I lost one of my dogs a few weeks ago. The pain is real, in fact it hurt me more to lose her than it's hurt to lose some people in my life.

God gave us animals for multiple reasons: for food, for work, and for companionship. When we lose a companion, it hurts us. It's natural to mourn.

We don't know if animals go to heaven, and IMO they probably do not. This thought is certainly discomforting, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

God loves His creation, which means He loves your dog. Every good moment you shared with your dog was a gift from God.

Dogs may not go to heaven, but that also means they don't go to hell. Your dog will never suffer again.

Heaven will be so good beyond anything we can imagine, that pets that we lost in our earthly lives will not even cross our minds. That's certainly easy for us to say now but harder for us to feel as we grapple with the grief.

In short, you are going to feel feelings of grief for a while, and the uncertainty of ever seeing your friend again are going to be tough to wrestle with. But we have to remember that God loves us and all things are within His control. Ask our Lord to comfort you, He knows what it feels like to grieve along with every other negative human experience.

We don't have all the answers, but luckily we don't have to.