What you need to hear after the heartbreaking loss of your dog

Losing a dog is one of the hardest things to go through in life but something every dog owner must eventually face. Nothing can replace our best friends once they’re gone, but these comforting quotes can help us deal with the pain.

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras

“If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” – Will Rogers

“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love; they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog, it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs, your heart is very big.” – Erica Jong

“What we have once enjoyed, 
we can never lose. 
All that we love deeply
 becomes a part of us.
” – Helen Keller

“I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives, and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of 10 or 12 years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?” – Sir Walter Scott

“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” – Mark Twain

[taboolamiddle]

“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal, and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again, but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

“To call him a dog hardly seems to do him justice, though inasmuch as he had four legs, a tail, and barked, I admit he was, to all outward appearances. But to those of us who knew him well, he was a perfect gentleman.” – Hermione Gingold

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” – Gilda Radner

“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” – James Herriot

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Khalil Gibran

h/t American Kennel Club