What if your child imagined your family dog flying a plane in the sky after he passed away?
I wrote a children’s book about our beloved dog Hunter and his bond with our son Dean, inspired by that very idea.
Fly High, Hunter: A Heartfelt Children’s Book About Grief, Imagination, and Saying Goodbye
When our dog Hunter passed away from pancreatic cancer at only seven years old, the silence in our home was heavy. But our son Dean, who was still very young, started asking questions we weren’t sure how to answer:
“Where’s Hunter been?”
“What’s Hunter doing?”
We told Dean the truth in the gentlest way we could:
“Hunter’s in heaven, up in the sky, watching over you.”
What we didn’t expect was how literally Dean would take that.
Soon after, he started pointing to airplanes at night and saying:
“I see Hunter! Hi Hunter!”
We thought he saw the planes as shooting stars, but then he started to point to planes on Tv and pilots and say, “That’s what Hunter does.”
We realized he thought Hunter had become a pilot and taken to the sky looking over him, perpetually flying over our house and going on different adventures.
That sweet moment of childlike imagination is what inspired Fly High, Hunter.
📘 A Story of Love, Loss, and the Magic of a Child’s Mind Fly High, Hunter tells the story of a young boy and his dog—and how children process loss using their own kind of logic. One full of wonder, honesty, and love.
The story is gentle and uplifting, shaped by the kinds of things real kids say when they’re trying to understand something much bigger than they are.
What started as a short, scribbled tribute to Dean’s imagination and my boy Hunter slowly grew into a fully illustrated children’s book. After rewriting and expanding the story with over 40 pages of adventures, I finally brought it to life.
📖 Now Available on Amazon (Kindle + Paperback)
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, dog lover, or someone who’s had to explain the goodbye of a pet to a young child, this story is for you.
It’s for every kid who looks up at the sky and imagines more than clouds.
And for every pet who left more than paw prints behind.
💬 Early Praise
P.S.
I loved our dog Hunter; he was like my first son and best friend, and I believe he is watching out for us over the rainbow road. I recently wrote another, more adult blog, that included Hunter’s passing and a tribute to how great a dog he was.
Check it out here.
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