... and those are exactly the people who should own dogs (and cats), the ones who get too emotionally attached. It's one of the definitions of love.
It does hurt, and the hurt goes deep the more you love them. The worst is when you question some decision you made about that little life that brought you so much joy, loading up on the guilt so that you don't quite get over it. But you get so much back. We rarely save them, they always wind up saving us. I've always given myself a week to grieve, and then I head for Petfinder.com. Bringing that new chaos into your life with a new dog does distract from the pain just enough, giving you time to heal a little.
Not criticizing at all, I just have always thought it a shame that people with the capacity to care so much shy away. 
Edit history
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
= new reply since forum marked as read