When I was small
My goldfish jumped out of the tank and died
My cat fell in a tub of creosote and tried to lick himself clean and consequentially died
My puppy got run over in a hit and run
My kitten had to be PTS due to a urinary tract malfunction
My dog had to be put down b/c of a problem with his back
Two dogs were poisoned by pheasant shooters (bastards had laid poison on the estate and not thought to tell anyone)
Pony died of old age
Horse had to be pts b/c of internal tumours
Another dog run over
Hamster escaped, lived in the sofa. My mother discovered this when it shot into the hoover while she was cleaning it (the sofa, not the hamster). Surprisingly, the hamster survived this but not the attention of the dog, who caught it as my mother tried to remove it from the hoover.
Lamb fell off a cliff
Looks like a long list of unfortunate events but in only one (the puppy being run over) could my parents really be considered at fault.
As a child it was absolutely horrific as the above were much loved and well cared for pets and other than the hamster thing (wouldn't it have stank? Only come across squashed, dry, rodents in amongst straw and hay bales before now!) it seems as though your dd's friend's family may be suffering similar misfortune?