Loss of a Pet

Last year I went to the Pet Expo at the Georgina Ice Palace and I entered a draw from The Wet Thumb. I got a call saying I had won a fish aquarium.  On Canada day during the Georgina Taking to the Streets fun events we went to the wet thumb, who was part of the party, to pick up the aquarium.

I happen to see hamsters and asked if I could trade my prize for a hamster cage and hamster instead, they said yes.   So my daughter picked our a little brown and white hamster.  She loved this little guy and would visit him every morning before school and then after school off she would go to make sure her little buddy had fresh food and water.  Often she would come up as I was cooking dinner and ask for some vegetables for Hammy. 

Then it happened.  My husband went to check on Hammy one night and he had died.  We were horrified at how we were going to break the news to our daughter in the morning.  My husband tried to get him to breath as Hammy had just died when he checked on him but he couldn't.  We think that Hammy had a heart attack.  

In the morning I explained to my darling girl what happened as gently as I could.  She was so upset she just ran to her room. I went to see her as she fell into my arms crying and saying, "mommmmmmyyyyyy, I don't want Hammy to die."  She then popped up and said, "I want to see him, I want to see him now."  We took her to the cage and showed her Hammy. 

I tried to comfort her but she was just to upset and Hammy had died to soon.  I know its "just" a hamster but to my daughter it was her best friend and my heart broke to see her in so much pain.  It was also her first experience with death and her first pet to die.

I called the school and said she wouldn't be there as she was very upset and had just lost her pet, they understood.  Once I calmed her down I asked her if she wanted to go and find a new hamster friend. She said she did but she wouldn't love it as much as hammy. 

After our Scholastic Tales for tots and some fun with literacy we headed to Pet Smart in East Gwillimbury. 

She wanted a dark brown one just like Hammy.  Cage after cage I saw her face drop as there were no dark brown ones.  I finally asked the lady if she had a dark brown one.  The last cage as she lifted the house there she was, her head popped up and I said, "oh a dark brown one just like Hammy." 



Welcome Lizzy



Back at home she was happy that she found her new friend, but informed me although she loved her new friend she still missed her Hammy.  As we wiped her tears away I told her, "You don't have to forget about Hammy but its ok to have a new friend like Lizzie to hold and to love."

The loss of a pet is hard,  not matter how big or small it still hurts.  I was not prepared for this sudden death of Hammy but we pulled together as a family and we got through it together.