I know exactly how torn you're feeling. I lost my 15 year old toy poodle, Daxton on 4/4/04 (my daughter's birthday, unfortunately). I thought I was prepared for having to make that decision because he had a heart condition his last couple years that we had under control with medication but knew that his time would come. My vet assured me that I would know when the right time was but I didn't believe him. He apparently had a stroke that day and I was sure of what we had to do. I know your situation is different but my point is that it was so heartwrenching and I thought the right thing to do was to wait and grieve some before getting a new puppy. I had a talk with a friend that had been in that situation years ago and she convinced me that it was not wrong or bad of me to want another so soon and so I went from there. I started a strong search that week and picked Tatum up two weeks from the day I lost Dax. You can't expect the same feelings for a new pup as you did with a previous one but we love Tatum so much. I've never been a person to put much stock in "depression" but looking back I could see myself slipping and know that in my own personal case, getting a new dog was the right thing to do.
Hope that story wasn't too long-winded but the point is you have to know in your heart what's best for you. Everyone has a different grieving "style" and you just have to figure it out for yourself.
Good luck with your search.
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~ Angie |