Hello, Haise here. Almost two weeks ago my mother and I had to put our dog of 13 years to sleep. It's been the hardest thing to accept and even though we have cats it's still not the same. The house feels empty and I often start crying when I think about him. It may seem silly to be sad over an animal but I've had him for so long and have no real clue on how to handle this.

So, my darling dollars, how would or did you cope with the loss of a dear one?

First, I'm really sorry for your loss. Second, it's not silly at all to be upset. Your dog was clearly an important part of your life and you must've loved him/her a lot. If it makes you feel any better about it, I was the same way after we had to put our cat down. Even though we had a couple other cats, it didn't make up for his loss. It's completely normal to feel that way.

For me, talking about him helped. When I missed him I'd show my friends all the ugly or goofy pictures I'd taken of him while he was still with us. Or I'd bring up random memories I had of him to my family so that we can share it. It just felt a little less sad when we celebrate the life instead of regretting the death. (This is something I've noticed about loss of our human loved ones too. People seem to not want to talk about it, or only talk about it in the context of grieving. But if you do the opposite, it can actually be really healing and far less isolating.) I feel like doing this heped because now when I think of him, he's more of a fond memory rather than a sad or painful one.

Also, try to balance processing your grief and keeping yourself busy. Don't do too much of one or the other.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss. It will get easier over time, though. Wishing you the best.