It's rough to have one go. In 1987 and 88, I had to put dogs down, and it was rough. It was the first time I had to make the decision when Joe went sour. Before that, my parents did it, and my Beagle just dropped dead, saving me that choice, that time.
When we had to put my dog Gus down due to cancer, we were planning on waiting about 6 months for a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog pup, and probably another pup from the shelter, as regardless of what some people claim, two pups are much , much, much easier than one is, and the bonding to each other thing is total nonsense. The only dog I had really ever actually went out and waited and paid for was my yellow Lab Joe, a nice dog with major health problems his entire life. He was well bred, was raised in the house, but was sick from basically 18 months on. I had better luck getting one at the vet's (Gus was part of a litter dumped at the vet's after being treated for a staff infection), or a rescue place.
About two weeks after Gus was gone, we ran into a friend who's ex-girlfriend had a "load" (13 would be a load, I guess) of pups to find homes for. There were still eight left when we called her. After all, it wouldn't hurt to "take a look" would it? I knew right then, that unless there was something obviously wrong with them, that we would take two of them. We went over there, and there was skinny Mom, a Dobe/Lab mix that looked like a solid black Dobe more than a mix, and the eight pups bouncing off the walls. A black and white pup came over as soon as we walked in, climbed up on the couch with us, and went to sleep instantly. He was the "enforcer" of the litter, the top pup, who is named Boomer now, did all the work, while King sat and watched, only "working" when needed. One down.
There was a grey and white female pup, bigger than the rest of the litter, with almost the exact same markings as the black and white one, and she was very friendly, if a little shy, and that was two down. I picked them up the next morning. King is the heathiest dog I have ever had, but Molly has bad hips (don't seem to have bothered her any yet, she just walks funny) and pretty bad skin allergies. Luck of the draw, I guess.
It's hard to believe they will be seven on the 23'rd. When King started getting really grey about a year ago, I had the thoughts about "In seven years or so, I will be starting all over again!". It's the final days and making the decision that, to me is the worst. When Gus went, I was a mess for a couple of days, as I he had been with us for 14plus years, but I knew it was time. About a year later, I had to put down my 16+ year old cat, and that was bad too, but not nearly as bad as it was with Gus. When King goes, it's going to be the worst, as he is as cuddly as Gus was, but a "character" type who is a once in a lifetime dog, and I'm going to really miss him. Seven years isn't very long, and as he gets grayer and grayer, I have to think about it..even though I don't want to.
Don't feel guilty, or that you haven't taken enough time to grieve, dogs don't judge you like people do. When one comes along, you'll do what's best for you. I never understood the "too soon" thing, but that's me.
One really weird thing is that these dogs are my 3rd and 4th dogs born on the same day! My yellow Lab Joe in 77, Pit Mix Gus in 84, and now King and Molly in 98, all have the same birthday, December 23rd. Weird.
