I lost my dog about 3 weeks ago and the house feels pretty empty. I am starting to think about when I'll be ready to get another one. I know its a personal decision and there are no right or wrong answers, but I'm interested to hear other peoples experience with dealing with this.

Growing up, the first dog my family had that I remember passed and we had another one within a week or two. We weren't really looking for one but our neighbor knew a lady at church who just moved into assisted living and wasn't able to keep her dog. He was already trained and folded into our family seamlessly.

On the flip side, I know someone who lost her husband and in a state of grief went out and got a dog and things didn't work out so well at first. Bringing a dog home while she was still suffering led to some major behavior problems which were eventually resolved, but not until after a few biting instances.

Right now I am balancing between those scenarios... I don't want to go out and actively look for a dog while I am still grieving my last one, but if the right one just fell into my lap I would probably be ready to welcome them into my home.

We always have had two dogs so we never feel bad about leaving them alone because there're not. When one goes, we get another with the thought that we are saving a life in the lost dogs honor.

We always get a rescue from a Society or a Shelter.

It also helps us get over our lost Friend - I'm sorry you lost yours.

Six months between losing Beau and getting Cassie.

This is our sentiment also. Losing a dog leaves a hole in your heart. We've had both rascal (Blue Heeler) and Joey (Border Collie) for 12 years. They're both around 14, and both were rescues. They're inseparable and like brothers. Amazing personalities. They're healthy as can be, and def don't look their age. But we'll be a wreck when they're gone. And we cant help but think that they'd want us to find a rescue right away to save just like we did with them…it may not fill the hole they left, but it'll create a new love that will eventually help make it better.

Damn dust in here. I hate thinking about it.

If you can, you should get a new dog yesterday. You have an empty house and heart; it's time to fill them up with a pup!

Our plan was to have two as well so we never had to deal with the empty house but unfortunately Ripley's health conditions started getting higher maintenance right about the time we were in a position to get another dog. I think it would have been helpful to have her around to help train the new member to the pack.

Going forward, now that I am home more often I will try to get a staggered system of two dogs but try to keep one at least 4-5 years younger than the first.

aggiephoenix02 said:

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If you can, you should get a new dog yesterday. You have an empty house and heart; it's time to fill them up with a pup!

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Thanks for the encouragement. We have a long trip planned for July so I don't want to introduce a new dog to our home and leave them before we have a chance to get a routine going but I could see myself getting one shortly after we return.

We had two dogs and lost both within 2 weeks of each other back in Jan 2015. That sucked.

We got a puppy end of April 2015 and for us it was a good amount of time but honestly we were looking almost immediately after losing the two.

Fast forward to about 3.5 years ago and we got another dog (mostly for protection for my wife doing stuff in our pastures at night - we live in bear, Mountain Lion, and now Wolf country) and the other dog is huge (150lb) and getting older so couldn't easily get in the mule.

Then two summers ago my wife and teens were volunteering at the shelter and in the least surprising thing ever came home with a third dog.

So we are now on the staggered plan.

As far as when to get a new dog unless there are logistical reasons (like your trip) or you just don't want one there's no reason to wait.

So when Lolita passed I was offered a puppy that same day. They of course didn't know about Lola. And I love Ivy Lynn. She is a fantastic girl. But I still cry on Lola's Birthday. I think for each person it's different. But don't let your house get lonely. Fill it with the joy and teeth marks of a puppy!

Everything depends on you. We have a culture of avoiding the grief by replacing the loss. Don't do this. Grieve your dog. They deserve it and so do you. If you can do this while simultaneously having another dog, good for you. I cannot.

That being said, I will be grieving for my dog for the rest of my life. But there will be a point where I will be okay enough to give my love to another dog in a way that's not trying to fill the hole in my heart that my dog left. 2.5 years have passed and I'm not there yet, but I will be some day. Everyone is different.

~7 months between losing pup #1 and getting pup #2.

Will always miss pup #1 but love pup #2.

If you have the opportunity, maybe look into fostering. It helps to fill the emptiness in your house and your heart. We started fostering 3 months after our beloved dog passed, and two years and 10+ fosters later, we had a foster fail.

Our dog Siri for tax

After you're done traveling to any places where dogs can't go.

18 months roughly. Want planning on another one and then it just happened.

713nervy said:

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Everything depends on you. We have a culture of avoiding the grief by replacing the loss. Don't do this. Grieve your dog. They deserve it and so do you. If you can do this while simultaneously having another dog, good for you. I cannot.

That being said, I will be grieving for my dog for the rest of my life. But there will be a point where I will be okay enough to give my love to another dog in a way that's not trying to fill the hole in my heart that my dog left. 2.5 years have passed and I'm not there yet, but I will be some day. Everyone is different.

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I've grieved and honored the 7 dogs I've lost over the years. This will never go away.

Time does dull the blade…

We lost The Bony Dog in June 2018 and got Captain Friedrich Zuko Gretchen Steve Rogers VonFloofenstein in February 2022.

We moved from TX to OR in 2020 once we were finally settled in our house we decided we needed a pooch and Zuko fit the bill.

July 1st will be 8 years and I can't bring myself to get another one. The end was just too hard on me.

Tree Hugger said:

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We lost The Bony Dog in June 2018 and got Captain Friedrich Zuko Gretchen Steve Rogers VonFloofenstein in February 2022.

We moved from TX to OR in 2020 once we were finally settled in our house we decided we needed a pooch and Zuko fit the bill.

