Animals deal with loss in their own way. My dog, Simon, is handling the death of his his good friend, Lizzy, our bearded dragon (click Losing a pet). They were very close for the four years Lizzy lived with us – he was fascinated with her, protected her, and loved her. He still loves her. He misses her physical presence in the home and has brief bouts of sadness each day, but he is not so depressed that he can’t do anything. He can still have fun, go for walks, watch the squirrels, claim some attention from my husband or me, and play. And this is not because his feelings for Lizzy were less intense than mine. It’s because he’s still communicating with Lizzy.
Animals are in communication with each other all the time. This communication involves thoughts and feelings, not words. Most of us have seen two dogs approaching each other from a distance. They automatically know who is the submissive one, who needs to be aggressive to protect his/her people, who wants to play – and this is before they can actually see the visual cues that we look for. They communicate mentally long before they communicate physically. And it’s not just a “dog thing” – all animals do this, within their own and with other species. And they do it with animals that are no longer here in the physical world, animals that have passed on.
So Simon is still in communication with Lizzy, even though she died seven days ago. He knows, like all animals know, that the spirit (or life force, or soul, or whatever you choose to call it) continues on and stays in contact with any being who will listen. Lizzy has moved on to another place, a better place. And Simon knows that he can keep the communication open until he sees her again.