How long it takes to recover from the loss of a beloved pet varies so much. I have lost dogs that I recovered from quickly, others took a few months, and the last one to go to the bridge was 18 months ago, and I just can't get her out of my head.

Having said that, in time you will be able to remember Molly with smiles and laughter instead of misery and tears.....

Until then, honey, rant, cry, scream away - you're in good company here

x0x

The bond we have with our dogs can be very strong, the love shared & the grief from losing them very real. I grieved as much from losing Barney, my first dog, as I did when I lost my dear dad. 8 years on I still miss them both loads (dad would have understood he loved his own dog as much!)
I try not to think of the day I lost Barney, the distress of making "the phonecall" to end his suffering. It still upsets me after all this time. I kept a piece of his blanket & I made a photo album of his life, I looked at it everyday for ages,
which helped me to focus on the good times rather than the end. When we got a new puppy I didnt think I could love her as much, she was just for the children. How wrong could I be?! I adore her, she's the center of our home, & knowing the sadness that will one day come has made me
appreciate her time with us all the more.
We waited a year before getting another dog, I started looking after a few months, I was ready then. You'll know when you're ready, you need to grieve first. xx

Oh Anna, how you feel is so how I felt just a couple of years ago after I lost my Patterdale, Frump.
I still have a carrier bag in my wardrobe, containing Frumps' collar, his bowl and his Kong. We had him put to sleep due to chronic incurable illness and old age in August 2008, and still I miss him, and question was it right (I know it was, but it still hurts). You DO learn to accept, and live with the grief. I used to cry every time I saw that carrier bag, now I look in it and smile at the happy memories it invokes. I have photos galore, and again, I can now look at them and think "Aw Frump I do miss you you silly old dog", but at one time I would have just burst into tears. Frump will always live in my heart, and yes, I do remember being so full of grief and raw hurt that I thought I would never ever get over it. You WILL get stronger as time goes on, but for now, be gentle with yoursel, and accept your grief as part of the healing process you need to go through. Treasure those mementoes, never ever feel pressurised to discard any of them, (you will one day, in your time, when you feel ready) I originally put his blanket in the bag, but had to discard it due to the musty old doggie smell emanating from my wardrobe after a year!!, and yes, I did feel sad doing it, but strong enough to, and anyway, I still have the other things. I actually said aloud "Hey Frump, I am not throwing YOU away, just your old blanket mate, it pongs a bit now" which in a strange way, made me feel he heard and understood (and yes, daft, I know!)
You will get another dog again, when you feel ready and please dont feel that it is a betrayal of the dog you have lost, it is not. Actually, it is a compliment to the dog you have lost, it means that you loved her SO much that you cannot bear to be without a dog again. I have two dogs, one of whom (Flo) I had before Frump died, and one (Toffee) I have adopted since. I love them both dearly, and even though I was still grieving Frump so much, it didnt stop me falling in love with Toffee as soon as I got her. It will be the same for you, I promise.
Your dog will always be with you, never forget that, and never doubt it x

Thanks once again for your replies, I'm sorry I can't reply to them all, but I have read and re-read them all, it helps me alot. I'm really grateful you all took the time to reply, we are all strangers but because of our love for our dogs, it doesn't really feel like it. We all understand each other. I think I might be getting abit better, I hadn't got upset for awhile till last week, then it all started again, i could smell her in our bedroom again( a nice smell,or is that just a doggy smell and because it was her(I hope that don't sound stupid) then I suddenly remembered her bed being in the corner, also I was in our living room and it suddenly hit me, that she doesn't sit in the window anymore looking out, or in the chair, with her leg up on the arm. One thing I managed to do the other week was put her collar,lead, some of her hair and a small picture of her in a box to keep.I feel better they are somewhere safe now.Though her bed is still in my room under our bed.