It is grief, and it counts.
People will tell you it was 'just a dog', or ask when you are getting another one. Ignore them. You lost someone who was in the room for every ordinary evening of the last decade. Grief that arrives in waves, out of nowhere, weeks later — that is normal, and it is not an overreaction.
The guilt is almost always unfair.
Nearly everyone replays the last week looking for the thing they missed, or wonders whether they chose the moment too early or too late. Vets see this constantly. Deciding to end suffering is one of the kindest acts an owner can perform, and hindsight is a knowledge you did not have at the time.
Small rituals help more than they should.
Light a candle on the day. Keep the collar somewhere you can see it. Frame the blurry photo instead of the good one. Plant something. Write down the three things they did that nobody else's pet did. A ritual gives the feeling somewhere to go.
Helping children through it.
Use plain words — 'died', not 'went away' — because vague language makes children wait for a return. Let them help choose the urn, or draw something to go with your pet. Their grief can look like anger or complete indifference; both are normal.
Your other pets notice.
Remaining pets often search the house, eat less, or become clingy for a few weeks. Letting them see and smell their companion's body, if the circumstances allow, can shorten the searching. Keep routines steady — walks and meals at the usual time do most of the work.
When to reach out for more help.
If after several weeks you cannot work, sleep, or eat, or the loss has reopened an older grief, please speak to someone. In Singapore you can call the Samaritans of Singapore on 1767 (24 hours) or the National Mindline on 1771. There is no threshold you need to cross to deserve support.
Say their name out loud.
Tell someone about them — a photo, a habit, the thing nobody else's pet did. It helps more than people expect. If you'd rather tell us, we'll listen; we've heard a thousand of these and never tired of one.
Tell us about them