Marge,
I think it is totally normal to still be struggling at 5 months after a loss. While i have not lost a corgi, i did lose my soulmate kitty Clinton 1/29/05 and found it to be a long acceptance process. I found that really until i had hit the one year mark , i could not talk about him without tears. It has now been 1 yr and nearly 10 months and i still have moments of tears when i think about him. One place i found great support and help when i first lost Clinton was at
www.petloss.com i went to the message board first and then moved on to the chat room and usually it was full of very understanding people. I think Milo's mom is totally correct, it is a huge loss in our lives when a furbaby passes and many people expect us to be "over it" quickly. What I have learned is that you never really "get over it" you just learn to cope with the loss and the grief. The thing that has brought me comfort is that I believe that they are still very much with us, and that the love never dies- they are with us in spirit and that one day we will be reunited again. I know how much you must be missing your Tessa and know that the body may not live forever but the spirit lives on for all eternity and that you are always going to be connected to her. Sending you hugs. I do understand.
Emilie