Hi All

Well its 8 weeks now since i lost poor little Hamish my westie who i expect you all remember as i posted numerous posts on here about his sad story, i still miss him like crazy every day and cannot adjust to not having a little dog around the house, he was such company and an amazing friend whom i shall never forget, i have thought long and hard about getting another little westie puppy as i don't think however long i leave it i will ever adjust to not having a dog around the house.
I have contacted some breeders who have been recommended by a good breeder on champdogs as i want to make sure this time that i get a well bred westie as i couldn't go through that much sadness again at such a young age, i never want to replace Hamish as i know i never could as every little dog is different and has their own personality but i just cannot live without a little dog in my life to love and care for i feel so lost and just cannot bare it, i am looking hopefully to get another puppy around June time as my hours at work change then to just working mornings so i will have every afternoon and weekends to spend with him which will be great, i am just keeping my fingers crossed that i can find a little boy puppy that wants a good home.
Will keep you all posted if i get any news but just wanted to let you all know, i hope you don't think its too soon to be thinking of getting another dog as i know its only 8 weeks but i shall never forget Hamish and all the good times we had i just feel i need another dog to help me in my grieving process and to get my life back to normality again as i miss having a dog so much to love.

Helen

I definitely don't think it's to soon.  You did all you could for Hamish and hope that this time you get another Westie that you can spend many years with.

Hi Helen, good to hear from you again! I can absolutely understand how you feel about the hole that's in your life, and there's no shame or insult to Hamish that you have a need to fill it. The only 'right time' to get another dog to share your life is when you feel the time is right - it varies from person to person; some need another dog straight away, others need to wait a while; weeks, months or more. So it's great that you're making plans, and taking advice from experienced people who can help you find another little soul to share your life and home. Good luck to you!

Hi Helen,
I completely agree with Jeangenie, everyone is different.
If you feel your life would be made fuller by having another little
dog, go for it .. There is no right or wrong time ..

Good luck,

i agree with the others, your ready when your ready. and it's great your looking into the right people to get a pup from. good luck :)

and there's no shame or insult to Hamish that you have a need to fill it.

Rather it's a compliment to him -he made you WANT a dog again, which means he MUST have been special, or you would not want another! :) That's the way I see it.

Ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh Helen, this is spooky,
I was only thinking about you yesterday, and if my connection hadnt been so slow I was going to send a message asking how you were doing!!!!! LOL
No it isnt too soon!!!!!
Even though I still have 2 dogs, I still miss Gemma and if I was in the right situation I would have got an older sedate dog by now. Not to replace Gemma, but because the home doesnt seem right without the plod along LOL
So Go for it :)
You are doing everything right :)
The time is only right to get another dog when YOU are ready :) that might be 2 days 2 weeks 2 months 2 years. There is no right or wrong time :)
Good luck, and keep us informed, otherwise you know we will hunt you down to see the new arrival :D :D :D
Lea :)

Hi Helen

We've all been in your situation and it's absolutely horrible.  I think you're doing the right thing.  Of course another puppy won't be Hamish, but he will bring you much joy and happiness and for that you shouldn't feel guilty.  You have a good, loving home to offer to another puppy.

I wish you lots of luck and hope to hear your good news soon.

Simone :)

Just a suggestion Helen. 

Might you consider getting a little girl this time?  That way there wouldn't' be the temptation to compare or have to live up to Hamish.  A Little girl woudl be so different to your little boysand there is less chance of trying to make comparisons or feeling guilty that your somehow replacing him when you find your bond with the new pup getting stronger.

It certainly isn't too soon.

Whenever you feel it is the right time, then it is the right time.

You will never forget your little Hamish, weather you get a pup today or wait another 5 years.

Everybody grieves differently, by the sound of it, I think it will help you by getting another dog. You allready know that another dog is not going to replace Hamish, it is just going to help fill that big empty hole in your life that he's left.

Good luck with the search for your new puppy.
I'm so sorry for your loss, rest in peace Hamish.

Hi Helen., lovely to hear from you... this just about sums it up...  good luck with new puppy when he comes ;-)

