Thank you Ditter.
I swore my next pet would be a parrot ( so it would outlive us ) that I taught to swear like a sailor... and I was going to will it to my nieces, so they'd have to worry about the bird dying.
But we are already thinking about another dog.
Our shelters are overflowing with unwanted animals who just want a kind word and treatment.
I know that poem...
I believe it was Mark Twain who said something along the lines of "The love, and courage and loyalty that go into an exceptional human being are about average, for a dog."
Out on our ranch there's this one huge oak tree on the edge of the meadow which overlooks one of the creeks. Just a short walk from the house and a quiet, cool place in the summer months.
On the edge of the short bluff are Boomer, Lucky, and Skyler with their two feline friends, Scruffy and Silky who weren't quick enough. We keep the grass down and generally just steer clear of the place because it's theirs now. We'll sometimes visit in the cool of a late afternoon and just remember all the joys our friends gave us...We share this with the new members of our family, Jake and Sadie, foundlings both, purebred mutts, both from a long line of pedigreed mongrels who display all the finer qualities of dogdom...
Take care and go visit the pound, you'd be saving a life, yours and a new fried.
Rancher
Your posts are bringing tears to my eyes. As a "mom" of 5 dogs, I know the pain you are feeling. As others have said, when the time is right, a new puppy will bring you joy.
So sad for your loss.