First, I'm so sorry about the passing of your pup. It's so hard. People that don't have pets just don't understand the void they leave when they are gone. Hugs to you and your boyfriend.

I think some people feel "guilty" about getting another dog "too soon", but for me, it isn't about replacing the one you loved, but rather sharing the love. You gave an adult dog a wonderful life, and it's never too soon to do that for another!! When my beloved dog died a few years ago, I already two other dogs, so while I certainly grieved (and can still get misty eyed when I think of her), my other two dogs helped me through it. If you feel ready, you are ready. There is no right time.

My bff got a puppy two days after her dog died at age 14. It was the right decision for her. She was a single mom, young girls, and seeing someone walk their dog down the street had her sobbing. The new fur baby didn't make her less sad about her fur baby passing, but did help her through the grieving process.

So many dogs need homes, and I think it's awesome you want an adult dog. If you find one that speaks to your heart online, go meet him/her. If it's right, you will know.

I've stopped believing in the mythical "Decent Interval" after a pet passes away. I think those little pangs of guilt in getting a new fur baby are because we all just tend to think that there should be a "Decent Interval" of some undetermined length before getting another pet. Me, I can hardly go a single day without another or I feel like I just have no reason to live.

I absolutely believe that you'll know in your heart when the time is right however little that "Decent Interval" time ends up being.

but it sounds like you are ready. I am sorry for your loss. It is always so hard and we do grieve.

It took me almost a year after I lost the first two kitties I had for 17 years and who died within a year of each other. I still didn't think I was ready until a friend showed up at my house with two adult cats that were left behind by someone who was moving and asked if I would adopt them. So I was "forced" into the decision to add animals back into my life. When those two passed away, it was only two weeks before I was looking at other cats to adopt. I realized that the house was so empty without all that fur, and I knew that having animals in my house made it special. I found just the right cat within a month of the loss, and I was very glad to have a cat in the house again.

So there is no right answer to your question. The grief and sense of loss will still be with you, but you will have the good feeling of giving another dog a good home to compensate for some of that loss....and that new dog will help less the hurt. Do what you think is right, but I think that you have already made the decision in your heart...you just need to get your mind into it as well. Don't overthink it.

a fur baby in it. As soon as you walk in the door you can hear that terrible silence blaring away at you. It's the pits. That overwhelming emptiness hits like a tone of bricks. For me, it was always the worst part of the times I've been dogless... having to go through the door into the house that was filled with screaming silence. Not having a fur baby greet me at the door when I walk in the house is the most painful thing there is after losing a beloved pet in the first place. There were constant reminders all day and all night long but it was that coming home and going through the door into an empty house that was the worst.

Right now I'm actually enjoying not having to get up at 6 to walk a dog. My boyfriend leaves early for work so I have the apt. to myself all day. I can go out for hours and not worry about getting back to do a potty break. I'm 50 going on 80 I think, I have CFS and fibromyalgia so I can get exhausted just walking down to the corner. I have very steep stairs in my apt bldg, and going in and out is taxing for me. Yesterday I did a load of laundry, grocery shopping and then vacuumed the apt. Today I slept until 9:30 and I feel like I overdid it yesterday. When I got Moochie, I was 42 and had more energy. She was 5 and was enough to handle even then. So, I'm not sure what to do. I do miss her still and miss having a dog next to me on the sofa and on the bed at night. I just can't be an active person. Maybe I need a Basset Hound or something, lol. I'm just afraid of getting a dog that will need more than I can give, activity-wise. So, this is where I'm at today. I still look at pictures and think about the age of a potential new companion. Older dogs can have more health issues and will not live as long. I don't have tons of money to throw at a vet right now either. I'll figure it out I'm sure. Can't rush into anything.

I had to deal with stress and pressure at work and just prior to the dog's death, I was left dealing with the loss of my mother, who was a great big support system. The death of the dog shortly after the passing of my mother was very stressful.
Some people are ready within weeks, but between work pressures and just trying to adapt to do so much myself caused the time to just expand.

One day I started the search for a new dog, The local shelters had only Pit Bulls available, granted in a variety of sizes, but I wanted a harrier. It got into my head and would not leave, so I looked on line, and there was a dog described as a harrier, looked like a harrier, the height and weight was right. Was described as a sweet pleasant young dog, so I took a 3 hour ride to a retirement farm in western Pennsylvania. When I got there, there were mostly Labs at that farm, and I did have a weight limit as my dog would not have died quite than if I could have lifter her, so I put a 50 pound limit on the next dog, labs were out. They said the listing was put out a while ago an they had never taken it down, she the dog was not really adoptable - because she was vicious! and she was almost 6 years old. She was kept in a crate in a separate room, not allowed to run around freely like the labs. They took her out twice a day for walks. gah. must be kept away from men an children because of her biting. When they brought her out, Icould immediately see that she was not in the harrier family at all, the head was way to narrow, all she had in common with one was the coloring of her face. Her body was all wrong with the long thin legs and the tail pointing down and extremely narrow face, she looked like a giant Jack Russel Terrier. I did not want her, but then she just sat there looking at me, not biting, not being aggressive. They told me about her owners turning her into the shelter as vicious when she was still a puppy. Some people only want a perfect dog, and do not think of them as living creatures, They adopted her out 3 times and she was returned the same day. this whole thing sounded like so much crap, I could not leave her there. once in the car, I realized she stunk, very very badly, had to have the air vent on at full speed and a window open to take the stink out for the 3 hour drive home. Would not be returning this dog the same day. She did love the drive home, I do take her for a lot of rides, she enjoys them so.

OK, we get home, take her for a walk, she is fine, take her inside and immediately bathe her several times, - the shelter must have never washed her. It was hard to get the stink off. Turns out, she got used to bathing herself like a cat - lick her paw them wash her face and head, lick the parts of the body she can reach. She has a natural pleasant nutty smell about her. OK, let her loose in the house instead of immediately crating her - and she takes off, checking the place out up stairs down stairs and barking her head of for about 8 hours, wore me out. She barked about 16 hour a day in the beginning Now I know why she is returned - good thing I have a very old relatively soundproof house with all the plaster walls, Could shut the door and watch TV or just have a peaceful moment.

the main problem with her was she was terrified of me, took 3 months to be able to pet her, a year before she would look me in the eye, all trained overtime. as to the biting, later that night, she took my hand in her mouth, she needed more food, She wasa mouther, not a biter, people are ignorant. A little training and paying attention to her needs and she stopped that, over time I would find that she had a soft mouth and could not eat hard things that required biting down. The whole vicious dog thing was a pile of crap. Today she is the most affectionate lap dog I have ever had, Her crate when she needs one is under the computer desk, she loves to sleep there in a corner. She does not like being too far from me, she is very gentle with children when we visit, She loves the mail man and he loves her.

Sometimes the dog chooses you.

Just my opinion.

Sorry about your loss. When you are ready for a new friend, I think you'll know.

After our last moggie died it was some time before I had the heart to look. I would even avoid going to the shopping center on the days when the shelter had the animals and volunteers there.

And then one day I was looking at a LOLcat site and realized that I wasn't just missing that particular cat, I was missing the presence of a cat. So I started looking, at the shelter's website.

And then one day I said to the DH "Let's go to the shelter today," and it was the right day.

Remember how one of the thing you love most about the dog you lost is that selfless, unconditional love she gave you?

It's still there.

She still wants you to be happy.

You'll know.

confidently,
Bright

a couple weeks before he passed while I was still on summer break, I got Scooter who I intended to keep Hershey company during the long days I work. Hershey passed just short of two weeks later so in a sense he got Hershey's person. Probably not the best way of doing this but it is the way it worked out. If I hadn't gotten Scooter I likely wouldn't have adopted again even by now as I am moving right now but I am glad it went the way it went.

And the dog will love you.

is getting another one ASAP. I can't stand even one day without a dog. I live alone and had pets all my life, so I just don't know how to function without one. After my first dog passed away, though I knew in my heart I wanted another one ASAP I wasn't able to get one for 8 miserable horrible wretched months later. When his time was coming because of what I learned about myself the last time though I felt guilty as hell I started the search before the current one was even gone. Good thing I did though because it wasn't quite a month after his passing that I got Yoshi and came back to the land of the living. That was a Terrible Horrible few weeks being dogless.

All my neighbors said they knew immediately when I had gotten another dog as soon as they looked at me because the utter misery that showed on my face was gone.

Of course, I had bouts of guilt from time to time just before I got him and for a bit after he arrived wondering if it was too soon. But I knew it had to be right since as soon as I saw him I suddenly felt like living again and just couldn't stand the thought of anyone else having him.

I figure your heart will know. That's how it seems to be for me anyway. If the idea of getting another fur baby or seeing the one you know is right for you and your heart both melts and sings you'll know. It's sort of the same in picking out which dog is right for me. I always know immediately even if it's just a picture of him. But knowing myself I knew no matter what I'd end up second guessing myself from time to time and have to remind myself to just listen to my heart and never mind what my paranoid brain was saying.

One of my brothers and I were talking about this when I was considering another dog but hadn't found Yoshi yet. He said that we all tend to believe that there should be a "Decent Interval" after a beloved pet passes away, but sometimes fate intervenes, and it just doesn't work out that way. He had recently lost a beloved kitty that he'd had for over a decade and was sitting in front of the TV wallowing in grief and gloom one night just a couple of weeks after she passed away when through the pouring rain outside he somehow heard plaintive mewling from outside his door, and low and behold there was a poor soaking wet baby kitty in the bushes next to his door, and of course he couldn't just leave it there getting rained on... suffice it to say the "Decent Interval" went out the window that night, and now a few years later he has another beloved kitty that he believes with all his heart was sent to him by some higher power that night because she was meant to be his. The moral of the story is that the "Decent Interval" isn't what it's cracked up to be, but your heart will just know... listen to your heart.

Maybe you and your boyfriend should take a trip out to the shelter to "just look". Your heart will know when the right time is and which dog is right for you. Listen to your heart... and stow some supplies in the car to bring a new fur baby home just in case because we all know what "just looking" tends to mean.

After our beloved Abby (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) died in my arms, I was looking within two days of her death. I was heartbroken and sad and Jack (Mutt #1) didn't know what to do with himself or with me.

We adopted Chloe from a rescue a week later. She is not Abby (and Abby was not Kelly....) but she is perfectly Chloe and helped healed my heart.

I'm sorry for your loss. Good luck to you in your decision and search!

Sorry, I wasn't very clear in that post. The first one I lost was Kato, and I had to wait 8 months being dogless before I got Boo. Thank heaven's that during that miserable 8 months at least I was working then and could work as much as I wanted. All I did for those 8 months was sleep and work... at work I was able to keep the grief at the back of my mind pretty much since I was always really busy from the minute I got there to the minute I left. As soon as I left though I was again consumed with grief and loneliness with no doggie to go home to.

Boo finally came to me after that long and terrible 8 months, cured me of having lost Kato, and I felt normal again. I still missed Kato, and in the beginning with Boo I'd still cry once in awhile, but most of the time I was laughing again and actually looking forward to going home knowing that Boo would be waiting for me at the door. I couldn't drive fast enough to get there. Though I didn't speed, I was impatient almost beyond endurance to get home to him.

Six years later Boo got bone cancer. He lasted a hell of a lot longer than either me or even the vet expected. He had to take a ton of meds, but other than having to hop around on three legs he was pretty much his old self except that he was still losing weight steadily though he was eating nearly three times what he did when he was healthy. The same thing happened with my dad when he got cancer... I think cancer just eats you up so much that no matter how much food you consume you still have massive weight loss.

After having gone through that hideous 8 months of misery between Kato and Boo I knew there was no way I could go through that again. So even though I still had Boo I knew that every day with him was a gift and any day I might have to make the dreaded decision... and be dogless once again. Even though he was still with me I started the search for the next dog anyway to try to close that gap between dogs.

Turns out I just got lucky. Not quite a month after Boo's passing Yoshi fell from heaven into my lap. I had been starting to wonder if I was rushing things since every photo I looked at of available doggies just didn't move me one iota. Then I saw Yoshi's photo, and I instantly got that melting yet singing feeling in my heart that told me he was for me, and I was for him. I couldn't call the owner fast enough terrified that he'd go to someone else since I was SOOOO certain we were meant for each other. Just a few days later I picked him up. The moment I saw him I burst into tears. He was a million times more wonderful than his picture, and I was beyond thrilled and beyond relieved. At first my boo-hooing took the owner aback until I threw my arms around him and thanked him profusely for offering him to me since I already knew he was exactly the right dog.

