Pets are important 'people' in our lives too. My family and I still miss our dog, Oscar, who got out of the house to chase a truck (the one truck that kept driving past our house that Oscar could not resist chasing), and it hit him. It was something like ten years ago. There is no other dog in the world like Oscar, and it was like losing a child. We lost a member of our family.

Don't judge yourself for your grief. What you feel is what you feel, and it is real to you. In life we have to mourn all of our losses, whether it is a death, illness, loss of opportunity, even losing your favorite pen. If it has meaning for you, you will need to go through the grief process.

There is no set time limit, as we all grieve differently, and even the same person grieves differently each time. When you have worked through it, you will be ready to move on. It doesn't make it okay, but you will be able to continue with your life and find meaning and joy in what life has to offer.