Loss is unavoidable. I remember one expert talking about grief and loss who said, "You never resolve or reach a closure with loss, you just learn to cope. Because truthfully life is about loss." Helping our children learn about loss in life and how to cope are essential skills for healthy emotional development. During the summer of 2009, our two dogs died within one week. Tragedy and illness. Unfortunate but unavoidable circumstances. For both of my children this was one of their first and closest experiences with death and as would be expected it was not easy. Our little dog Winnie, escaped from the backyard at our new home and was found a week later after being struck and killed by a car. A week later our large Labrador Retriever, Pooh Bear, became too ill to function and had to be put to sleep. As a family we reacted with shock, tears, and sadness, but also resilience, sharing memories, and maybe even a little laughter with our stories. It is not uncommon with a loss to go