Sometimes we're so caught up in how we feel when we lose a dog that we tend to forget how the dog left behind is going to feel. I had a dog once that went down with depression after he lost his best buddy and I very nearly lost him. He just didnt seem to want to go on without his friend. I understandably, wasnt keen to go out and get another puppy straight away. I wanted time and space to grieve for my boy but in the end I did get one quite quickly to improve the life of the dog left behind. He immediately perked up, started eating and playing and recovered within weeks. The vet at the time, reckoned it was the worst case of grief he had ever witnessed. The grief ridden dog was my old english sheepdog and his mate he lost was a standard poodle. I've always been very aware of how loss affects the pets left behind now.

My 13 year old Lurcher,Stripe was PTS last February,he had aged a lot in the last year of his life and being a realist I knew that I was going to lose him sooner rather than later.
When the time came I was absolutely devastated.Me and Stripe had been together more or less 24/7 as he used to come to work with me.
I knew I would get another dog after he had gone,but had not made any plans or looked into breeds and had no timescale.
The day after Stripe was PTS I didn't know what to do with myself and ended up at pets at home,and on their noticeboard was an advert for Craven looking for a new home.I went to see him straight away,I took 3 days to decide whether to take him but One week after Stripe left,Craven joined my family of me and 2 cats.
I have never regretted getting Craven so soon after losing Stripe,I also feel that Craven helped the grieving process as after a 13 year old dog getting a bouncy 1 year old I didn't have time to grieve.

Some hurt more than others and the hurt lasts longer.

I think it helps if you know they have reached the end of their natural life and have not suddenly died from something----if that makes sense?

You prepare yourself a bit when they get older and I think it does help a bit.

I wasn't going to get a dog for a year after George died but I am sure she sorted Etta out for me!

rune

This is so true, I normally have two & it helps me to take in another when the oldie dies but when I lost my beautiful Cai at 4 just 3 months after his mother had died at 10, I found it very hard to start again & only the gift of a bitch from a breeder friend gave me the push to continue. Even then it was about 2 years before I risked letting her fully into my heart.

I have only had single dogs and when I lost Max it hurt so much that I needed time and it took me 31/2 years to get another dog, only to realise her and I were not meant to be so she went back to the breeder but within a year I had Ollie who unfortunately we lost 51/2 weeks ago. At the moment I know I want another dog but just cannot bring myself to let another into my heart yet. I do know I will not leave it as long as I left it after Max though.

So sometime there will another dog just not sure when just yet.

January last year my life was perfect...4 gorgeous woofs!!

Jess (my 13 yr BC) started fitting in Feb last year and was PTS next morning. The other 3 girls initally missed her then carried on. Not 9 weeks later, Stella (my 8yr Boxer) started fitting (Post Mortem showed nothing related to Jess).

Paige (7 yr Boxer) was off colour to begin with then carried on as usual, whereas, Thor (3yr Boxer) missed Stella SO much. Im sure he was depressed and it was really horrible to see him like it. I tried to pretend all was ok but we both missed her so much Thor ended up on Xilkine tablets (or something) for stess/depression and it worked a treat. He slowly picked up and eventually was accepting when we met Merlin (7 month BC). They played all day everyday--til Thor got poorly with pancreatitis and now has neurological movement disorder and asthma/copd.

When Paige suddenly died post op back in Jan this yr, Thor didnt even realise she was gone which I found very sad.I miss her so very much and would love just one more kiss, cuddle, her touch...

Am seriously considering getting another boxer pup soon...I just feel its the right thing to do. Some people have said Im being selfish to Thor, some say you should Never have another dog if one is ill, but for me, I feel having another boxer will help me "move on" from Paige (not forget-that I can never do) and give me someone else to focus on. Im not sure of Thors prognosis and he may live a few weeks it may be a few years...who knows...

Who knows whats around the corner and Ive learnt to live for the moment and enjoy every second I spend with Thor...

Sometimes for. Various reasons it isnt possible to get another dog when one dies leaving the other dog. Some grieve, some accept it. You & remaining dog have to learn to accept the loss. Helping your remaining dog get over his/her loss can be hard. Usually the dog left learns to accept the situation & comes to enjoy being the only dog & centre of his/her family.

There is no right or wrong, everyone is different.

With me I like to have at least 2 dogs together, I had my Tara and when she started to get on a bit and show her age at 16!! I got a pup Simba as Tara was so well behaved I thought she'd teach the puppy manners better then I ever could!! Sadly I had Tara PTS after a bad stroke and although she was 18 I miss her terribly and so did Simba. He was as bereft as me so I scoured the rehoming centres and eventually Poppy stole my heart in a completley different way, sadly Simba got knocked down and died a month later and I missed him in a whole different way! Tara was a gentle lady who never left my side, she loved and protected me for 18 yrs saw me through all my teenage trauma's but I could kind of let her rest easier as she was old and I know she had the best life Simba however was full of life, in your face, always into something he shouldn't be kinda fun dog and I sometimes I think I miss him more! Only because he never had the full life Tara had and it was such a shock and a waste for him to go like that. I swore I wasn't having another dog ever and that lasted about 6 months until Kiara came home with me, I just didn't like Poppy being on her own and she missed the company too. And then Bailey accidentally came into my life!

None of these three will ever replace Simba and Tara but I love em for who they are. In fact Kiara was Simba's sister in The Lion King that was how I chose her name, it just seemed fitting.

Do you know what i do, I try and think about which decision I am likely to regret most, whether you are more likely to regret getting one or looking back and have not got one.

Similar thing i did this when trying to decide whether to have a second child or not and i decided i would be more likely to look back and regret not having one than having one and ever regretting that!

It doesn't matter how many dogs you have, if you lose one it hurts like hell just the same.
I will say because Shady and I had been through so much together over the years her death hit me very very hard and although I had Kyiro I said no more dogs ever as I couldn't cope with losing them. I had planned to keep Kyiro as an only dog and after him never have another.
I was so wrapped up in my own grief, although I saw how Kyiro was so quiet and down I didn't realise quite how depressed he had got without Shady for some time, so for kyiros sake I started looking a couple of months later for a companion for him. I tried to get excited about getting another and tried to fool myself I was, but really I wasn't, but I knew I would be helping another dog so still went ahead and I couldn't leave Kyiro like this it wasn't fair.
Lily is here now though and I love her to bits and am glad of my decision.
You really can't ever replace any dog though.