How long before getting a new dog

[Lont638]

Lost my oldest pet after 17 years. Got a replacement in few weeks . 6 months later, the rescue dog is going Back to the shelter. she has severe emotional trauma that I am unable to help with.

in no rush trying to decide on being without a pet. I need to wait a couple months and then try again. How long do others wait.

 

[CHWine]

I had to put a great companion down last October at the age of 4. Freak medical emergency. It killed my wife and I as she was such a a cool dog.

A week ago we got a three month old shelter dog and named her Gabby. Up twice a night potty training is far from fun, but it's part of the bonding experience.

 

[UncleBone]

My girl is 8 and the best dog I have had. I met her the day she was born and was instantly attached. I try not to think about it, but she is getting older, and that time will come eventually. I don't know if Ill ever get another dog after her. There is the old cowboy saying, "you get one good dog, one good woman, and one good horse". I definitely got my good dog already.

 

[MountainFeral]

I've known people that get one the same week they lose one and some that say "never again." There's absolutely no right answer. Personally, around a year. A good strategy, albeit a little "dark," is to stagger your dogs' ages. Have one that's a puppy when the other is around 5-6. It won't hurt any less when the old one passes on, but at least you'll have another one around to cry with.

 

[chindits]

It’s been years and I never got another one. She was the best dog of all the dogs I’ve had in my life and I don’t realistically expect any other dog to measure up.

On the bright side it has freed me up for scouting , hunting and vacationing in any terrain at any time unencumbered with the logistics of pet ownership. Maybe in a couple years when I’m more crippled up and retired I can invest my outdoor pursuits in time and money to another dog.

 

[Dented]

Been about 10 months for me. Just started looking again. Found an old dog that needs a home, maybe that'll work out.

 

[UncleBone]

It’s been years and I never got another one. She was the best dog of all the dogs I’ve had in my life and I don’t realistically expect any other dog to measure up.

On the bright side it has freed me up for scouting , hunting and vacationing in any terrain at any time unencumbered with the logistics of pet ownership. Maybe in a couple years when I’m more crippled up and retired I can invest my outdoor pursuits in time and money to another dog.

Thats how I feel about mine. Could never get lucky enough to get another as good as her.

 

[Wheels]

I've never been without a dog, currently have 3. I try to keep them in 5 year intervals, but currently have 2 10 yr olds and a 5 year old. Can't imagine being without a dog.

 

[kickemall]

Everybody is different and so are dogs, so as long as you understand that get one whenever you want. I always want a dog around so no wait for me.

 

[ss9961]

We had 2 dogs, got Chase as a puppy and rescued Brody. We were only supposed to foster Brody but ended up keeping him to save him. He absolutely would never be adopted, serious physical and emotional abuse. He loved my wife and I and our dog and that's it. Every single other living thing on earth was the enemy. Could not train or socialize that out of him. It was life changing.

When Chase died, all 3 of us were inconsolable. We needed to fill the hole in our hearts and A week later we got 2 puppies. We wanted them to grow up together and have each other to play with. Brody reluctantly accepted them and it helped to have him teach them how to potty in the yard and sleep in their beds.

A year later Brody died in my arms, at a red light waiting to pull into the animal hospital.
We are in our 50's and have no children. Our dogs are our life. Our greatest love and enduring anguish.
I wouldn't have it any other way.

Do what feels right for you, there are no wrong answers. For me it was never a question.

 

[Yoder]

I had two goldens. One was 10, the other 8. I put the ten yr old down and we got a puppy about three weeks later. I think it was good. It look away some of the sadness and gave us something to look forward to. She is an awesome dog and I have no regrets.

 

[Jbehredt]

I made it 3 months the last time. But I spent a lot of time on shelter websites for a couple weeks of that.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

The one thing I have come to understand after having lost many great hunting partners is, you can never replace them, you can only get a new one and make the best of it and hope it works out.

 

[northernalpine]

I’ve been kicking this around as well. Lost my buddy in early February but my youngest daughter had that special kid bond that makes you grit your teeth when it happens. We talk about it a lot and I think there isn’t a “right” answer. I’ll probably start looking towards summertime. I’ve always had pointy eared dogs, damned if my wife didn’t talk me into a family-biased breed and I ended up liking him more

 

[JoeB]

I lost my Lab last year around August and have been looking at possibilities too. I'm looking to retire in 3-5 years so I may wait till closer to that then I'll have a companion to take walks in the woods with again. I'm really not sure what I'll end up doing. Maybe I'll stumble into a great pet/partner sooner

 

[Jn78]

We had 2 and staggered the ages, but they died a few months apart. Took us about 4 years to get our next ones.