How to handle the death of my border collie today?

He was 12 years old and very dedicated to protecting my wife and myself. Intelligent is not a good enough word to describe the brains inside his head. Mikey was beyond intelligent. He loved McDonalds hamburgers and ice cream. He loved to steal a chicken off of a neighbor’s grill. He once brought home a spoon and fork, just because he saw us eat with them and he thought he should eat like us. Michael was our buddy. He brought so much joy into our lives and having him put to sleep broke our hearts. We kissed him on his pink nose and bid him farewell as his eyes closed, forever. Question: how long does the pain last when you have lost one of your very best friends? He looked into my eyes, with his last breath or two and I understood his pain. I told him I would see him in heaven and he went limp. This has been a sad day for us.