I am so sorry for your loss. She was a beautiful girl. I’ve always admired Gordon Setters.
We lost our boy on 13th June. He had been ill for a long time and we knew it was coming, but it was still a shock. He was only 7.
I think when/if to welcome a new dog into your family is a very personal thing. There’s no right or wrong answer.
I usually tend to go for sooner, rather than later, as the distraction helps. They never replace to dog you lost and you don’t grieve any less for them, but you are too busy to be constantly in the depths of grief. My husband is the opposite and always very anti getting a new pup, but a complete sucker once they arrive.
This time we have chosen to wait. We have an almost 15 year old dog still with us and we feel he’s more than earned the chance to be the centre of everyone’s attention and have a peaceful old age. Took him for his vet check last week and the vet said he wouldn’t be surprised if he makes 17/18 as he’s in such good condition. That gave me a bit of a wobble as, as gorgeous as he is and I honestly adore the bones of him, he sleeps most of the day and can only manage short walks. I miss active training and long walks and have already had 18 months without while I was nursing our poorly boy. The thought of waiting another 3 years for a pup I can do all that with make me very sad. So I suspect, there is an outside chance, if the right rescue pup came up, that I would cave.
Then again, I don’t think I would want a pup right at the moment either. Having had to hand over my poor anxious boy to the vets for treatment without being allowed in with him multiple times over the last few months. It’s made me think that I would rather wait until things get a bit more back to normal. I would prefer to know I can fully socialise a new pup, acclimatise them to vet trips in a positive way and make sure that we can attend regular training classes, without worrying that a spike in the virus could throw it all into chaos.