how long do u greive for pets?

I'm like everyone else in that if I have a good dog, I don't want it to ever die, but when it does, I won't cry or get depressed. I won't feel much of anything since I knew it was coming. If the pet died suddenly by getting run over or something, that would be worse. I would be angry at everyone responsible for killing my dog. In my area, if you run over a dog as big as mine, you were negligent, reckless, and showing no regard for the wellbeing of others.

On another level, I realize that it's not all bad that our pets die. It's not what you want when it happens, but it gives us an opportunity to bring a new friend into our lives & variety is the spice of life.

The actual grieving process is over. I was looking through my stuff yesterday to get rid of things i don't want and came across some cards talking about how good they were and sweater that my boxer would wear. I just put it out of my mind a bit and stopped going through that stuff. But I'm not crying over it now, I'm crying over other things.

So, only a couple of months.

In my experience grief lasts as long as we need it too. I know that sounds vague, but I have found that if you set aside some time to let it happen it is in a small way, less painful. Pushing it aside makes it much more painful. So I say do what you need too. There are no rules. Cry, dont cry. Be angry. Be numb. Just dont ignore it. Let it come and let it go.
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I think we grieve for months over the loss of our pets - much we do anyone in our life that we love and care for. We lost our Trooper three years ago and to this day we still miss him and talk about him. To me, it's like any other death that you experience. You need to grieve and begin to move forward. There's no easy way to go about it and EVERYONE grieves in a different way. I'm very sorry for your loss and pray that with time you're able to begin moving forward.

If I have any mental disorders it might be this one. I don't grieve. At least not in the usual sense. To me death is the inevitable result of having been alive. Everything that is, eventually isn't, and nothing in creation is created to last forever. Certainly not living things, but even planets, stars, and perhaps the universe itself will have an end someday. Since pets don't live as long as people (barring injury or disease) having them is like a forgone conclusion you're going to face their death much sooner than you would people.

I miss my pets, and still think about them even 30 years hence. I miss relatives too. You never forget them. That's not what mourning and grief and moving on is about. Or at least I don't think it is. Instead I think you learn how to incorporate their absence and take the best of what you had when they were alive as you continue on. But for the petting and ability to enjoy physical affection, the love we have for pets and people is still there even after they've died. And that's the more valuable part.

It's been 3 years for me, and I still cry that he's gone, I still feel like I've let him down, I still miss him horribly. I still can't get myself another cat of my own because I would feel like I'm trying to replace him. I know this isn't completely healthy but there were also circumstances to him leaving that are probably causing me to grieve so long. I lost him in a car accident in the wilderness, he didnt die in the car accident, he jumped out, and I couldnt find him afterwords : C

Should grieve the same amount of time for pets as we do for people. We don't choose what body our souls are put into. And gieving doesn't mean forgetting at some point. It simply means adapting and incorporating change of status into your life.

I think getting pets is all about learning about our own mortality since the average animal's lifespans are merely a fraction of a person's. If you're going into it knowing it's only going to live about 15 years average, then you're assuming responsibility for being able to handle it when they die. If you fall apart uncontrollably you shouldn't be getting a pet.

I grieve until i can get a new replacement that looks exactly like the last one.

I'm still grieving over my dog max.itwill be two years ago this Thursday ..I'm already falling / apart.

I still grieve for Lucy my lovely best friend who was a dog. But she wasn't 'just a dog'. She was the one who was by me and got me through everything. She was my true best friend. She understood me. It will be 1 year May 28th... I can't believe it. I very rarely cry anymore and I can smile when I think about her but I still really miss her and dream about her often. She was my everything. ♥ RIP Babygirl... Mommy misses you dearly.