what is the right time replacing an dog?

when your dogs dies when it is the right time to think of getting new family pet?   it's an hard one im not sure what is the right time what do you think?

would you go searching for new dog couple of weeks afer?
would you wait 3/4 month before starting to search?
would you wait an year?
or would you never have an dog again?

Aww that's such a hard question and definitely very personal. I would want another dog but I'd need to grieve first so probably months to a year?? Can't really say until it happens

I find it hard to think about, I'm not really sure whether I'd have another but if we did we'd rescue

Oh I'd definitely rescue again

It's really personal and really depends on the dog

If you are really talking about going out and looking I think for me it could be never ( or at least a very long time ) , but if I lost 1 and then another just came along ( via a post on the forum for example , or a friend and word of mouth ) then it could be the next day

i never really grieve for my old sam becasue i had xena she was only 6 / 7 month old

It really depends on yourself Steve and I know what you mean . I have never had 2 dogs together before Tommy and Tilly and they are so close together really but its never about easing the pain of what might come its about making them happy now. The rest you deal with as it happens

Totally personal, I couldn't have 2 dogs at the same time right now and I hate to think what life would be like without Moo.......x

I think that everyone has to make that decision for themselves because it is so personal. I can see people getting a new pup right away, waiting or some never getting another dog. Depends on personality and how you deal with grief.

i'd certainly need some time to 'let go' ..
could be months .. or over a year or two or .. ..
then depending on my circumstances ..
if i did opt for another .. i'd get a rescue staffy almost 'for sure'

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Yes it's very personal, and depends of circumstances too. I can only speak of my own experiences, which have varied with each different dog and the circumstances at the time.

Basically, the "replacement times" have been 6 months, 10 years, and 1 day.

i think you would need time to grieve,how ever long that might be,it would just seem horrible not to open your door and have no dog to greet you,a house would;nt be a home with out a dog in it  

An old saying when grieving should be don't make a decision for a year and a day.  

Having lost my previous 2 dogs within a year of each other, I was heartbroken and adamant that I would never have another. Grief is a very personal process and people cope very differently with it. Don't set yourself a time limit, take one day at a time and if you're ready for a new pooch, you'll just know. It took me more than a year.
It is partly due to this forum and it's constant posting to facebook of pictures of the cutest dogs on the planet that I started to look again.

I also think it's very personal, you know when you know. I often get people coming into the shelter looking to replace their dog before it has already passed! Others have been a day or two after, and others are still toying with the idea 3 years later but can't get over their previous dog.

Biscuit is my first so I really have no idea how i'd feel.. though when I was told she didn't have long left initially I did naturally start to think about what I would do when she was gone :(luckily that day has not come At the time I was working at Bristol stray dogs home and surrounded by dogs that needed help, so I'd imagine I'd probably want to help another quite soon after, I'd grieve, but I couldn't leave another sitting in kennels if I had a space at home to help them. I'm pretty certain she's made of steel though.. she's not going anywhere  

kozmos wrote:i'd certainly need some time to 'let go' ..
could be months .. or over a year or two or .. ..
then depending on my circumstances ..
if i did opt for another .. i'd get a rescue staffy almost 'for sure'

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Just to say your avatar is absolutely gorgeous!!

Apart from between Bandit & Dempsey, I've had a dog in my life almost constantly since I was 14 years old. I don't think my home is quite complete without a dog.

But no dog ever replaces a lost loved one. They fill a gap but the dear departed ones remain exclusively in our hearts forever. 

everyone grieves differently, so hard to say, I'd always like a multidog house hold if possible I think for me i'd get another dog fairly soon after the loss of one, but still it would take a couple of months

I would get more straight away. I would be heartbroken, but know that I wasn't ever replacing those that had left, just had the time to give my love to other dogs that needed it.........

When we lost blitz, i thought, no way, i cant go throw this again. I was in bits, hated the house, couldnt cope with out a dog. I went into our local shop and there it was, a poster for SBT pups. I felt guilty, but just had to have another dog to share our home and lives with. So that was it. Yes, i still grieved and cried, i'd constantly be thinking of her, but Kenny got me throw, helped me cope x

My parents are having this dilemma right now mate. I suggested a staff rescue and they would love another dog but my dad doesnt want to go through pain of loosing a dog again. He gets attached like me and all our dogs have been family members. I know situation he is talking about when our sky cross cairn terrier waited for my bro to turn up before he died...heartbreaking.

I agree with Caryll here, our house wouldn't be a home without a dog around it. I had my first dog when I was 14 then when we sadly lost her 9 years later I never thought I would be able to have another dog. It wasn't until Rocky came along 3 years ago that I had another dog. It was too long a gap but I wasn't able to have one until then.

Everyone grieves in a different way so a hard decision to make. I don't think you can answer until in the situation.

When we lost Timothy I got back from the vet feeling crushed and numb. And I could not see another dog replacing him. It hurted too much.

What I didn't count on was meeting Tip's mommy and her and her littermates. We seemed to just click. It took four days of real soul searching to decide getting Tip. Do I still miss Timmy- it still hurts but Tip never was a replacement. She is a head strong bundle that is so my boy's opposite yet she became a very important member of this family.

It is a very personal choice but one should not cut oneself off from another special friend.

I don't think there's ever a right time really! I think if it's meant to be, it'll be I don't think you ever get the thought in your mind that you NEED another dog untill you're ready/healed even if you don't know you are! No dog will ever "replace" the dog you lost, but the new dog will certainly help you fill that gap they've left - it won't be in the same way as you'll never have a dog the same but they'll definitely fill it there's not point rushing at all and I'm very much dreading the time that I have to decide

As so many people have said, this is a very personal issue and I guess we have to question our reasons for getting another dog. Are we trying to replace the one we lost (impossible) or do we miss the company. When Pepe (our Kelpie x Collie) died, we waited a month before getting Rags. We thought Buster needed the company. It was the best thing we ever did. They were totally inseparable up to the minute Buster died. The strange thing was that a month before he died I had bought 2 collie pups and after a couple of weeks of moping, Rags has now fallen in love with the pups. I know it's different if it was an only dog but never having been without dogs (I got my first dog when I was 6 months old and am now 56yrs old), I would have to get another dog sooner rather than later.
I have never forgotten a single dog and grieve for each one. Each dog brings something special to your life. Even now, with 3 dogs, I am thinking about another Staffie. Of all the dogs I have owned, they have been special and that's probably because they don't think of themselves as dogs but as one of the family.

When my old lab died i think we waited a month or so and not because we wanted to but cause we never found a dog we liked. We always get a new one as soon as possible, we are so stuck in our routine we get upset if it is disrupted lol when lexi passes on i will not get another staff unless im out of home and in my own house

It really does depend on the person.
We just lost our boy a couple of days ago and we (my husband and 9 year old daughter) are devastated. Our daughters first words after our boy passed were that she didn't want another dog because it hurts too much when they die and its not fair that they can't live forever, but a few hours later she was already talking about getting another dog. It's not that she has gotten over it so fast but its her way of coping with death and focusing on the future. Like most 9 year olds, she can be over dramatic when she says that life isn't worth living or fun without dogs but for some of us, this is true especially when they've been a huge part of your daily life. I spent my whole days at home with my boy at my side, and I really feel like part of me is missing at the moment. I know my husband and daughter also feel the same way because they also had their daily rituals with our boy and we've all lost it. If we could, we would get another dog to take his place right away if we could but we've decided to wait until we move back to europe and I know its going to be hard waiting.

Took me two and a half years; still miss my echo now