I can sympathize. I've loved and lost more than one dog. We are blessed with a little guy now, he's 6 and going strong, but sooner or later the inevitable will happen. My wife is convinced there will never be another dog in the family, but she loves the one we have now.
So, I enjoy every moment, every bark and every snuggle I get. Dogs are truly man's best friend.
My canine companion and spiritual mentor, Lola, does the same thing. It means she usually wants to communicate on a deeper level. So I just stare into her eyes back at her, tell her how beautiful she is. Then she wags her tail, jumps around and laughs.
Lola is a Freepr who was standing at street corners during the election campaign with her huge sign ( that I held ) that said, " PETS FOR BUSH ". CHIEFTAIN'S canine companion, Brenda, joined us in the sign holding. Somewhere there is a picture of them.