My husband was leaving to work this morning and found rufus dead in the street. Apparently he squeezed through the gate and got himself hit by a car. My kids are three and four and have known rufus their whole lives, they play with him everyday.
How should I tell them? Should I be honest? Should I come right out with it or wait until they go outside and look for him? I've never been in this situation before. Do we need a funeral? How do I handle this without creating some major mommy-issues in my kids?

tell them the truth and use it to teach them the importance of staying off the road... it's a little harsh, but don't let Rufus die in vain... use him to teach your children a valuable lesson, sometimes it makes it more easier for the kids to handle

we had a cat who was eaten by the neighbour's dog. My kids didn't know how to react until we explained that Ellie had givn her life to teach them how important it is to stay away from dogs they don't know an could be dangerous. It made her death a lot easier to accept after that