The Golden Cord: a Story of Pet Loss and Grief for Kids

Death, grief and loss are a natural part of life that can be difficult topics to address. Often pet loss is a child’s first personal experience with death and it’s okay to feel so sad when they lose their best friend . Children who grow up with pets as part of their family learn that animals don’t live as long as people.That loving a pet is often their favorite hello and their hardest goodbye. Like people sometimes they get sick or hurt so badly that it can mean having to say goodbye when you don’t want to. This tender story of life and death and the magic golden cord is the perfect way to make the topic of pet loss or any other kind of loss a little less scary for kids (and grownups) and also explains the amazing afterlife of animals that willl bring more joy than sadness.
This book told by Cooper the dog and Bella the cat (change to your pet’s names) will bring hope and comfort to their broken hearts, that they are only gone from sight and that death is not the end. That their pets will always have a special place in their hearts and that even though they are gone from sight, they will live on in spirit. Specifically written to address children’s fear of death, grief and separation anxiety. The rhyming verse and imaginative illustrations provide a whimsical view of what beloved pets are doing now they have their angel wings.
In today’s world where there is so much uncertainty and fear, The Golden Cord delivers a particularly compelling message that we are never alone, that grief and all the thoughts, feelings and big emotions that come up are a natural and welcome response to loss. That grief is not a problem to be solved but a space that needs to be witnessed. This book is being used by parents, caregivers, councillors, teachers, grief groups, veterinarians, death doulas and psychologists to have healing conversations about life, death, any type of bereavement including pet loss, separation anxiety issues (otherwise known as the sense of existential ‘aloneness’). A must-have title for a pragmatic understanding of the power of LOVE that will strengthen the spiritual and emotional intelligence for both children and adults.

There are places in the book for your child to add photos of their pet, to draw how they feel and where they are holding grief and sadness in their body. It also includes questions you can ask them, meditations and other tools to help both you and your child through every stage of grief and pet loss.

This kids pet loss book is suitable for ages 3-8 years old and all religious and spiritual beliefs, The Golden Cord gives you wiggle room to add your own reference to heaven, crossing the rainbow bridge, angels and the afterlife. The primary theme is LOVE. That LOVE is what connects us, heart, to heart to everyone and everything including those who have passed over and that they are always looking over us, guiding us and sending us signs from the spirit world. Parents and children everywhere who are looking for comfort, reassurance and reaffirmation of the transcendent power of love, to bind, connect and comfort us through those inevitable times when life challenges us!