re: OT: How long did you guys mope after your dog passed away?

I said I don't mourn pets. I've had several die. I don't know why that translates to "I'm a badass in your head." I just brought up my daughter to explain why a dead animal doesn't faze me.

I had to say goodbye to my 17 year old kitty a few weeks ago. She was loyal like a dog is. That was a brutal day and the third time in 5 years. First few days are the toughest. I stopped tearing up, for the most part, after that, but I had to turn on my defenses pretty heavily because this loss was the hardest yet.

When I adopt and when a pet passes, I tell myself that when I got or get the pet, I agreed (with myself) to go through the hell of saying goodbye because (hopefully) I was surely going to outlive the pet. It's part of the bargain. We provide the pet with a loving home and the pet provides us with much joy that I wouldn't trade. I have to accept that I will never be ready for the end of the road, but its going to come. It helps some. I'm not saying that's a magic way to think.

Grieving is different for everyone. You have to do it to get past the tough time. You'll be fine in due time, but it's surely okay to be sad. It's healthy, in fact.

And, big, I'm very sorry about your child. I'm sure that's painful as hell, but your comment is inappropriate. Love is love. A loss is a loss in it's own way and there's no need to compare people to pets. It hurts to lose either for a variety of reasons and to varying degrees for the individual.

Lost my mastiff to cancer 2 years ago. I still get a little misty-eyed when I look at pictures or video.

For me, the intense morning lasted about a money, then you're left with sadness, and slowly that sadness gets replaced with good memories (much like humans).

If I can offer some advice it would be to avoid trying to replace him. All animals are unique and if you find yourself looking for a dog like the one you just lost, it's too early for you.

i was sad for about a week. i reluctantly got a new puppy 2 days after my dog died. was not happy at all. didnt even give her a name for a week or so. now i couldn't imagine having another dog.

Depends on how many distractions you have and how much time you had to prepare.

Can take a few weeks if it's unexpected. If the dog had been sick for a while and you have a lot of other things happening, you can move on a little more quickly.

Get back on that horse and give that love you gave to your last pet to a new one, adopt, adopted dogs are very affectionate.
I miss my first dog every day, but I still have his old lady and his son.

I'm not even gonna lie, I miss my dog (german shepherd/lab rescue) when I leave for work for 2 weeks. I can't even imagine him being gone. My condolences to the OP.

When you're ready, look into rescuing. Definitely a rewarding experience. My dog had a really rough first few weeks of life, but he's been an amazing pet.

Sitting next to my dog while reading this. Now I'm hugging her.

It took a couple of months. Sorry for your loss.