1)After all, we are over 60.
2)There are no children in the house any more.
3)It's not fair to take on a dog.
4)A dog is too much trouble.
5)We might die before the dog does -- what then?
6)The dog will just die, and we can't go through it again.
7) Owning another dog will hamper our travel plans.
8)We work all the time.
9)No dog will measure up to the one that died.
All the usual excuses.
We held out for four years, and then we couldn't stand it any more. I contacted a rescue organization (Golden Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin) and before I knew it we had passed the interview and home visit and had adopted a new dog. He's just wonderful and more than I could have ever dreamed of.
He does not replace our deceased dog, but in many ways he is even better. He really fills a hole in our hearts and our lives. His picture with one of my grandchildren is below:
So, if you haven't adopted a new dog yet, I highly recomend it.