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When Did You Get A New Furry Family Member?


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I went to a dog show today and after the breed judging, I went for a wander around the rings to look at the different breeds. I'd been pondering that a different breed might be fun to play with, and not a replacement for my boy. I'd thought of this breed and that breed, and a few others.....so went to look at them close up and......well........they just weren't as good as the Aussies. Not for me anyway.

But I think I might revisit that in a few months.

Today was about spending a great day with my youngest dog, catching up with friends, shedding a few tears with friends and exchanging hugs. Very good therapy all round.

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As some of you know I lost Cindy this week and have sort of started looking already. Cindy was my only dog so I am feeling it.

I just have trouble coping without a dog. I miss training, my friends and club. I know I could go without a dog but I am not sure I could face it.

It has been a shocking day today. I spent hours raking the back garden in case there was more chocolate hidden there (CIndy stole chocolate and buried it).

It is a personal thing and it possibly depends on the number of dogs you have as well as how all involved (fur and skin bods) cope with the loss.

ETA Must change my name but can't bring myself to do it :cry:

I will be interested to see what your future holds, Sue. I really feel for you........losing your only dog is just awful, just truly awful and you've been in my thoughts a lot this week. Both you and Pretty Miss Emma, as well as JulesP. But when your life, your interests and hobbies revolve around your only dog and that dog has gone......wow, I can't even imagine it. I really hope that hole in your life is filled by a special little being as soon as you feel up to it.

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Yeah I think Sue & Cindy and Pretty Miss Emma need new fur babies. Neither of you should feel bad about getting a new pet.

I feel weird not having a boy border but not sure how Poppy would feel about another puppy.

I've looked at Aussie pups Gayle, and Shelties.

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You shoud get an Aussie, Jules. They are the best ;)

I sat near a very placid Border Collie today, gee she was gorgeous. And behind me was a very yappy Sheltie.

Actually, the ones I was looking at weren't group 5, they were Tibetan Terriers.....I could only find one and saw that from a distance, I'd have to get closer and speak with an owner to get a better idea. And a Petit Basset, they are cute but not really for me. A bit more low slung and scruffy than I'd like. Also a Lagotto, I have met one before but there were none at the show today.....the lack of shedding hair appeals, but I'm not sure they're for me either.

I came to the conclusion after my wander that if I'm going to get a different breed, it would have to be a group 5 dog, I like their intelligence, their (mostly) lack of extremes and their versatility. And if I get a group 5 dog, I may as well get another Aussie! But also rough collies hold a certain appeal. Do any rough collies do herding?

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Just over 3 years for me. When I lost my gorgeous girl (border collie) I just wanted HER back. I didn't want any other dog if I couldn't have her. It would have been the wrong time for me. I still enjoyed spending time with other people's dogs. I went to dog shows, went dog sledding, did a sheepdog herding day, went to sheepdog trials etc.... I then started looking after friends dogs when they went away. It then got to the point where I thought that I could not stand to be without a dog anymore. I started looking around for my new friend, but it was another year or so before I got him. So I got my new dog approx 3 yrs after my girl. I'm sure that I would have been ready at least a year earlier than that. Now I would love a 2nd dog!! I don't know how I went 3 yrs without any dogs!!

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I lost my soulmate Chuck the ridgyX in Nov 09 two weeks after his 16th birthday.I swore that was it,never again no one would ever replace my boy.Then another DOLer who is a friend of mine was rescuing greyhounds.Nine months later I had a greyhound sitting on my lounge!Stan came into my life and heart in Aug last year and I've never looked back.I fostered greys for a couple of months until miss Maddie came into our lives.For me there was a massive gap in my life.I realised I wasn't replacing my Chuck,I just had so much more love to give. :)

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I came to the conclusion after my wander that if I'm going to get a different breed, it would have to be a group 5 dog, I like their intelligence, their (mostly) lack of extremes and their versatility. And if I get a group 5 dog, I may as well get another Aussie! But also rough collies hold a certain appeal. Do any rough collies do herding?

Group 5 is definitely my favourite group!! As a youngster, our family HAD to go to the Royal Show when Group 5 was showing. It is still my preference. Most of our dogs have been from Group 5. Having said that, I have now discovered Group 7.... only because I have fallen in love with spitzes. Then again.... maybe my dog has some lappie blood also :laugh:

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We lost Harry in November last year. Afterwards, Lola's behaviour broke my heart. She barely moved from her bed, wouldn't even get up when people came over (usually she would bark first, then get pats etc). I didn't know what to do with her. It took her much longer to get over it than us. I knew that I wanted a Frenchie eventually, but I also knew that Lola would be better with a companion sooner rather than later. So I contacted a breeder in December and we were super lucky to bring Sid home in March (he was born on Boxing Day). I thought I would have to wait for much, much longer to get a Frenchie puppy, but the breeder and I just clicked and he was very suited to our situation. It was meant to be.

It all happened much faster than expected, and some people were suprised that we 'moved on' so quickly. But the timing was perfect - Lola was back to her normal self within 24 hours of bringing Sid home.

