Thinking about a new dog

We have just lost our 13 year old crossbreed labrador Charlie was very poorly and had to go to sleep. We still have got another Male crossbreed dog aged 7 called Kobe.

We would like to get another dog at some point, has anyone done this when they have lost one of their dogs and how long did you wait.Would it be a good idea to get a new dog without the other one getting jealous and i have been advised it would be best to get a female dog.

We are both at work during the day but have a dog walker who takes them out, any ideas what would be a good breed.

you could go for a rescue, that way you can keep an open mind on breed..or x breed

I second the idea of a rescue dog. Though you may have trouble convincing a rescue organisation of your work dog sitting arrangements.

The bonus of a good rescue organisation is that you can go and visit the dog and take your dog along to meet on neutral ground. You'll get a good idea of the compatibility of the dogs together before you get them home.

Of course the other benefit is having an older dog is easier to break in to your home and your dogs than starting again from puppy. To settle a puppy into your home, you really need to think about taking a minimum of three weeks off work to settle the new pup in... An older dog could settle in as little as a week.

I agree with Shona, rescue sounds good.

We have been lucky, ours are rescues, but the last two have been pups, and usually we have done a over-lap, so Skye came before Meg was put to sleep.

Timing is a very personal thing.

When my old Kip was pts we went looking round the rescue centres the very next weekend and brought Stumpy home the following weekend. This didn't mean that I didn't love Kip - I did, very much. But although the same breed, Stumpy was just different enough from Kip to help me get over losing him.

I agree with the others, a rescue is so rewarding. Some of the rescues won't consider you if you work full time, but there are those that will. And it will certainly be easier for you with an older dog rather than trying to house train/entertain a young pup when you are out of the house all day.

You could just 'go for a look' at some of the rescue centres - I think that may help you decide how you feel about getting another dog straight away.

Good luck with whatever you decide and let us know how you get on