Our first pet was our cat. He crossed the rainbow bridge 2 months before he turned 17. That was over 11 years ago. Still miss him too. We decided to adopt a dog a month later. My hubby said I was depressed so we adopted our dog. That was 11 1/2 years ago. Our dog is still with us. But she’s getting older. Makes me sad to see her turning gray now. She’s my buddy. You’ll know in your heart & soul when it’s time.