Unfortunately our family is putting our beloved 7 year old Golden Retriever to sleep tonight because of cancer. We are very sad about this, of course, and will miss her immensely. The kids are very sad, as is Dad. However, we are also concerned about our other dog. We have another Golden (a male) who is also 7 years old. They are not siblings, but they have been living together since they were less than a year old and do everything together. Since they were less than a year old, they have been separated for only a few weeks at a time at most (and rarely). When we are on vacation, they go to separate places for doggie day care, but other than that they are always together (so they have been separated before). She is going to be put to sleep at our house, and we are unsure of how to deal with the other dog while this is going on. Of course he will not be in the room when it happens, but we don’t know what to do after. They are very attached to each other and used to living together, so we do not want him to wonder where she has gone and be lonely. After she has been put to sleep, would it be a good idea to let him see her body so that he knows and understands what has happened to her and that she will not be coming back? Would this be upsetting to him or helpful to him? Would it be better to just not show him her body and simply try to get him used to being alone?
I have never been in this situation before, so I am at a loss as to what to do here. Any feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance very much.
