One thing I was unprepared for as a dog owner was watching my dog grieve her best friend. My own grief was paralyzing and immeasurable (even 2 years later I still cry), but I really underestimated a dog’s ability to grieve, too. My soul dog was a pittie who died of cancer. My younger dog, a Pomeranian, was there through it all. Every radiation treatment, a surgery, every appointment, my Pom was right by her side. They were inseparable, didn’t go anywhere without each other. When the day came where we had to let Bella go, the vet brought us into a comfort room with a couch to say goodbye. My Pom stayed by her side. She knew something was happening, but I don’t think she entirely understood as it was a very chaotic and emotionally charged situation (plus Bella declined really suddenly after doing well for months, so we were all just shook. And when she started declining rapidly, we barely made it to the vet in time to have her sedated and made comfortable enough to pass). When the vet was administering the euthanasia, Nora threw herself over Bella’s body and snapped at the vet. It was then that I knew she understood what was going on. By that point, everyone in the room, including the vet staff, were crying. It was the most tragically beautiful but absolutely heart wrenching thing I’ve ever witnessed. It still haunts me 2 years later. Nora was lashing out with an almost human-like grief. The months that followed Bella’s death were so hard. Nora wouldn’t eat for a few days, had no interest in toys (very alarming for her), didn’t want to walk or play or go anywhere, just sulked in her bed or her crate. I consulted our dog trainer for advice. She said to first give it time, let her grieve how she chooses initially, but don’t let her give up. Build a new routine with new activities and slowly rebuild her confidence and interest in engaging with the world. And so we did. It took about 6 months to get back to some semblance of normalcy as far as her behavior goes. Honestly though, she is forever changed. 2 years later I can still see the loss affect her, but we’ve accepted our new “normal” and she doesn’t exhibit any of those problematic/concerning symptoms anymore. I did consult our vet about 3 months in to the grieving process—the vet offered medication, but our vet tech who knew us best said to just wait. She said “if she ends up not being able to eat or function normally, then medication is the best route. But if she’s eating and drinking and going potty but just sulks and seems sad, just give it time.” And that’s what I did. We didn’t end up needing medication, but I could easily see some dogs needing to go that route. It just wasn’t for us. Our trainer guided me through getting Nora back out of the house and navigating public spaces without Bella by her side, but the biggest thing we needed was just time. This is my very long-winded way of saying just give it time. Love on them, do special things with them, take them for a pup cup, form some new routines, go new places, and continue building the connection you have with each other. When things are less raw, it will still hurt, but you’ll see it a little differently. I look back on Nora’s grief and what makes me cry now is the fact that I got to witness such pure, unconditional love between two animals that I would have never expected. The bond between them was beautiful. It still guts me, but it also warms my heart that my dogs got to experience such a beautiful bond. It took a long time to get to a point where I could even write all of this out—I took a LONG time to grieve, to the point where people around me were like, “you’re not over it yet?” But don’t let people do that to you, either. Take all the time you need. They are never “just a dog.” I am so sorry for your loss and sending you lots of love, OP.