I'm starting to emerge from the fog of grief and wanted to share this poem, I thought others might find it as helpful as I did.  It is "The Fourth Day" by Martin Scot Kosins.  It is too long to put here but it is on a page at Tate's blog http://tate.tri.....-kosins/ 

It talks about three days you will never forget:  the first day you bring your new dog home, the day you realize your dog is getting old (in our case, the cancer diagnosis), and the day your dog leaves you.  Here is the part about The Fourth Day and boy, it really helped me a lot…reminds me of Gayle's "love never ends":

But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when —
along with the memory of your pet —
and piercing through the heaviness in your heart —
there will come a realization that belongs only to you.
It will be as unique and strong
as our relationship with each animal we have loved, and lost.
This realization takes the form of a Living Love —
Like the heavenly scent of a rose
that remains after the petals have wilted,
this Love will remain and grow—
and be there for us to remember.
It is a love we have earned.
It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go —
And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live.
It is a Love which is ours alone —
And until we ourselves leave,
perhaps to join our Beloved Pets —
It is a Love that we will always possess.

Martin Scot Kosins in Angel Pawprints: Reflections on Loving and Losing a Canine Companion