To some people their animal is more like family than a pet. You know how your friend feels about her dog. A phone call is in order, certainly. Depending on how grief stricken your friend is, a visit would be nice. But a phone call is acceptable. You can simply tell her that you are sorry she is grieving. Tell her you know that the dog was special to her. Let her cry if that is what she needs to do. A friend does not make the judgement call on just how much her friend is allowed to cry. You simply make yourself available to listen and bear up under your friends loss. Yes, it can be tedious and it can see like a minor loss to you but nevertheless, it is your friends loss and it is your job to support your friend. That is what friend's do. The true measure of a friend is how sympathetic he can be and how patient and understanding he can be. Obviously, you are concerned for your friend or you would not have asked the question. BTW, I read recently that they are now making commercial sympathy cards for people that have had a pet to die. I do not know how well distributed they are but I suppose you could put in some phone calls to locations that handle cards to see if they are available in your area. Just a thought.....
