Dogs come into your life, provide companionship, and for many people become a very close friend. Years of romping in the grass, fetching sticks and warming your feet are great, but at some point in time, you are very likely to lose your pet to old age. The typical life span for dogs ranges between 12 to 18 years depending upon the breed in question. When the time comes, dealing with the death of your pet can be very difficult and if you have children, it can be even harder.

Normal Grief

People who do not own pets may not understand your grief, but that does not mean that your grief is unnatural or something to be ashamed of. Feeling pain and loss when a dog dies is natural and has the same stages of grief that you would experience when losing a loved one. Just know you are not crazy or silly to feel pain and grief.

Pet Grief

As stated earlier grief over the loss of a pet is similar to typical grief, the stages are a bit different however. Below are a few of the different feelings you may experience after losing a pet: