Getting a new dog after your last one has passed.

meames_2

It has been a month since Womble died, I do miss him terribly. whilst he would be impossible to replace, I miss having a dog around and would like to give another rescue dog a a home.

I had a quick look on the dogs trust website and saw a lovely little dog. I rang today , unfortunately he was reserved that day, the fact that I cried when I put the phone down perhaps means it might be a bit too soon.

How long did you wait before you got a new pet?

yorkshire_terrier_owner

Before I bred, I usually had a pup as soon as I lost a dog. It wasn't that I was trying to replace them, but I found having a pup helped me deal with the loss. It also meant that because I got dog X because dog Y passed, it felt as though there was an association between the two dogs although they never met, and the old dog somehow lived on.

That was just my way of dealing with it.

Scrapaholic

If you see a nice dog online or go to a rescue centre and one of them attracts you , then I'd say , why not . You say you miss having a pet and I'm sure there's one out there for you to love . Having a new pet to look after and get to know can help you to feel better after the loss of your old pet . I hope it's not long before you find a new dog and have happy times ahead .

harrys_nan

The longest I waited was 6 weeks, but it was horrible not having a dog in the family.
My daughter and I went to get one and came back with 2, 1 for me and 1 for her, (we lived in the same house), sadly she lost hers about 2 years ago and has now got another one, mine is still going but at 15 1/2 she is coming to the end.

trolleyrun

I reckon I'd get one as soon as possible, but that's me. Pipsqueak has a lot of years in her yet (knock on wood etc) so hopefully I won't have to consider this for a while yet. I do hope you find another dog that you fall in love with. There are plenty out there, and I'm sure there's a perfect one for you

Merry_Wanderer

We got one after about 6 weeks. Looking after my dog is such a massive part of my life and my daily routine, I was lost without one.

zaksmum

When my last dog died I was heartbroken.

I couldn't even go outdoors without doing something stupid like picking up his lead then bursting into tears, and if I did make it out into the road and a neighbour asked how I was, it finished me off altogether.

My husband had a friend who was into gundogs and he saw an ad in a paper for whippet/labrador puppies (first cross).

This was the exact mix my old dog had been so we phoned, asked some questions then drove for hours to see the puppies.

There were four left of 11 pups. They looked just like black labrador pups but with the odd bit of white. My old dog had been black with just one white toe, and one of the pups was exactly the same. I picked him up and he snuggled into me. I had my puppy!

It was four months after my old dog had died.

The sheer joy of having this puppy helped me so much. We were inseparable from that day on and sometimes I joke that he's my old dog reincarnated. He's nearly 6 now and a fantastic dog. I'm so glad I got him.

meames_2

I came across a site that seemed to specialise in ex breeding dogs. It was heartbreaking. As these dogs have never lived in a home they need yo be rehomed with established dogs because that is all they have known and so they can copy behaviour.

I feel guilty and my mum keeps warning against another dog, even though I haven't said anything! She knows what a soft touch I am and if I went to a centre I would come home with about 5!

chucknorris

meames wrote: »

It has been a month since Womble died, I do miss him terribly. whilst he would be impossible to replace, I miss having a dog around and would like to give another rescue dog a a home.

I had a quick look on the dogs trust website and saw a lovely little dog. I rang today , unfortunately he was reserved that day, the fact that I cried when I put the phone down perhaps means it might be a bit too soon.

How long did you wait before you got a new pet?

Sorry to hear about your loss. We only waited 2 weeks after our Mills passed away. I/we just couldn't stand the house being so empty without him. Ozzie didn't replace Mills, no one could have, but he filled a gap in our lives and we now love him very much, of course I still miss Mills and often get sad when I think about him, but Ozzie has brought joy back into lives. I joke that Mills sent Ozzie to save me.

teddysmum

I lost two the same week (illness and old age) and didn't have another for a year. The new dog was a stray, whom we took in overnight, but later adopted.


When I knew this dog was terminally ill, I bought an older puppy and this helped with his passing. Later the 'puppy', now at the Bridge, was joined by three others of whom two survive, so I haven't added one since him. However, should I lose these two and not be too old, I would take on another dog, soon after, but would be willing to wait longer for the right one.


As I'm getting older, the next addition could very well be a foster, as rescues are always needing foster places.


Perhaps, if you really aren't sure, you could help with short term foster and you may fall in love, as a friend, who lost two dogs last year, has done. (Little poodle cross boy, whom she was fostering)

joansgirl

I lost Lucas at age three and a half to epilepsy last May. At first, with the epilepsy and his horrible death being at the forefront of my mind, I couldn't even contemplate a new dog. I lasted 4 weeks until I could stand the empty house no longer. I really didn't want another puppy so went several times to the local Dogs Trust but they didn't have anything that I considered suitable to my lifestyle (all JRT and Staffie crosses, none of which could be homed with children or cats) so I ended up with a puppy. She helped me get over Lucas and now I wouldn't be without her. It took about 6 weeks in all. I use all Lucas' equipment for her (except the stuff that's too big) and quite often she will do something daft and I'll think "Lucas lives". It was so terribly empty without a dog. Unfortunately with Bailie, as with Lucas, my life revolves around her. But I wouldn't have it any other way!
If it feels right, do it.