We had he same problem when we lost our little boy. One of our girls was so close to him and she was severely depressed. We found that getting another dog worked for both her and us.

As other people have said, it's such a personal decision and one that only you can be comfortable making. I don't think there is any 'right time', but you will know when (or if), that time comes for you. I haven't forgotten any of our three we have lost in the last couple of years. Their ashes are in the lounge room, with their photos next to them and I say hi to them and tell them I miss them. Sorry, I don't mean to sound odd, but I do miss them and even though we have another 3 dogs, there is always a place in my heart for those I have lost. No other dog will ever fill that space, but I hate having a house that isn't filled with the chaos of my furry family.

I'm so sorry for your loss, and I hope you can come to a decision that gives you both happiness and peace.

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My previous dogs who've died have come to the end of their natural life.....Gemma, my Maltese, died at age 13 and Kassy, my Lhasa Apso died early this year aged 17. I didn't have any problems getting a new dog pretty much straight away. In fact, Gemma's death led me to get Benson. But Benson was only 4, I expected to have him for another 8-10 years at least.

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I am in a similar situation as I lost my aussie Quest at only 6yrs of age nearly 4mths ago. The logical thing to do is to get another dog as not only do I miss her dreadfully but her best mate Reeve is pining for her but I am just not ready. It has never been an issue before but I think similar to yourself that is because every other dog I have lost has been a grand age after living a long and happy life.

For me to get another puppy at the moment would not be fair on that puppy but everyone is different. Presently I am still at the I don't know if I will ever get another aussie stage but I am sure that will change as I love the breed..

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So sorry to hear about Quest, I hadn't known until now.

My husband, who Benson absolutely adored, said to me this evening "This is going to take me ages to get over." He says he wants another dog eventually, another Aussie, but he is clearly not ready yet. Neither am I. This is a whole different deal to losing an oldie.

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While I didn't have Emma for anywhere close as long to what I wanted, at least I can seek solace in the fact that she was an old dog. She had a good life, just not enough of it with me. So in some ways I get what you're feeling because they were around for a short time, I just get to add on "but she was old" to make myself feel a bit better about it all.

I'm so glad I've got little Kenzie here. But she is making me a bit sad tonight. She is sad. She doesn't want to play, she doesn't want to hang out, she jjust wants to sleep - and that's just not like her. I think it maybe has hit her today that this isn't like the other times we left Em at the hospital.

I think when my next fur-baby arrives is going to be much more about her than it is about me. But I guess that also makes it about me! I just want Em back, that can't happen. So I'd at least like my happy Kenz back.

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I think when my next fur-baby arrives is going to be much more about her than it is about me. But I guess that also makes it about me! I just want Em back, that can't happen. So I'd at least like my happy Kenz back.

That's exactly how we felt when we got Toby after losing Charlie. I couldn't believe how quickly Molly got back to her old self again, and by making her happy, it made all our family happy. She's never looked back, and it's so lovely to see her that way again. Molly is the last of our old dogs now (we lost our other 3 oldies), so I am dreading it when her time comes. That's why we got Harry, so that Toby won't be alone when that happens.

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We lasted three months after our old boy Olaf passed. It just wasn't the same without having a little furry mate around. I still wish Olaf was still with us, he would have been a lovely mentor for Vulcan. Vulcan is two in October. He's a very different personality to Olaf. Olaf was very mellow and a cruiser. While Vulcan has his mellow moments, his basic personality is much sparkier. We love Vulcan to bits :heart:

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Not a dog, but when my parents lost their cat they went and adopted another 2 days later. They had initially said "no more", but their house has never been without at least one dog and one cat and just felt wrong without a feline presence.

My older brother lost his big dog about 18 months ago and for a long time said he wasn't ready for another dog. It was the first time in his adult life he'd been without a dog and, like my parents house, it just didn't seem right. I heard from my mum yesterday that he's just got a staffy x jrt pup from rescue and it's made a huge difference to him. I'm so pleased for him.

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After our big boy died, we waited 18 months and got a very different looking dog. As we did not want to make comparisons, we still did, but in a different way. We got our next pup 2 weeks ago, but that was as we wanted to get our 8 year old some company (she now is acting like a 2 year old) but moreso, that we had a dog in the family in a few years time when she will die. We felt she was young enough to handle a puppy now, and the puppy should have quieted down enough to not bother her when she gets old and grumpy.

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Guest RANDCMOORE31

I lost my nearly 15 year old maltese, Ted about a month ago - and even though I have 4 other dogs (one a recent rescue) I still wish I could have him back. I miss his distinct personality, his little quirks - and the easiness of his ways. My new dog is a female, completely different breed, completely different personality - and I wouldn't want her to be any different to what she is - but just occasionally - I find myself thinking that she's a much harder dog than Ted was and I wish we still had him :(

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When we lost our family dog I swore I would never have another dog. I just didn't cope with losing my gorgeous Sally. 3 years later I gave in to OH and we got two kittens. Two years later I was ready for a dog and I got my cocker Jesie. She's one of the best things that has ever happened to me but I'm glad I waited. Soon aferwards I got my beagle Jodie. I think I needed that gap in between though.

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