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RIP Bony

We got Rusty when Sadie was around 8 because we assumed she'd only be around maybe 4-5 more years and wanted to stagger them. She just turned 15 and I can't believe I have a high schooler. Rusty's never been by himself though, so we'll probably get him a buddy as soon as she goes.

We lost our Yorkie unexpectedly in March 2018. Really tore my wife up. I left it up to her to decide when she was ready for another dog. Wasn't until February 2019 she decided she was ready.
[url=https://ibb.co/p4QQh4b][/url]

Think of having a dog or cat as rescue for them. Their lives would be miserable and your life would be miserable if they were on the streets. Humans and animals were made for each other as companions. I'm pretty sure that's a God thing.

It has been 8 months since we had to put our 14 year old Boston Terrier down. Since then the mother in law has moved in. She will be 90 this year. If only I could take her to the vet.

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713nervy said:

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Everything depends on you. We have a culture of avoiding the grief by replacing the loss. Don't do this. Grieve your dog. They deserve it and so do you. If you can do this while simultaneously having another dog, good for you. I cannot.

That being said, I will be grieving for my dog for the rest of my life. But there will be a point where I will be okay enough to give my love to another dog in a way that's not trying to fill the hole in my heart that my dog left. 2.5 years have passed and I'm not there yet, but I will be some day. Everyone is different.

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Southlake said:

I've grieved and honored the 7 dogs I've lost over the years. This will never go away.

Time does dull the blade…

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When Ripley was alive I thought there was no way I could ever get another dog after she passed because I didn't want to replace her and forget about her. After reflection I believe she was so unique there is NO CHANCE she can be replaced and a new dog will just be unique in their own way.

Get a dog when you want a dog. It is really that simple. Pretty sure a dead dog that is incapable of feelings even when alive isn't worried about someone not giving the proper grieving time after it dies. and if some human tells you that you didn't wait long enough, you tell them Knoxtom said to F off

I have 3 dogs. Absolutely love them. When they are gone I want a home free of animals.

knoxtom said:

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Get a dog when you want a dog. It is really that simple. Pretty sure a dead dog that is incapable of feelings even when alive isn't worried about someone not giving the proper grieving time after it dies. and if some human tells you that you didn't wait long enough, you tell them Knoxtom said to F off

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troll troll troll your boat....

knoxtom said:

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Get a dog when you want a dog. It is really that simple. Pretty sure a dead dog that is incapable of feelings even when alive isn't worried about someone not giving the proper grieving time after it dies. and if some human tells you that you didn't wait long enough, you tell them Knoxtom said to F off

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Pretty sure nobody thinks the decision is a function of the deceased dog's feelings.

Wrong thread

We had 12.5 years with my last dog. She was awesome.
Had to make the decision in July to put her down. The first month was brutal. I've lost older relatives/grandparents, but losing her was way worse than any of that.

After about a month it got better…and, dare I say, I actually got to where I enjoyed not having a dog for a bit. It still hurt a lot. However, I was able to find some good in it. We're a very active family and love traveling and youth sports/activities. We were able to do a bunch of things in the fall that would have been more difficult with a dog.

Around the end the year we started getting the itch (and got tired of the kids asking…) to get a puppy. So in February we got a puppy. It's been a ton of work, but she's cool. Different than my last dog. Certainly still trying to get this one all figured out…Still miss the heck out of my old dog sometimes though. She was way more chill than this new one.

Hometown vet told my dad that his general rule is to wait a month for every year you had the previous dog and to get a different breed or mix.

I had my last dog (wife's first) for 14 years. I was an absolute mess for weeks. Strong sense of loss at least twice a month for the first 3 years. 4.75 years later I now remember her as healthy (rough last year of her life) and appreciate the love and good times we had.
I think I agree to not get the same breed. I'm a huge dog lover and we had (like many do) an intense bond.
Once a huge coon her size was hanging onto a low bird feeder. My dog slipped past me out the back door and I yelled for her to stop but it was too late. She got swiped on her nose and bled. A 20 pound Mini Schnauzer, she was outmatched. An hour later she didn't want to come outside in her own backyard. I'm like nope! I made her come with me and we walked every inch of her yard.
It wasn't the coon's fault but if my dog had seriously been hurt…
a hole would have been dug. I trained her and she trained me right back.

Edit: her feet could touch the bottom easily and I never took my eye off of her for a second when she was in the pool. That breed isn't fond of water but eventually she wanted to get in because of the Texas summer heat.
Permabull I'm sorry for your loss.

It's been a little bit over 4 years, and still no dog. But there's only me, an 8 year old, and a kid who will be 6 in a couple of months over here. I'll add a dog to the mix when the kids settle down a little bit. It's already more than enough dealing with those two

It was 20 years for me. I had a dog from when I was 15 until I was 30 (2000).

We got our current wonderful dog from a rescue in Hearne in 2020.

I always have several, so I have the others to console me when one passes.

The best advice I can give is to not get a dog of the same breed of the one that passed. Give your heart some time to separate one from the other.

When our Golden died unexpectedly in August 2019, we adopted a second beagle that October who was already grown up and set in her ways. She was a rescue, so it was a feel good act for the family. We ended up getting a a a Beagle puppy about a month later as well and ultimately another Golden, but not until a year later.

When the greatest dog ever, Regal Beagle, passed in November 2022, we wound up fostering a mom and litter of border collies 4 months later and keeping one of the puppies.

Last summer, we tried to foster a beagle, but failed to do so and adopted him the same day.
It was nice having a boy beagle back in the house, but the separation time was well worth it to not just start putting the feelings for one on the other or remembering the fist one too much to really love the next one.