Was it today; yesterday; a week; a month ago?
There are no days; there are no nights since my furchild died.
I reach to pet my furry friend who is no longer here.
My heart is broken; my arms are empty; how many tears I've cried.
I leave the house, into the lane we always walked together.
The rain is falling. I notice not. Just more tears on my face.
She used to lead me down the lane. Her spirit leads me still.
But we go a different way to a very strange and different place.
I stand before a rustic bridge I've never seen before.
I stop. I know I'm not to cross. But why, I want to know.
And then the rain suddenly stops. I look up into the clouds.
I look down. The bridge is gone and in its place is a rainbow.
I look across the Rainbow Bridge and see a joyful sight;
Thousands of healthy furchildren playing with my beloved pet.
I want to run and love her, but I'm rooted to the spot.
She looks and wags her tail and I hear her bark, "Not yet."
And then her bark turns to a voice and I hear her say,
"You cared for me, you played with me and loved me to the end.
I'm healthy now, don't cry for me. I'll meet you here again.
Others need your love and care. I'm sending you a friend."
I rub my eyes and the rainbow is again a rustic bridge.
I send a prayer for that quick glimpse to the loving God above.
I hear a noise and glance back down. I can't believe my eyes.
Across the bridge, my darling pet sent a furbaby for me to love.
I pick up the furry bundle, hold her close to my dampened cheek.
She nuzzles my neck, kisses my tears. It's true love at first sight.
Not to replace the one who's gone; another who needs my love and care.
My eyes are drawn upward to see a Rainbow Bridge in radiating light.

Copyright, 1995 Jean L. Mowry-Everett

That poem brought tears to my eyes.

I know what you are going through, with wanting another dog, but feeling a bit off thinking that "could this be too soon?"

It has been 4 months since my Joy has passed, and I am looking into getting another Springer Spaniel.  Even though I miss Joy terribly, it feels so empty without a springer.

So I can totally see why, Hamish your special boy, has made you see the good a dog does.  That is why it feels so off not having one. 

Hamish has given you so much, and you gave him a lot as well.  It is only natural, when you have that special dog, to need to share your love with another.  When people say fill the whole by getting another dog, I dont see it that way.  There is no way another Westie will fill the pain and hurt you have over Hamish.  Your heart just gets bigger, to add another spot for your new Westie.  There is nothing that could take away your memories of Hamish, nothing that could cure the feelings for him.  But another dog, will make YOU happy, so do it.  Another dog will make you feel NORMAL again, so do it.  But only when you are ready.   And no one on this forum can say whether it is an ok time for you to get another Westie, because we arent you.  We dont have to deal with your heart day in day out.  We feel your pain, through words, but we dont feel it through you.  Maybe thats a bit of a ramble, and I hope it made sense. 

Basically, there is no set time for grieving.  And you will probably look at your new Westie at times, and remember Hamish and cry.  The pup will do something that reminds you of your special boy, and you will feel it again.  But, your new pup, will also do things that are uniquely theirs.  And you will laugh. 

Hi Everyone

Thank you all so much for your kind messages, i know i can never replace Hamish but i would never want to he was my special little boy who had his own personality and i will never ever forget him but i just feel that i need another dog to be able to love and care for, i know he will be totally different to Hamish because he was so quiet and never did anything wrong, i expect this next little boy will be into everything and a right little mischief making who will test my patience to the limit and i hope to god that he is because life here is so damn quiet that i cannot wait to have another little bundle of joy join our family and have all the love and cuddles that we can give him.
Have had some canvas prints done of Hamish since he has gone i picked the best pictures of him that were beautiful and took them to be done professionally and i am so glad i did because they have come out wonderfully and are in my living room so that he is with me all the time and i am much happier now especially as i have got his urn back with me aswell, i know he is always with me and will never leave my side and i feel much more settled in myself.
Thanks again for all you support over this sad time your kind messages have meant so much to me and i feel i have made many friends on here that i will always remember through the most difficult times i went through.
Will keep you all posted on my search for a new arrival to join our family.

Helen

Hi Helen,

I think it's a wonderful tribute to Hamish that you are going to get another pup.   The time is right when you feel it's right :)   Whatever pup you get, boy or girl, will be a very, very lucky pup :)

Good luck in your search :)

Hi Helen,

I'm with everyone else here - if and when the time feels right to you then that is what you go by :)  Hamish will never have a replacement and none of us who have witnessed your heartbreaking journey with the little guy would ever think for a moment that you were trying to replace him but he brought you so much joy and companionship that it is a tribute to him and you that you want to share your life with another Westie :)

Go with your own feelings Helen - you will know what feels best for you but, as someone else has already suggested, it may be worth considering a bitch puppy this time rather than another male.  I know that when I've lost one of my own darlings the next addition for me has always felt more comfortable in my heart and mind to be of the opposite s#x - however, that is something personal to *me* and may not make any difference to you at all.

Please God you will soon have the puppy of your dreams in your arms - and s/he will be a VERY lucky puppy to have such a caring and wonderful "mum".
Very, very best wishes,
Teri xxx

I definitely think that if you feel the time is right then you should get another dog/puppy. It is about time you had something to smile about after the journey you have been on with Hamish. A new puppy would be most lucky to have a caring owner like yourself.

Hammish left the door to you heart ajar. You never replace a dog you just expand your heart.

Helen

Its never too soon to get another dog, everyone is different. We all grieve in different ways, some get one straight away, others never will.
Just remember Hamish was special, and any dogs you get will be special in different ways.

