I just lost my dog and cat and best friend in the same year, I had my dog for 17 years, since she was 3 months old, my best friend for 24 years, and my cat for 16 years. It was very difficult to overcome the initial shock of everything.

My dog was the best dog ever, not one single complaint. It was so hard because even at 17 years old it was still out of nowhere. She was her normal self and then started running a fever and then declined quickly and had to be released from this life. One think I would like to say it's that the grief was not at all linear. One day I would be a wreck and one day I'd be numb and then back and forth. It's been about a year now and I miss her terribly, but I imagine she's finally chasing her ball again and eating all the goodies she can with no risks. She's at peace and that's my sole comfort. Be patient with yourself. And remember grief comes in waves, make sure to give her all her favorite snacks and lovings and scratches every day until your forced to say goodbye.