5 Powerful Ways that Cavapoos Can Help Kids Grieve

Cavapoos can help children grieve in five practical ways: (1) by diverting a child’s attention (even if it’s momentarily) away from the sad reality of death by their teddy-bear resemblance; (2) through becoming a sounding board to a grieving child, allowing him to express his innermost feelings without any adult feedback; (3) by becoming a stand-in for children to love and adore (although not replacing the person who died); (4) by promoting responsible behavior in children that encourages mental and emotional growth; and (5) by stressing the importance of identity to children through naming the dog.

Naturally, as parents we try to guard our children from the sad realities of life. 

One of the certainties in life is death. 

It could be the death of a pet, a friend, a brother or sister, or a parent. 

Children grieve in a different manner than adults due to a lack of emotional and mental development. 

So, we should do everything we can to ensure that our children grieve appropriately. 

An exceptional way to accomplish this feat is to give them a Cavapoo to love. 

Cavapoos can Divert a Child’s Attention Away from Death

A Cavapoo is so cute that it can steal the focus of a child who’s been swept away by the death of a loved one. 

His teddy-bear look is magnetic, causing the child to forget momentarily about his great loss.

The attention span of children is limited. 

They fully devote their mindset to someone and then allow something to interrupt their thought process, causing them to refocus on another object entirely different. 

Just imagine a child whose world has been turned upside down over the passing of his father or mother. 

The child is distraught, each breath seized by weeping.

The introduction of a beautiful Cavapoo in a child’s life gives him respite from the hurt and pain of losing his loved one.

Of course, permanently ignoring the death of a family member, a friend, or even a pet, is not healthy. 

Denial, one of the five stages of grief, must not be continual. 

Eventually, a child will need to face the reality of his loss. 

But that time should be when he’s ready. 

And, until that time comes, a child should enjoy his Cavapoo!  

Cavapoos can Become a Sounding Board for Children to Express Their Innermost Thoughts and Feelings

Everyone needs that special someone or something to talk to. 

And that goes double for children! 

Talking is pivotal for the success of any relationship, whether in the family realm, business world, or in our individual lives. 

Children may not understand why people die, especially if the deceased is a sibling or parent. 

Death is mysterious. 

There are many things we don’t understand about death. 

And a child, while having a thousand questions bouncing around in his head about death, may be scared to ask even the first of those questions. 

Also, a child might be bashful which would prevent him from vocalizing his grief. 

But a Cavapoo can magically transform a child from silence into an endless chatter box, motivating him to express his innermost thoughts and feelings to his new best friend. 

Though the conversation is one-sided, the child can experience positive results from the “discussion.”

The bottom line is that children must not hold grief in.

Talking, even to a dog, can help a child emotionally after experiencing a traumatic event such as the passing of a family member.

Cavapoos can Become a Stand-In for Children to Love and Adore

A great void in the life of a child occurs when a family member dies. 

The opportunity for that child and family member to hug each other one more time, or to kiss one another again, or to say, “I love you,” is forever gone. 

It’s an absence that can break a child’s heart. 

The loss can make a child feel all alone in this world, which could later result in a negative personality and behavior change. 

While the deceased can never be replaced, a child can turn to his Cavapoo pup to give hugs and kisses! 

Cavapoos are an excellent choice to repair broken hearts. They love everyone, especially children.

In fact, they’re a superb fit for kids!

And with the Cavapoo and the grieving child working together, that gaping hole left by death can be filled.

Cavapoos Promote Responsible Behavior in Children that Encourages Mental and Emotional Growth

One superb way to be successful in grief recovery is to stay busy. 

Cavapoos offer children that option. 

Cavapoos depend on their humans to take care of them. 

They can’t feed themselves, so they depend on us to feed them. 

They need their water bowls filled by their owners. 

They need grooming care, and, again, we do that for them. 

And they depend on us to let them outside for bathroom breaks (or to housebreak them by putting down pads).

A grieving child should be given some of these opportunities to care for his new canine buddy. 

By doing these chores, he’s not only bonding with his pup, but he’s learning to cope with grief by staying busy.

As he copes with grief, he’s developing mentally and emotionally that’ll enable him to adjust to other possible losses throughout life.

Cavapoos Provide a Lesson on Identity to Children

When a child experiences the loss of someone special, he may struggle with identity loss. 

After all, the person he loved so much is now gone. 

He may avoid mentioning the family member’s name because of the grief associated with the loss. 

Precious memories are now painful for him. 

So, he chooses to dismiss the identity of the deceased.

Letting the child name the new puppy can go a long way in restoring the importance of identity to that child. 

Names, identities, even when it comes to pets, are of great value. 

And giving that responsibility to the child provides a significant opportunity to open the door to encourage him to honor the memory of his loved one.

Conclusion

Let me tell you a little story, rewinding all the way back to the year 1902. Have you heard of Mary Anderson? She was an Alabama native who traveled to New York in the dead of winter. While a passenger on a streetcar riding the snowy and sleet infested streets of the Big Apple, the wheels in her mind began to turn. She wondered what could be invented to wipe away the snow and sleet from the streetcar’s “windshield” so that the driver could see better. She imagined a squeegee wiper on the outside of the windshield, linked to a lever on the inside. Mary Anderson’s invention led to our modern windshield wiper.

The connection?

Just as Mary Anderson’s “windshield wiper” moved the icy deposits on the windshield to the side, allowing the driver to see better, Cavapoos are able to displace grief, allowing you to maneuver better through the haze of grief.

Grief is difficult for all of us. 

But grief is especially tough for children! 

Grief is no match for a child who owns a Cavapoo!

-Howell