My murphy died 7th Novemember, and i think by the end of November we had 'Paddy' join our clan.
Its weird paddy does things that murphy did.. where as my others dont. It brings some comfort.

I wish you lots of wonderful moments with your new addition when he/she arrives

Hamish would want you to feel complete...

Much love
Donna x
(and my boysxx)

I think it's that thing similar to when you get an additional dog or fall pregnant with a second child and you question if you will love it as much as the first. You dont think you've got any more love to give then out of somewhere you find a whole load more to give to the second addition.
Getting another dog doesnt mean you are replacing or forgetting Hamish. Sometimes it will be hard because the new pup will do things that Hamish did but it will also fill that void Hamish has left and will do lots of new things to make you laugh and smile about and you can have new experiences and hopefully a smoother ride.
I think you are totally doing the right thing and wish you luck in search for your new pup.
x

Kazz has said it in a few short words and I second that sentiment, exactly. Go ahead, get that pup, your big heart demands it.

after losing our girl we went 5 years without having another, she was always in our hearts but we was not ready to have another dog mainly because of work commitments but then 2 years ago we was ready to have another and thinking of getting a rescue dog then my hubby had a phone call from a friend askin if he knew anyone who could give a dog a home well the rest is history, now we ask how did we manage to go so long without a dog in a house which has so much love to give ,, im even thinking about getting another but ive never had two dogs.  im wishing you lots of luck in your decision and im sure it will be the right one, got for it.

I agree wholeheartedly with everyone, if it feels right it is right. I love the expression that you just expand your heart for the new dog. When I got my GSD after losing one it was the best thing ever, and I love her so much. Then my old mongrel girl died and we considered getting another GSD. I was so worried that I loved my GSD girl so much that I wouldn't have enough love for my boy - but it is true, your heart just expands and I love them both to bits.

I followed Hamish's story, and was so sad for you that it wasn't to be. You deserve another in your life, and it is a tribute to them that you do.

Donnax, I was really interested in what you said about doing similar things. My GSD girl does a couple of really quirky things the same as the GSD girl I lost, and who she followed into my life. They are really 'off the wall' things, not at all breed specific, which I have always found quite spooky, but oddly comforting.

Hamish75 - Good luck with the search for your new pup

Kat

Hi
It took me from 1990 to 2004 to get my second GSP....for various reasons I just couldn't go there although I had other breeds (co-incidentally, including two westies in the interim!).  I have since acquired my third GSP (2006), but even then I deliberated long and hard as the first GSP I lost in tragic circumstances was a bitch and the second I got was a male, so you could say it took me 16 years before I could go there again.  Everyone is different, and in retrospect I could have done it a LOT sooner as I didn't appreciate just HOW different the little characters are even within the same sex of a breed.  I just felt that NOTHING could compare to Cassie (my first GSP bitch) but both Gunner (my male) and Teigan (my new bitch) are sooooo very different that they don't bear comparison and I WISH now that I had gone there sooner.

If you feel you are ready to move on....go for it and enjoy!  :-)  You deserve some fun and pleasure from dog ownership! 

I followed the story of Hamish, along with all the other CD'ers and I know you have a heart big enough to give a whole load of love to another sweet Westie.  Go for it - you deserve it.  Jean x

>You deserve some fun and pleasure from dog ownership!

This is so true! It seemed most of your time with Hamish was tarnished with sadness and ill health :(

You go for it girl!

You have so much love to give.  That was obvious from how you did everything possible for hamish.  You will never forget him but can give a special life to another baby if you get one.

You obviously feel ready now as you wouldnt have thought about it otherwise ......

Your clearly a lovely doggy person so go for it!

Emma

im so happy for you, its the right thing to do, you need a dog in your life, i look forward to hearing about your puppy. x

We too went along time with out a dog after loosing our lab 14 yrs ago, two yrs ago we got Mitzi a Westie and dont know how we managed with out her.

We have just got Roxy another Westie and they love each other im now so glad iv got two

I read this thread several weeks ago, and couldn't get past that poem.  It has made me cry so much I couldn't respond.  Still does, but here is my answer.

I lost my once in a lifetime companion in February - almost 13, so we had the best years of our lives together.  The conclusion I came to is that I will simply never truly get over Chelsea's passing.  I may at some point move a bit past it, I may come to accept it, but when I am an 80 year old women, I will still weep that she isn't around to share life with me.  When a dog is such a friend, you are blessed and cursed.  Blessed for the bond, and cursed that it comes to an end.  I have had other dogs, and have no idea why my girl was my heart.  I loved them all, but I loved her the best, and told her that during that last bad week.  Thousands of times - I asked her not to leave yet, but said that if she had to pass, I'd hope it would be peacefully at home, and not at the vet's.  I really thought she would pull through as she had in the past, so it tore my heart up when I woke up after getting a couple hours of sleep, and found she'd passed away here at home.  It rips me up still today.

