I dont usually come on here and post stuff like this but Im drowning. Life has been incredible crappy the past few months and today my childhood dog Sophia passed away. I have never lost an animal so dear to my heart that I have had for a very long time. Im not sure how to even go about my day without her. If you guys have any encouragement or advice on how to cope please please let me know. Im so incredibly heartbroken 💔

Aww I'm so sorry Ally! I had a cat named Chloe that passed a way a few years back that was my sweet childhood cat. We had to put her down because of medical issues. My family made a shadow box with her collar, tag and some pictures of her and hung it up in our living room. it just kind of help me say goodbye without having to forget her.

Oh, Ally. I'm so sorry. I don't have any advice but if you ever need to rant or talk my PM's are open.

I am so sorry for your loss Ally, we're all here for you <3

I had my precious baby cremated. And then, if you're willing to spend a little, there are places you can send some of the ashes to be turned into gems for a necklace or bracelet. It helped me immensely.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Ally!

When my childhood cat passed from kidney disease, I planted a little memorial garden. I found that tending to flowers helped me honor his life, as well as seeing beauty grow from my grief.

When my beloved cat, Riptide, unexpectedly passed away I learned a lot about grieving. I created a scrapbook of all the photos I had of him and I cried, A LOT! Unfortunately, the best healer is time. The best thing you can do is let yourself grieve. After losing someone you loved so dearly let yourself cry. You will know when it is time to move forward.

I'm so sorry, Ally. Sending lots of hugs and love your way :(

Everybody has a different grieving process. Some of us need time and space, some of us need to surround ourselves with the people and animals that we love. Find what helps you the most, and it might be different from day to day or hour to hour. Give yourself grace while you're adjusting to this loss.

That heartache never really goes away. We just get used to it, learn to live with it, and it'll surprise you at the most random times. But as devastating as it is, it means that we loved something SO much. To me, that's a huge comfort.

There's a lot of good suggestions here about memorials and ways to honor Sophia. I'd also like to add one my friends and I did a while ago to memorialize another friend's lost cat- putting together a donation to the shelter in that cat's name. It might help you, knowing that another animal's life was benefitted because your pet existed and was loved. It might not- that's okay too. But it's just a suggestion.

I'm so sorry for your loss </3

oh my goodness, im so sorry for all of you , my childhood chicken passed away a few months ago and boy it was hard. What helped me was just making a huge memorial in my yard. at the end of the the day i was to tierd to be sad. I know the whole chicken thing sounds crazy but i am insanly alegric to anything with fur soooooo yeah.