I’m never getting a pet again!

My beautiful boy is 12 this year and to see him age and know we don’t have long left with him is heartbreaking.

I don’t know how we’ll cope when the time comes I really don’t. Even thinking about it is making me well up.

Lost my ddog over a year ago and can honestly say the grief was as intense as when my Mum died.

Apart from a handful of days he was by my side, all day and night, for 13 years, so the parting was incredibly painful.

You just have to ride it out and let time help heal.

My husband and I have already decided that once our current two cross over we won’t be getting any more dogs. We have two rescues, one absolute sweetheart, the other has brain damage and is a LOT of work/heartbreak/expense and of course we love her to bits but it’s confirmed that this is it for us as far as pets go.

My dog is 12 and I feel the same, no other dog would compare to him anyway, it's so hard xx

I am sorry about your lovely dog, I hope you have some more time togther (assuming he has decent quality of life)
I have had several pets PTS in old age , one of my much loved cats only a few weeks ago and I firmly believe that if you can't make that decision then you probably shouldn't have a pet.
Getting another pet once you lose one CAN help, I remember when we had our family dog PTS and my Mum said she wasn't getting another one but only lasted a few days. She said that it was when she was sat down and put her hand down to stroke the dog who usually sat next to her but wasn't there that she decided to fill the gap.
I remember all my pets that we ever had from being a small child to now and getting another one will never replace the ones you lost but it can help your heart a bit.
We decided no more pets a few years ago, although we still have 1 cat and a dog, because when the DC have left in 5 or so years we want to be able to travel more and not be tied by anything but I am very tempted to get another cat as the one we lost recently was my sofa buddy. I am hoping that when DD leaves for Uni soon "her" cat may vacate her bedroom and spend some more time downstairs with me.

Thank you, that is very kind of you, i appreciate it,

❤️

I used my girls water and food bowls as little plant pots and put some Forget Me Nots in them. Couldn't bring myself to throw them away. So sorry for your loss. It will get a bit easier I promise xx

I had to put my 17 year old dog down last week - it's the worst feeling in the world. Last another do the year before, he was very old as well. I wont have another, it's heartbreaking. I have intermittent bouts of crying. I feel sad all day. The house is quiet. I go out just to see other peoples dogs walking, maybe pat a few. Can't bring myself to move my dogs things, her waterbowl is still there. Grief - is the price we must pay for love.

I don’t think you are being unreasonable. We had our last dog pts 6 years agp and I still miss her and am still tormented by guilt that we should have done it sooner. DH and I adore dogs but are 99% sure we won’t get another one. We get our dog fox by dog sitting for family and friends. And to be brutally honest we love travel and much as our dogs brought us joy, they made that very complicated.

Oh they really do leave a huge dog shaped void op. You never get over it. For a long time I also thought I couldn't do it again but someone said to me imagine how good it would feel, and be, to give another dog the life ours had.

So we did. And when the time comes I'll be heartbroken again. And I'll do it again. And again. Because I feel it's my duty to make sure we always know there's at least one dog being treated like a little prince/princess 😊

I keep rodents and they are great. It's sad when they pass away but not comparable to the pain of losing a dog for me (I have experienced that too).

We lost our beautiful cat in Feb and the pain was unbelievable. But don’t rule out never having another animal; we waited a while and took our time but now we have another girl who is a completely different personality and who brings us joy in an entirely different way.

Take care, and be sure to enjoy the time you have. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

I lost my dog 2 years ago, he was my best mate, such a beautiful soul. I still miss him, I always will.

I couldn't stand going home once he was gone and jumped into getting a rescue dog only a month later.

Big regret.

We adore our rescue dog but due to his past he is such hard work and is nothing like my previous placid and easy going dog. For that reason alone we will never have another pet (maybe a cat though, they are much easier).

What I wish I had done was to give it a good year or so before even contemplating the idea of another dog. I should have looked at things with a clearer head but grief makes you do rash things.

I completely understand. My current dog is not even 2 and I worry about not having her one day, it's ridiculous. I think the worry and ultimate grief is outweighed by all the love and joy they bring though. I just wish they could live longer!

Mu mums boyfriend said the same thing when his dog died. He got another puppy two weeks later.
You don't know how you are going to react when the time comes and what will help you then.

I am never getting another dog again because I am genuinely not enjoying all the looking-after the dog requires. I'll get a cat instead.

Pets bring so much joy to our lives and when they leave, it is heartbreaking. At this moment in time I can understand why you would never want another pet again. However, right now cast those thoughts aside and enjoy every moment with your faithful companion.

Your heart will ache when they are gone but eventually you will only remember the special moments you shared.

Live in the now. Enjoy today.

I know what you mean. And it is a worry. I do feel that the love they give us is worth it. Having more than one pet at a time helps slightly I think. I don’t want to be without my beloved doggies.
Im sorry you are going through this. It is hard.