It's different for different people. When my dog died, I took it very badly. Months after, sitting in an armchair reading a book, I'd hear a sound that was like her paws clicking on the tiled kitchen floor and I'd expect to see her come around the corner at any moment and jump up on my lap or bring me a tennis ball to throw for her. Each time, there was the sad realisation that this wasn't going to happen. This went on for two years, although it got less frequent as time went on.
One day, I realised I hadn't "heard" her for a very long time and - at the very same instant - the part of her I'd been holding onto inside myself just left me and was never returned. It rose out of me and off my body like a vapour, and I knew for the first time that she was gone. I actually missed the grieving and denial because now there was nothing left of her. But only then did I truly start to get over it.
If it's taking you time, then take that time. There is no timetable for these things.
Is it normal to grieve for a pet this much?
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It's different for different people. When my dog died, I took it very badly. Months after, sitting in an armchair reading a book, I'd hear a sound that was like her paws clicking on the tiled kitchen floor and I'd expect to see her come around the corner at any moment and jump up on my lap or bring me a tennis ball to throw for her. Each time, there was the sad realisation that this wasn't going to happen. This went on for two years, although it got less frequent as time went on.
One day, I realised I hadn't "heard" her for a very long time and - at the very same instant - the part of her I'd been holding onto inside myself just left me and was never returned. It rose out of me and off my body like a vapour, and I knew for the first time that she was gone. I actually missed the grieving and denial because now there was nothing left of her. But only then did I truly start to get over it.
If it's taking you time, then take that time. There is no timetable for these things.