The owner got a bit misty-eyed himself. Yoshi was supposed to be his dog. He was bred and meant to be a show dog and one of his stock breeders, but unforeseen circumstances made him have to come to the conclusion that he just wouldn't be able to keep him. But because he was already attached to him the owner was adamant about having him be just a companion dog with someone who would keep him and love him for his whole life, so he was nervous about who he was going to. It was hard for him to part with Yoshi, but he also knew that it was the right thing to do under the circumstances and would be the best for Yoshi so long as he went to the right person - ME!

His father came with him as well since his father puppy-sat during the day and had also become attached to Yoshi, so he came along to say goodbye, and I'm sure as another person the owner could rely on to help assess me and what sort of person Yoshi was going to. As the owner was going to his truck to get Yoshi's bag of chow and a few toys the father told me with tears in his eyes that he knows that his son (the owner) was beyond thrilled with Yoshi going to me as hard as it was to let him go since my reaction at seeing him for the first time made them certain I was more perfect than they'd dared to hope for who Yoshi would live with for the rest of his life. They'd both fretted for a couple of weeks about it, so a lot of their reaction was relief and joy that Yoshi would be going to someone like me.

The owner called the next day to ask how things were going with him, and the first thing I said was that I'd already fallen head over heels in love with him, and no one including him was ever going to pry him away from me. I told him all about what we did all the day and night before, Yoshi's excitement about learning that when he steps on the kitchen trashcan peddle the lid pops up and that he'd do it over and over just to watch the lid pop up and down. I said that when we first got home I let him check out the whole house, showed him where his food and water bowls were and just watched him to see what he'd do. Since I had a feeling even though he was potty trained that he might try to go in the house not realizing that my house he wasn't allowed to do his business inside either. He did start to go into a tinkle squat, so I told him "no", immediately let him out into the yard, he peed, and I praised him like he'd just peed solid gold, and he's never tried to go in the house again.

The owner must have told me a least a dozen times how happy and relieved he was that he was certain he found in me the best person to have Yoshi since he couldn't keep him himself. I guess in the end we both got lucky... I found the perfect dog who dropped from heaven into my lap, and he found exactly the right person he wanted for Yoshi once he realized he couldn't keep him himself that I suppose he believes dropped from heaven into his lap.

Every once in awhile I send him an email to let him know what Yoshi and I are up to, his quirks, funny things he's done and a few photos so he never has to wonder how Yoshi is doing and how we've worked out together. He always responds that he's so thrilled to know how happy Yoshi and I are with each other and thanks me for being the one to take him and periodically sending info and photos. Since I don't think I've sent one in a little over a year I think I'll send off another with some more photos and videos around Christmas time.

Yeah, losing a beloved pet is always heartrending, and the grief can last a long time. Even now sometimes I'll get a little misty-eyed because of losing Kato though he died years and years ago. Boo's loss is even more fresh. Time heals, but it can be a very long time. The only real healing for the immediate future is to get another doggie to love and who will love you and make you laugh and give you reason for living even at those times you may feel like you have none. Pets are the best. It would be nice though if their natural life spans were a hell of a lot longer. Then again, if they were I'd likely never have had those years with Boo or those with Yoshi and whoever it is that will come after him. And I'd not trade those years for anything.

I like to think I'm lucky that my parents enjoyed pets and thought it was a good idea for children so that all my life I've had some sort of pet aside from the miserable times in between. Everyone I knew while growing up had some kind of pet or two, or three, or more. I just don't understand people that actually chose to be pet-less... what in the world to they do or even think about? I find it hard to like or trust the voluntarily petless. It just seems abnormal to me.

I figure the OP is ready for another dog even just because they're thinking about it. And I definitely believe they'll fall in love with the right doggie for them once they look and will be infinitely happier with another fur baby to love and share their life with.

Some days are really tough!

puppy from a shelter. I would have brought home two, but she (Cindy) had kennel cough and they said to wait until she was better. One month later, we found another shelter dog Murphy and he was eight weeks old at the time. My dogs will be 12 years old in Jan/Feb.

I think that you will know when the time is right. I have never been without a dog in my life and I will be 63 years old in July. If you are thinking about it, then you are ready .