Q's about a grieving dog & a couple of nice pics

[StGeorgeK9]

Is he eating? If he is eating he will be fine given time.

I'm not one that thinks you need to wait any period of time. But just remember, if you are thinking about a puppy......remember the shark teeth!

[SuzyE]

what heart warming posts everyone! crabby, great post! when cesar died I was so distraught that I had to start getting it together for Jazmin's sake. My sadness was really too much for her.She would paw me and get really upset when I cried.Everyone here pretty much said the same thing because we all have had the same result. I have seen many a puppy breath life into an aging dog.
When people say "six months" that is the average time for a HUMAN to recover, not a dog. If Paige had her way the crying would have stopped the day Jazmin died, even though they grew up together.
Paige is funny, she trys to be so dominant to travis but i catch her kissing him, bumping into him, checking for him. He cozies up next to her and she grumbles but she lets him stay.
you could always just "go look"

[BlackPuppy]

I'm so sorry about Tara. They are both beautiful dogs! Like somebody else said, tell you boy Tara has crossed the bridge and try not to be so sad. I know it's hard. Everytime somebody loses a dog I think about my good boy Doerak and start crying. Like now.

If you feel like getting another puppy, just get one. If your boy isn't ready, doesn't seem interested, one day he'll realize that there's another fun dog in the house and all will be good.

[demonx]

Thankyou everyone for your replies and stories and advice. Means a lot right now.

Yes Jacques is eating. Have not noticed any issues in that area.

No Jacques did not get to smell Tara or see the body. We left her at the vet for them to make arrangements after I managed to peel myself away from hugging and kissing her.

At this point in time we've ruled out getting another pup. Just dont think it's appropriate at this time.

[StGeorgeK9]

Well you are in our prayers, all of you.

[3K9Mom]

Originally Posted By: SuzyEthere is no designated time period you need yo wait to do anything. I am very sorry for your tremendous loss. I lost a dog suddenly as well and it nearly killed me. With that being said, I went two weeks later and adopted travis from the shelter. Our house went from being like a morgue back to a fun puppy house again. I recall my friend kept saying "6 months 6 months" and I said "that's your schedule, not mine" I had no idea that a year later I would lose my middle dog to cancer and I cannot tell you how many times I have been thankful that I got Travis. My GSD has had a dog sibling her whole life and when Jazmin died of cancer my GSD, Paige, and Travis got real close.
I would give yourselves as much time as YOU need, could be a week or a year but I guarantee you that your dog would love to have a sister again.

Completely agree with Suzy. Every bit of it. I've lost dogs suddenly, and I've lost them after illness, and I've learned that we need to do what is best for us and our remaining dogs. If you think you need to do something, do it.

However, I will add a bit of advice that I found very helpful. Our dogs respond to US even more than they respond to everything else that is going on around them. If WE are depressed and crying, that will affect them, a lot.

A few years ago, after I lost my heart dog Grover with virtually no notice, I was stunned, and I was a wreck. My puppy, Camper, seemed to take it very hard, even more than Zamboni, who spent over 10 years with Grover. They had been virtually inseparable. Why was Camper, the puppy, grieving worse than Zamboni?

A wise person told me that it was almost certainly ME that the puppy was responding to. He needed a strong leader during this stressful time, and I was anything but.

So I'd drive my car over to our local park and cry there. At home, I did everything I could to remain upbeat and to get our ROUTINE back on track. Within about three days, he was pretty much back to normal. And Zamboni seemed to feel a lot better too. Yes, they probably were grieving. But their sense of loss was being compounded by the fact that the one person they counted on to keep their lives safe and normal was falling apart.

It was hard to pretend that everything was ok. But I think it was healthier for me too. I set aside times when I would allow myself time to grieve. Dh would take the dogs for a walk, to the park to play ball, or just for a drive, and that gave me time to just feel, to hurt and to grieve -- deeply. I still miss Grover so much. I lost a part of myself that night.

And since then, I've lost Zamboni and Camper too. But each time, I've managed to hold it together better for the dogs that were left behind: those who are HERE and need me. I mourn my beloved dogs and I grieve them. But for those left behind, the best gift we can give them is to carry them when they're lost and confused.

And we give ourselves plenty of time in a safe place to grieve without expecting our dogs to deal with these complicated human emotions as well. We don't deny our feelings. We just don't expect our dogs to handle them.

Does that make sense? I truly am sorry for your loss. Losing a beloved furry family member is excruciating. I'm sorry you have to go through this. But as I was just telling a friend who lost her dog two days ago, we DO have to go through this: the more we love, the more we grieve. We can't have one without the other. And the deeper we loved, the deeper we'll grieve. This is a testament to the amazing relationship that you shared.

But please know this. You're not alone. You're in my thoughts, and the warm thoughts of a lot of us here.

[Karin]

I'm so sorry for your loss. How awful to lose your beautiful Tara so suddenly and at such a young age. And it must be heartbreaking to see Jacques so sad and still looking for her. I don't have any advice for you, but I just wanted to send you my deepest sympathy.

Rest in peace, Tara.