No matter how old your kids are, the loss of a pet can be a heart-breaking event. But when you are dealing with young children, the explanations can be kind of dicey. Such was the case with our first furry passing.
Snowy was as great a pet as a hamster could possibly be. No, she didn’t run to the door when we came home and she never really fetched anything, but she belonged to my daughter, Grace, and she thought the world of her – as any kindergartner would.
One day my wife noticed that Snowy looked a little bloated. She picked her up and felt a large lump. We called the vet to see if we could get her in for a once-over. The receptionist explained that they would be happy to take a look but there was at least a $50 charge to start the process. Understand that Snowy was purchased – I mean adopted – for a fee of $4.99. Not to be cruel but…
We knew it was probably hopeless and Snowy seemed to be suffering, so my wife asked about putting her to sleep. Again, the receptionist was more than cheerful in her response: that would also be $50. (Remember $4.99.)
So finally my wife said that the way Snowy was moving she probably would not last the night. The response? “We can provide cremation services for $5.”
Seriously?!?!
We bought a box and explained to the kids what was happening and that they could decorate the box for Snowy. The hamster did not make it that night and my wife found her the next morning. She put the cage in the laundry room and it was my job to “take care of her” when I got home that evening.
I placed Snowy in the decorated box and amidst tears, Gracie told me she wanted Snowy buried next to the playhouse. That would have been fine had it not been January and the ground was frozen solid.
I tried and tried my best, but when a shovel actually bounces off the ground, your options are kind of limited.
I asked Gracie if we could take Snowy to a place where they could take care of her. I figured if it took $4.99 to come into the world, then I could spring for the five bucks to complete the cycle. Grace wanted nothing to do with it. She insisted that Snowy be buried in the yard. Hmmmmm.
My next idea is one that we have talked about for years and we will never forget. I explained that if we needed to bury Snowy in the yard we would have to wait for spring. My wife looked at me like I was crazy. Yes, you guessed it, we needed to keep Snowy on ice until the thaw.
I wrapped the box in paper, put it in a bag and then taped the bag with packing tape. Then I put it in another bag and stowed deer Snowy in the freezer.
When our son, Colin, found out, he flipped. “What do you mean you put her in the freezer? Every time we get ice cream she is going to fall out!”
But Snowy was fine – and frozen solid – until a nice little ceremony was held in March. By then the tears were gone and we had moved on.
My parenting advice? Always have a hamster-sized hole dug in the backyard – just in case.