Bad and unwanted things come to all of us at some point or another. Some of them bother us for a while and then we move on; some of them affect us for the rest of our lives. When something like this happens to you, please be gentle with yourself. There is no “official” amount of time that it takes to get over any kind of loss – be it a pet, a spouse, a divorce, or anything else. Some things you never really do get over, you just get through them. Try not to let it define you – you are not what happened to you.  If you need time away from other people, take it. If you need to talk about it, find someone you trust and do it. If you want suggestions, say so. If you don’t want suggestions, also say so. And also be gentle with those around you, because they will want to help, and may not know how.