The First Seven Days After Losing a Pet

The shape of it

The first two or three days are usually numb and busy — arrangements, phone calls, people. The hard part typically lands around day four or five, when everything is done, everyone has gone back to their lives, and the house is simply quiet at the time you used to feed them. Knowing that is coming makes it slightly less bewildering.

The ambushes

Their name on the vet's SMS reminder. The lead by the door. The moment your hand reaches for the bowl at six o'clock. You cannot avoid these, but you can defuse a few — cancel the appointment, stop the repeat prescription, move the bowl when you are ready. The rest you simply survive.

What to let go of

Do not make big decisions this week. Do not get another pet this week. Do not clear the room, judge how you are coping, or let anyone tell you the correct timeline. Eat something, sleep if you can, and go outside once a day. That is a sufficient standard for this particular week.

Who to tell

Tell the neighbour, the groomer, the walker, the person at the park. Not because you want to talk about it, but because being asked cheerfully how the dog is in a fortnight is worse than one awkward conversation now. Get it done in the first week while people expect it.