2 dogs - How did your remaining dog cope when the other dog passes?

[Hills Mum Bec]

We have 2 absolutely gorgeous dogs.  One is 11yo and the other is 2.5yo.  Our 11yo was an only dog for many years until we got dog 2 and now I can't imagine ever having only 1 dog again.  11yo is getting old, she is still healthy but realistically, she is not going to live forever and we have been thinking about what life will look like without her.   I worry about how younger dog will cope without her.  DH works from home quite a bit but there are some days where both dogs are left outside for the day during school hours.  They both enjoy being outside together but if younger dog is outside by herself (her bladder is a lot smaller than older dog) she gets quite distressed after a short period of time.  Ideally we will get another dog but waiting lists with breeders are so long and it could be years.  Do we put our name down with breeders now?  What happens if a puppy becomes available before we are ready for one? We really do not want 3 dogs.  Do we go back to the bottom of the list?  These are the things that keep me awake at 3am.

[Ker]

My dog was OK when my other dog passed away last year. She looked for him for a bit but settled quickly. But she wasn't bonded to him.

My mum had a shar pei and an American staff that were hugely bonded. When her staffy died and mum came home from the vet without him, the shar pei wouldn't speak to her for weeks. She suffered terribly with the loss of her friend.

I'm not sure if you'd go to the bottom of the list if you turned down a pup. Depending on breed you want depends how many litters there are each year. If it's a common breed, you might be ok waiting - if there's a lot of breeders, chances are there will be more litters bred over a year. More unusual breed, there might only be 1 or 2 litters bred every year. With a more common breed, you might be ok turning one down. However, I'd be up front and honest with the breeder when you put your name down. If you just turn dogs down without explaining why you're just going to piss them off and they'll remove you from their list.

[Romeo Void]

When my whipped died our Aussie Terrier cross fell into a deep depression.  He LOVED that whippet.  He lay on the floor barely moving for around 6 weeks before we bit the bullet and found another dog.  The new dog was a bad fit to be honest, I wish I'd taken a bit more time with finding a companion for him.  You really can't just pick up any dog and say 'here' to your grieving pet and expect it to help.  I think a companion was a good idea, I just wish I'd been lead by the dog and not tried to pick what I thought suited.

[Froyo]

Not dogs sorry, but my Archie cat became very depressed after my elderly Henry cat died. He had to go on a cat milk protein supplement which acts like an antidepressant. Once I adopted Leo he immediately fell in love again.

[Chicken Pie]

What about adoption as opposed to waiting lists for a breed?

[rewritethestars]

I’ve gone through this twice and it was hard both times. The first time I don’t think he ever fully recovered the loss of his mate. We did get another puppy though and after the initial adjustment period he was so much happier.

When he died the pup was only very young still and although he badly missed the older mentor he was ok after a few months. He’s now quite happily an ‘only child’, though we are looking at another puppy in the next 6 months. 

[Hills Mum Bec]

14 hours ago, Chicken Pie said:

What about adoption as opposed to waiting lists for a breed?

I'm not opposed to adoption.  With the exception of our 2yo White Swiss Shepherd, we have always had rescue dogs.  11yo is a Shepherd X Kelpie rescue that we have had since a puppy.  We have decided that we would prefer our next dog to be a bit smaller for a couple of reasons.  Our cat passed away earlier this year and while we do not want another cat we it would be nice to have a cat sized dog that is happy to cuddle up on your lap while watching TV.  Other reason is that two big dogs take up so much room.  We do like to take our dogs away on holiday with us in the caravan.  At the moment we are taking two cars when we go away just to fit the dogs, if it's a far away trip then we leave them with in laws.  It would be nice to be able to take two dogs away with us on every trip without having to take two cars.  Our preference for a new dog is a smallish terrier like a Silky, Aussie or a Westie.  I had an Australian Terrier as a teenager and I loved that dog, he went everywhere with me.

[Chicken Pie]

We often get terriers in our rescue from surrenders (old owners etc)

[Hills Mum Bec]

1 minute ago, Chicken Pie said:

We often get terriers in our rescue from surrenders (old owners etc)

Good to know.

[VeritasVinumArte]

We had 2 Beagles (same litter). Matrix (1990 pre films) was very protective of Snuffy who was the runt of the litter and we took both. 12 years later Matrix died. Snuffy seemed to mourn and be very sad for a few weeks, but then he seemed to get his life back and was more energetic than he had been for years (mum thought Snuffy had been slowing down to match Matrix pace). He was like a new puppy for another 3 years before he passed away himself.

[Kerilyntaryn21]

Our Cavalier died a few months ago, and our Australian silky terrier was depressed and wouldn't eat, for some weeks, she is OK now, most of the time we have 2 kids home full-time,  so she got more time, spoilt, treats etc.  She's doing well now

[Chicken Pie]

yeah i think like people they need time to grieve and adjust - especially as we cant explain whats happening

[Karlee99]

We lost one of our dogs a couple of years ago, she was 14, our remaining dog is nearly 14 so they had over 10 years together. They got along well and were almost always together, but I often said I thought our remaining boy would be happy as an only dog. He gets a bit anxious and nervous around most other dogs. He seemed to look for our girl for a few weeks when we lost her, but overall he now seems more content and happy. I won't get another dog until he has gone, mostly because I am not sure how he would cope if I introduced a puppy and I'd rather he spends his final years in comfort and contented.