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?

Are they warm enough? Are they safe? If you still catch yourself asking, you are not alone. Your heart spent years keeping them safe, and it has not stood down yet.

We don't only lose our dog. We lose the only witness to the life we lived together. Why this grief reaches so far into who we are.

You said "she is" instead of "she was." Why speaking about your pet in the present tense after they die is one of the most common, least-discussed parts of grief.

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.

How do you say goodbye to a dying pet? You do not. Not really. Not in the way you imagine. What actually happens is quieter, smaller, and more meaningful than you expect.