For no reason, and after deciding that I was not up to a new dog, or puppy, I found myself on petfinder.com.  It had been 6 weeks, was way too soon, and I was (still am) a heartbroken person over this.  And there was an english pointer, older girl (6-8?) whose photo spoke to me - my dh was out of town, nearby where the dog was at a rescue (and still 5 hours one way from this rescue), and I told him to look at her.  Not to feel an obligation, but if it was right to do he would know it.  Know that we've never rescued a dog before - we got dogs by buying two at a time from a breeder as pups, and then they live about 13 years, our hearts shatter, and we do that again.  And we've always had german shorthair pointers too.  So this business of looking at petfinder while my days were dark was just not like me at all.

And this little lost pointer is here now.  I can't imagine a better thing I could have done.  No one will replace Chelsea, and I am not certain how I will ever find joy again.  I still weep just because there are no more days of her kind of love and companionship.  But this new addition has lifted me in the new direction that I must walk whether I want to or not - and it making the journey easier.  She lost a home, and I lost a friend, so we offer each other much comfort on that level.  This dog was much loved by someone - well behaved, well trained, so affectionate that from the day she came home, it was like she'd always been here. Someone must be missing this dog so very much, given her wonderful personality and charm.  My Chelsea's brother is still alive, and it put a spring back in his step (much depressed after our loss).  I am so very grateful I did this, and if you'd asked me, I would have said NEVER could I get another dog so soon after such a tragedy of loss.  This little pointer had already been returned once to the rescue - she had been leaving the family's backyard to chase birds on a golf course, and was left to her own devices most of the day and lonely.  And she has ended up with two older folks who work with their dogs, take them for hour long daily walks, and expect them to sleep on the bed.  This is a great match for her - I understand her energy level and I hike, so she fits in perfectly.

And when I read that poem here, it fit perfectly what happened to me - and I believe Chels sent her as a friend, figuring we could do each other some wonderful good.  Hadn't thought of it that way before.  I wish you all the best whatever you do - and if/when you are ready or meant to find your next companion, I am hoping it goes well for you.  When a dog has been such a special one, there is no way I can describe the pain of the passing, so I am sorry you've been there as well. 

I too lost my little Yorkie last August, he was my Mum's little boy and I lost myMum 5 years ago, when Toddy passed my heart was wrenched from my body, I vowed I would never get another dog, On March15th this year My DH bought home a puppy Westie for my birthday the next day. Flynn is the best thing that could have happend to me, He hasn't replaced Toddy but he has filled my heart with joy. Give yourself the time you need and go get yourself another little furbaby. Good luck.

Hi Helen
when I lost my golden retriever Rosie after a short illness I was absolutely devastated. After a couple of months of grieving I decided that the only way I was going to move on was to have another puppy. We decided to go for the same sex and breed because we had thought long and hard before having Rosie so decided to have another retriever.
I still think of Rosie almost every day and talk to Bonnie about her. Bonnie is a very different personality but at the same time has similarities (probably because she is same breed)
She definitely helped me to come to terms with loosing Rosie and now I have far more days that I can fondly remember funny little things Rosie did, with only an occasional tear.
A loved dog can never be replaced but having a new dog to love and care for helps tremendously with filling that empty feeling that loosing a dog leaves inside you.
My only wish is that I could have both dogs here with me cos I think they would have had such good fun together!

Good luck with your new dog !

I have to add that I talk about Chelsea to my new girl also.  Chelsea was a GSP; but if you saw her, you'd see many traits and head shape/color/and markings that reminded you more of a pointer.  The new girl has many of those same markings, etc as Chels, and has even done a few behavorial things that I thought were unique to Chelsea, which at first left my mouth open in surprise.  I thought it would sadden me; but after the first few tears over the reminder, it has lifted my heart to see such things.  Small little gifts is how I see them now.

My dh was telling me story of something really cute that Becca (her new name) did - and while watching her antics and smiling at them, said that he "told" Chelsea that if she'd sent Becca here to us as a friend, it was a great thing she did.

And I told him that I just found out the meaning of the name our new girl came with (the rescu picked one, as she came without id) - it was Celine, which means "heaven."  Which I am taking as a confirm of who sent her our way, no matter how foolish that seems to my non-dog acquaintances. 

I hope you update this thread sometime and let us know how it worked out for you, or how you are doing. 

I understand completely why you want another dog, Hamish was very special to you and has left a huge void that another dog will not fill, but will help you to come to terms with all the sadness you went through with Hamish.

As someone else has said on here you do deserve a healthy dog to love and have lots of fun with, he or she will never replace Hamish but will undoubtedly help you to come to terms with his loss and you will begin to love your next dog in a different way to Hamish but none the less special.

Good luck to you, the dog you choose is going to have one of the best homes ever with a caring owner like you.