Thanks everyone x
Since losing Poppy we have twice as much love to give so are absolutely doting on little Lucy, but she doesn't seem interested. Her permanent place was always on my knee but now if I get her up for a cuddle she just squirms off.
We'll just have to keep on being super nice to her with big smiles on our faces and hopefully she'll eventually come round

Course she will Chancing her paw,see if she can get extra Christmas pressies I reckon Wish you well xx

So sorry for your sad loss of Poppy, and I'm sure Lucy is feeling not only your pain, but the loss of her companion, there's change in her surroundings and all the emotions going on around her which I'm sure they pick up on.

When I had our previous 2 dogs, they doted on each other, and when I lost one, the remaining dog went into solitary by his own choice He would never come into the lounge to be with us like he used to in the evenings, he just laid by the back door in the kitchen. Everytime I took him out, he just wandered around aimlessly looking sad never wanted to actually walk on and enjoy a walk anymore, he just sat there most of the time. I also noticed a lot of moans everytime he crashed down on the floor to change position, so off we went to the vets, who could find nothing wrong with him. This went on for 3 months, things didn't change, he continued to be a loner, never wanting any affection or attention from ourselves, and I ended up in floods of tears one morning and saying to my husband, that if we didn't get another dog, then the current dog we had would die of a broken heart. He understood, and although he had said no more dogs, along came a 10 week old puppy (the dog I have now).

I remember bringing her home, taking the other dog out into the front garden whilst hubby came through from the side entrance and we just plonked her down in front of him. WELL!! To see that sudden, instant, dramatic change in our dog was an understatement. From that day, he never left her side, he came back to us for affection (which I'm sure was a big thankyou in doggy terms!) and in turn, we gave him 3 more very happy contended years until we had to say goodbye to him at the ripe old age of 14. When we lost him, our puppy had known nothing other than having his constant companionship, she adored him I'm sure, BUT, there was no recurrence of what we had seen with him when we lost the previous dog, purely because she was young, she was made of different stuff, his loss didn't affect her as much because she's a more confident dog, she lives life for the fun of it, and she lives for us. So you see, all dogs are different in how they cope with different situations, and I suspect your poor little Lucy is probably made of the same stuff that my previous dog was made of and is finding it very hard. I'd love to tell you that she'll come round eventually, but having seen what I've seen with my other dog, maybe it just won't happen, but I hope it will for you.

My heart goes out to you over your very sad loss, and as you know, each one affects US differently doesn't it, so why shouldn't it be the same for our dogs.

It was so heartbreaking losing Poppy that my husband said (as I'm sure many have said before him!) we were definitely never having any more dogs, but now he's relenting a bit. We also thought Lucy would never tolerate another one coming on her patch, but now...I'm not so sure. She's a complex little character and I've noticed before she really picks up on moods/emotions so I think it's going to take a bit of TLC to get her back to normal, and if she doesn't-well there could be another addition to the family!
No dog could ever, ever replace Poppy, who was the most beautiful girl both inside and out, but maybe getting another one will help us all cope with her loss

So sorry that you have lost your Poppy and that your other dog is going through a stage of mourning with you.

You could perhaps ask a friend who has a dog (maybe a puppy?) to come and visit, and see how Lucy reacts to having another dog around? When I had a grieving dog (totally disinterested in everything, very depressed) she really perked up when someone visited with a puppy. I was so pleased to see her look happy again! Although she had not been interested in meeting other dogs on a walk (she always used to love saying hello, but she really couldn't be bothered when we lost the other one), she seemed to like having one visit us at home.

I brought our own puppy home a few weeks later and she IMMEDIATELY returned to her old self and bonded with the new one straight away. I was so thrilled and it was definitely the right thing for her.

I'm sure Lucy will come round in her own time but I know how heartbreaking it is to see them unhappy. So sorry for you.

Hmmm...food for thought. The funny thing is she and Poppy were just like flatmates who didn't really get on so I'm surprised she's acting the way she is. The other problem is Lucy was jumped on when she was really tiny at a puppy class and now has fear aggression so not sure how bringing a puppy to the house would go. Not too well I expect! That said, although she goes mental when she sees another dog once we get talking she settles down and seems to enjoy it.

From a yappy, dopey little pup she's turned into an introverted sulky teenager...and I want my pup back

Awwww, she'll soon get over her Kevin period, especially if you decide to get her a new companion. I once had a very dog aggressive gsd, I couldn't let her near other dogs, and yet we got another puppy whe we lost the 2nd dog at that time, and she adored her. I knew she would never hurt a puppy, and I also knew that as the puppy grew, she would learn to tolerate her and hopefully get on well together which they did. It was never a match made in heaven unfortunately, but she was never nasty to her. I remember the first night when we brought the puppy home, she wanted to climb into bed with our other dog, but she was having none of it, she would get out of the bed and slope off, then the puppy would follow her and try to lay down with her, but she was having none of it. Over time, she accepted her and as the puppy grew up she did get quite a bit of stick from it, but never once did she snap or snarl, it was acceptance more than anything, but I could see her nose was put well out of joint.

You could always take the rescue route, but from what you have said about Lucy, it could take a while for her to know that the new dog isn't a threat before she would happily accept it? It might be a lot of work, but very rewarding in the end for all of you including Lucy.

With our last dog who I was talking about in my previous post, we were desperately wanting to take the rescue route, but because he was such a submissive dog, and being our preferred breed, we were finding it very difficult to find the right dog to bring home without baggage, and we just wouldn't and couldn't have done that to him. The only way to go for us with that particular dog was to get a puppy, knowing full well that they would bond together as she grew up, and he wouldn't be put at risk, so that's what we did.

I wish you all the luck in the world in helping your little Lucy to have a happy life, whether that be with getting another dog for company, or whether you can manage to bring her round on your own.

Thank you thats very kind. We are going to see how it goes over the next few months as we are moving house soon so want to wait till she's settled before we decide whether to add to our family or not

So sorry to hear about your loss. I'm sure Lucy is also dealing with this in her own way. Her routine is off, and the energy in the house is obviously very different. Does she love to go for walks or work on training? I would recommend you get back to doing those types of things with her when you feel like it. It will help her find the new routine.

Again, so sorry to hear of your loss.