How soon would you add another dog?

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Kaydee

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#21
Well if it was an illness that I knew was going to be the end of her, especially if she was old. I might get another dog in the months before she died. A companion for both of us kind of. The people next door had their dog about fourteen years. Almost the next day after Sadie was put to sleep, they had a new black puppy over there. I'm thinking they researched and planned for that timing.

If it was sudden for Sophie, I'd be starting to look the next week. It'd be too quiet without a dog in the house, even with all the cats, I've gotten used to it.
 

ihartgonzo

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#22
I don't feel that losing one dog is any reason to get another dog. If Gonzo or Fozzie died... it would take months for me to get over that. I think my heart would be so broken if Fozzie died, especially, as he's my little ray of sunshine. If I got another dog soon after I know all I would be doing was comparing that dog to Fozzie. And nobody compares to him. :(

Once I was done grieving the loss, I'd take time to figure out what I want in my next dog and what breeder/venue I want to go through. Then I'd find the perfect breeder and wait for the perfect litter, or wait for the perfect rescue dog to show up. I would not run out the next day and desperately look for a dog to "replace" my other dog. Dogs are individuals and one cannot replace the other. I do find it unhealthy when people start looking for a new dog right away, especially if their old dog got lost or was taken from them. I would hope that they'd at least take a while to think about that loss, and really dedicate themselves to getting educated & improving whatever caused them to lose their dog. And to do their research and find a breed/dog that they will keep for life! I know a girl who started looking for GSD breeders a week after her dog got lost, while still looking for him... and he was found at a shelter, but she didn't even get him back. He was only 8 months old. Ugh disgusting.

When ever my dogs have died, we've always had at least one other dog, so we were in no rush to get another dog. I feel like it's insulting to that dog to instantly replace them. And I get dogs because I really want that dog and for no other reason, I have to pine for & obsess over a specific breed for YEARS before I'll even consider committing to buying one. I wanted a Border Collie for most of my life before I got Gonzo. I wanted a Corgi for 5 years before I got Fozzie. It's a big deal and I never want to be disappointed or end up re-homing a dog because I didn't do my research or changed my mind.
 

Southpaw

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#23
Pretty much the day after Molly passed away, I was looking for another dog. Under different circumstances maybe I wouldn't do it as quickly, but I felt like I didn't have a dog anymore even though we had Lucy. And that was a feeling I needed resolved quickly, although it was another 6 or so weeks before we actually got Juno.

Rehome would entirely depend on the reasons why the dog was rehomed.

If one ran away.... I don't know. I'd spend a lot of time trying to find the dog before deciding it was truly gone, at least.
 
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#24
Currently the debate in our house of middle agers is WOULD we get another dog, rather than when. I know that I will not be adding any more dogs until Smalls, Jonas, Jack, and Magpie have moved on. Shambles is the youngest at a few months away from 2, but the next youngest (that we know of) is Smalls who will be 6 in November. If all the dogs magically lived another 10 years (not likely) then Shambles would be 11 by the time we would be considering adding another.

At this time I am almost set that when all of these guys go, I will just foster. A lot of dogs at my shelter really need foster homes- but are DA or have issues that would be harder to deal with with another dog in the home let alone 5.
 

Moth

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#25
In any case of loss of a dog it would really depend on the surrounding circumstances and where my life and head was at.

If it was due to death it would really depend on how deep a pit of grief I fell into...it would not be fair to bring in a new dog if I was not done grieving.

For me to rehome my guys some really, really bad mojo would have to be happening. I would go to some serious extremes to be able to keep them with me... So the situation would then be such that where was no way I could have any pet at that time, which would also preclude getting another dog.

If one of my guys got loose and disappeared I would search to the ends of the earth for some time before I was ready to throw in the towel on that one...
 

crazedACD

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#26
I'm much more into planning a dog for proper timing, rather than getting a dog after one passes away. I wouldn't want it to be an emotional decision. Of course fosters don't really count much for that, but those are generally life/death based situations for the dog and I make sacrifices to do so. Living here for a few weeks is better than death, I think :p. I don't go out looking for them though.

Oh..and I don't 'rehome' unless it is brought in and designated as a foster. My pets are for life, through hell or high water.
 

