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We lost my heartdog to cancer at 9 yo, when my son was 2.5. We just told it like it was. That Zita was very very sick, and he had to say good bye to her. She was in a lot of pain, and the only way to stop the pain was to let her pass. We would always love her, but she could not come home again.

When we got home, we never hid our tears from him, but told him we were crying because we missed Zita. He still misses her at times, just like he misses his grandpa and our other dog who died when he was 4 (both also died of cancer).

We have been keen to always tell him the truth when he asks us a question, and not speak down to him simply because he is a child. No need to let his heart break again when he is old enough to realize that what he has been told is not true.

My boy is eight this year, and he's a giant breed so he's starting to show his age, and I can't even think too hard about him passing. But I have spent my whole life with animals, and lost many deeply beloved friends to age and time, and I know that it does get easier. It's heartbreaking when it happens, but you do the best you can to care for them, and then you let them go, and let time ease the ache. Most recently, we lost our ferrets to age and disease about three years ago, and if you're not familiar with ferrets, they're the most joyful little animals on the planet. They think their entire purpose in life is to play and love, and they do both with their whole hearts. When they got sick (the older one had cancer, and after he passed the younger one grieved so hard that she could no longer suppress an infection she'd been carrying likely all her life, for a really horrible wasting disease, so they went one right after the other) it was like a light had gone out in our lives. That bright spark of joy wasn't there anymore. We were devastated. But time has passed, and now we can look back on them with fondness instead of loss, and we've found new little sparks of joy, like our sweet little border collie girl. It gets easier, is the point.
As far as your kid, I'm not a parent, but I second what Maribo said. In my experience as an aunt and a nanny, kids are capable of understanding more than adults give them credit for. It will be hard for him, but death is a part of life, and trying to hide that from him won't do him any good. I'm sorry you have to deal with this, and when he's only three, but you clearly care deeply about him and being a good parent and that's the most important thing you need. You can do this

I'm so sorry. But yeah, he lived a long time! I hope your son continues to take it well and you find exactly the right dog when the time is right!

Children of that age are very matter of fact. My 5 year old granddaughter lost her other grandmother in February after a long illness. My granddaughter talks about her sometimes and says she misses her but then moves on to something else. Let him talk about his friend as and when he wants to. He'll be fine, it is much more difficult for you.