My son has extreme high functioning aspergers, so I get it, 2 years after my cat I had when I was 15 and sometimes he tears up and I ask why, I miss Muffin he says.
She passed in my arms at my work, I had to help her go, she had a blood clot.
But even death can be helpful to children that was September 2 years ago, March my step-dad who was every bit a grandpa to my kids passed, and it was so much easier talking about death and loss, heaven, with both of my children having gone through it with Muffin, it doesn't make any loss feel better, but it helps to teach children to grieve and that is is ok to cry and hurt and miss someone you love.
I miss her too, every day.
Euthanasia's with little kids and and big dudes crying are always hard for me, but there was something very hard for me with a 40 something year old autistic woman who really loved her doggy and had the mind of a child that is going to stay with me forever, my boss says because I have a big heart and I have kids, plus an aspy, that I really get it, but there is something so special about people with Autism or anywhere on the spectrum, and not that we don't feel the loss, but I feel for an Autistic person to get that attached and then loose it is excuricatingly hard because attachments for them don't always come very easy.
As a mom of a 9yr old autistic daughter, god bless you for taking the time to explain things and answer the sisters questions. You don't know how much of a difference you made to her even if you couldn't see it.