Losing a dog can mean losing more than their presence. After years of feeding them, worrying about them and building your days around their needs, the role of being their Mum or Dad can become part of who you are. So what happens to that part of you when they are gone?

You still go to fill the bowl. You almost call their name. You catch yourself saying we. Why pet grief lives in the present tense, sometimes for far longer than people think it should.

The bed is still in the corner. You haven't moved it. New research is finally telling us what older adults already know: pet loss in later life takes more than the pet.