He will likely die within the next couple years and when he does, you will miss him.
The intensity of your grief will surely be as powerful as the intensity of your love. The problem is people do not often give themselves permission to properly grieve the death of a pet.
If someone from your family died, you would most likely miss a few days of work, postpone dates on your social calendar and spend time just feeling sad and disappointed. But if your pet dog dies and you do any more than shed a tear or two, you think that you will be ridiculed by those around you.
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You need to give yourself permission to grieve. You should have the right to feel sad when you get older and you are not able to do some of that which a young person does. You should have the right to feel sad when you can no longer hear as well as you once did, or see as clearly as you did before.
In fact, you should have the right to grieve any loss or change in your life. Let’s not forget that grieving is more than a sadness for that which we have lost. It is also a celebration for that which we once had. It is appreciation and gratitude, and all of those personal characteristics that mark your worth as a person.
When your pet dog dies, can you not rejoice that you had 17 years of fun and enjoyment with him, just as you feel sad that he is no longer there to fill the gap your children left behind with his moments of entertainment?
I think that the poet Wordsworth said it better than I can.
“Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendour in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind”.
You do not need to feel timid or embarrassed when the moment of sadness comes for your little dog. It is only natural and normal. My guess is that even your veterinarian would agree.