Gypsydals

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#27
It depends. I waited 4 months after Chloe was gone, to bring Ivan home.
If its not an unexpected passing, I would prefer to bring another into the house before they pass.
If it was an unexpected passing, I would wait a bit.
If it was a rehome, ran away/lost. I real long time.

When Chloe died, we knew the end was coming. I had started looking around to add before she was gone (that was the original plan). I had already contacted Ivans breeder before she had passed. We where not expecting her to go down hill so fast. I almost didn't get him, because he wasn't what I "thought" what I wanted. Instead he was what I NEEDED. If I would have waited, I probably wouldn't have added again. I was sooooo afraid that my next dal would end up sick like her. I had thought I had failed. It took him showing me that not all where like that and that I didn't fail.
 

RD

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#28
Immediately. If anything happens to Eve, I think I need another dog to help me through it. My past dog sent me the best puppy after she passed on, and I know eve will too.
 

Gypsydals

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#29
My past dog sent me the best puppy after she passed on,
I am convinced thats what Chloe did too. Ivan in no way shape or form was what I was looking for. I wanted a lightly marked, nondark/patched eared liver boy. What I got was a heavy marked, dark eared (almost looks like patches) BLACK boy. He wasn't what I had wanted but what I needed. I needed a dog to show me I could do things again and to show me that dogs really are tough.
 
K

Kaydee

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#30
Definite blessing that at least running away or rehoming will never be an issue for us. The only reason I would rehome Sophie would be if she turned on the house cats...but it's been almost four years and she still won't walk past them unless they let her, so I never see that scenerio.

Running away? She is wherever I am, even off leash outside, run to the squirrel back to my legs, never out of sight. Okay once she had the bright idea to walk down the street. A neighbor called me over, she was standing in his driveway trembling, never did that again.
 
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#31
It depends. I don't think I'll ever be down to only one dog, so even when one dies, I won't be dogless. That being said, I would probably start looking for another dog immediately - it might take weeks or months for the right dog to come along, but I would be open to getting another dog right away. However, if one of them was lost, I would be absolutely devastated not knowing what happened - way more so than dying of an accident or natural causes or euthanasia.

When one of my foster dogs gets adopted, I always wait at least a week or two to get another one, because I like having that time for just MY dogs.
 
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#32
It would completely depend on the exact circumstances. Honestly I don't think there's any "right" or "wrong" amount of time to wait.
 

ihartgonzo

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#33
ETA: I worry about Frodo getting us noise complaints all.the.time. because honestly, we don't have the money to break our lease and put down a deposit on a new apartment, and I can't buy him a house. There's not really any other apartments that accept dogs larger than 20 pounds, etc. I feel like if it came down to it, we would end up having to euthanize him, and that scares the holy living hell out of me. I keep telling myself that there are *so* many more dogs in the building that are SOOOO much louder than him (like the lab next door) and that I really shouldn't worry, because he isn't bad. But I still can't help but worry about it every single day.
If it ever comes to that send him to me! Seriously.
 
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#34
Ehh...

Depends on the situation - my finances, if I was still living with my parents, whether or not I had a full time job, my mood etc. Really difficult to say but most likely if everything was stable and in order and I had enough time on my hands - then probably right away or not very long after.

But if not...then probably a while till things settled down I guess. I plan to get another dog next year though - so I will probably not be dogless for a loooooonnnggg time to come =)
 

puppydog

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#35
I got Travis 2 weeks after loosing Ben. It was too soon and it wasn't fair on either of us. I don't regret getting him because I love my boy but I wouldn't do it again.
 

mrose_s

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#36
Totally depends on the situation.
If I lost Buster, I wouldn't get another dog, if I lost Quinn I would probably wait till I moved out to get another dog simply beacause I'm starting to wonder how in hell I will find my first rental with 2 dogs, especially one being a young BC.
*touchwood*
 

Sit Stay

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#38
It would probably depend on the situation for me, but generally I'd probably need around 4-5 months to recover enough to get another dog. Quinn is my everything, but in all honesty she is my only dog and I can't imagine being dogless for years even after losing her.

For my next puppy I'd probably go with another English Shepherd from a breeder, in which case I'd be willing to wait up to around a year if there was a perfect litter planned (or maybe even not wait as long, like 3 months).
 

Red.Apricot

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#39
If something happened to Elsie, I probably wouldn't get another dog for quite some time. Much of that, though, is where I am in life right now. It's not a good time to add another dog.
 

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