Are you going to get another dog?

Upon learning of Clover's passing, many people were quick to ask "So are you going to get another dog?". My response was always the same. "If Clover leads one to me, then yes, I'll get another dog.

Getting another dog is such an emotional thing. There's the excitement of bringing home a new baby, the anticipation of having a young/healthy dog again, the joy that you know is coming when you bring another fur baby in your home. But then there's the guilt. Will my dog that passed think I've forgotten her? Will I forget her? Won't I be betraying her if I bring another dog home? How can I possibly love another dog?

My thought is that if another dog is meant to be in your life, it WILL find its way to you. All of mine have. Even after muttering the whole time through tears during Clover's illness "I'm not doing this again. I can't." I knew Clover would lead another pup my way in her own time. And I knew she would be okay with it based on this poem that brought me much comfort after reading it. The poem is called a dog's last will and testament.

Before humans die, they write their last will and testament, give their home and all they have to those they leave behind. If, with my paws, I could do the same, this is what I'd ask...

To a poor and lonely stray, I'd give my happy home, my bowl and cozy bed, soft pillow and all my toys; the lap which I loved so much, the hand that stroked my fur, and the sweet voice that spoke my name.

I'd will to the sad, scared shelter dog, the place I had in my human's loving heart, of which there seemed no bounds.

So when I die, please do not say "I will never have another dog again, for the loss and pain in more than I can stand."

Instead, go find an unloved dog, one whose life has held no joy or hope and give my place to him.This is the only thing I can give,

The love I left behind .......Author Unknown

After I read this poem, I felt like my loss of Clover shouldn't govern whether or not I should get another dog. I have learned through losing my dogs that it truly is better to have loved and lost than having never loved at all. She would know I love her forever and always and that she is my heart dog. And she would want another dog to come into my life to be loved the way I love her. Guilt is a master manipulator. You don't have to feel guilty for wanting to love another dog. You will never NOT love the dog that passed. You will never NOT miss her. You will always grieve even if you get another fur baby but that doesn't mean you should never get another dog. At least that's my take on it for me.

There is not wrong time to get another dog. You may go out the next day to find a new pup, or you may wait several years such as some of my friends have. It is your decision to make, no one else's and no one's opinion of your choice should matter. In fact, no one really should offer you an opinion but just support you through the process. That's what all of my friends have done each time I lost a pup and began thinking about getting another one. They just walked the walk with me while I talked it out, stressed about it, got nervous, got excited and rode the roller coaster of emotion. I knew if I got another dog, I wasn't forgetting the one that passed (Sammy or Clover). I knew I was going to still miss my fur baby, but I would also be bringing joy and love to a dog who probably really needed it. I'm not betraying my babies by loving another one, in fact I think I'm honoring them. Honoring their last wishes if you will of giving all that they had to a dog that has nothing.

So, will I get another dog now that I've lost Clover? https://allsatorescue.org/ has sent me a couple of dogs that they thought might interest me. I knew right away they weren't the ones, but I can tell you this: I know I'll have another baby to love and I'll know Clover, and Sammy, will be thrilled for that dog and however it is meant to work out, it will. And rescuing a shelter dog and giving it love and a home can never really be wrong now, can it?