be even more afraid in a new house with new
         people
and if no one had chosen the dog yet could they have him back

when the parents asked the neighbor to tell the children the dog died
the neighbor agreed to go to the humane society to try and adopt the
         dog
but he found no dog that answered and told the children that