while i was in college my dog ran away back home and was never found. my mother had been taking her on a walk in a park and my dog fell down a cliff. i dreamed about her every night for a month at school, and hoped i would get a call saying she was found, but she never was.
yes, i loved her a lot. it took a long time to get over but it was quite a long time ago at this point.
my goodness, that sounds like a tragedy. i am sure she was a great dog friend of yours.