I am so sorry for your loss.
I got Lynn-Dah (Lab/Chow) after my husband died. She was with me through the loss of my house, two moves, a thirty hour trip to Boston to take care of Mom(whom she fell in love with), Mom's Passing, and another move. She passed away a year after experiencing 2 new England Winters.
I only lasted 2 days "dogless". My current BFF Penny-The-Prancing-Pitbull was a rescue from Boston's inner city and is a total sweetheart.

That is a nice looking friend you have there.
Isn’t that coloration called brindle?
My son had a pit that color and it was a great friend. He had to get rid of it when he moved into a rental house. The landlord wouldn’t allow pit bulls.