How soon to get another dog?

[TheSageOfUm]

I lost my much loved dog last week and am already contemplating getting another. I know it will take a few weeks, possibly months, to research and arrange, but desperately want to fill the gap.

Am I just rushing into things? How long did you all wait? I feel like I'm being disrespectful even considering it.

:(

I lost my dog yesterday, so I know how you feel. Just at the moment we cannot contemplate another for practical reasons ( working hours /children at home situation changing in September) but if we could I would leave it a few weeks to get my feelings together and then look again. Just at the moment my emotions are such that I'd gladly take in the most neglected, poorly, anti-social flea-bitten old mut at the drop of a hat, and that is not sensible! I work in care and we always say that when one service dies we must see that as an opportunity to help someone else - it works for dogs too.

Oh, I'm sorry, both of you.

We didn't wait long. Our last dog died unexpectedly, and he left such a hole. Until we'd decided that we definitely would get another dog, I was a real mess - getting upset about what to do with the dogbed and the half-empty packets of biscuits. It didn't take long to decide that; we knew we wanted another dachshund so pretty soon DH was online and on the phone casing out breeders - we thought we'd be waiting 6 months or so for a pup. And then he found there was a 10 month old who'd been kept for show but wasn't up to standard who needed a pet home and that was pretty much it - we only had one month without a dog. DD (7 at the time) was just very subdued but when DH asked if he should drive the length of the country to go and see this dog and his breeders to see if he'd suit, you've never heard such a definite 'Yes please'.

He just fitted straight into the dog-shaped hole in our lives - easier for being grown not a pup. He's similar in some ways but entirely different in others. I don't think it's disrespectful - its not that a dog is a thing that you can just casually replace, its a need for some of us. If we hadn't loved the first one so much we wouldn't have needed the second so badly.

If you know you are definitely going to want another dog, and there aren't practical drawbacks, I don't see any reason to wait.

So sorry for both of you. :(

Please excuse the FB link but I couldn't find the image anywhere else, but I think this really rings true: The only thing I can give is the love I left behind

Thank you for your lovely messages and higgle, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss too. It's very hard.

Grimma has it spot on. I need another dog. There is just no question. Apart from that, the practical aspects are such that now would be a good time, so there is no need to wait. I suppose I'm just worried that I might not be able to bond as well if I've not grieved properly.

toboldlygo has reminded me that as we'd be looking to get a rescue we'd be giving another dog a chance at a good life. When I think of it like that there isn't any reason to wait.

Just feel so sad and unable to get my thoughts properly together.

We're all different, but I wasn't able to get my thoughts together at all until we'd made a firm decision that we would be getting anthother even if it wasn't for a few months (as waiting for a pup would have entailed). And getting the new dog didn't stop there still being an occasional wave of grief for the old boy.

I found being without a dog unbearable and a new dog definitely offers distraction from the grief of losing your dog.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

We had to say good-bye to our beloved old border collie boy on 22 May. Our young collie girl missed him terribly and our home didn't seem right with only one dog so on 10th June we adopted a 2 year old Springer Spaniel from Many Tears.

I miss my beautiful collie boy and have a little cry most days, but getting our rescue Springer has really helped. Our young collie has rediscovered her bounce and we have given our love and home to a wonderful dog who was thrown out with the Christmas tinsel.

Decision made: the search for a new dog starts now.

It doesn't lessen the sense of loss, or stop me from crying, but somehow I feel like I can breathe more easily.

Thanks all.

Know what you mean exactly.

Good luck with your search, do let us know when you find your new dog.

When my first dog died i thought getting a new dog straight away would be the best thing to do for all of us including our other dog.
Bad decision.
We were still mourning and a new puppy didn't prevent that, our other dog never really forgave him for replacing the dog that had died and only ever tolerated him, we wished we had waited longer.
So when we were very sadly in the same position again 3 years later we waited 6 months before we brought a new puppy home, and it worked out much better for all of us.