I have lost human family and I have lost animal family; so also with human friends and their animal family, whom I considered my animal friends. I still choke up when I think about my neighbor's old border collie. That dog was smarter and more capable of moral action than half the kids in the neighborhood, not to mention some of their parents. Dogs like that are proof that the universe is capable of greater kindness and generosity than we often believe.
I feel your loss. You will never get over it, but you will be able to deal with it.
David Wilson