scared gavins dotage is ending

I can't imagine not having another Sheltie to love.
I am saving all the dog beds, harnesses, gear, etc.
Just putting them away for a time.
I read that people commonly grieve their pets for about a year (some longer, some shorter).
That sounds about right, But I hope I don't feel this lost for a whole year.
 
This is the time of night I start getting Gavin ready for bed.
For the past few years that means his final poop visit and then his medication.
Then I moved him to my bedroom (often bed) while I get ready for bed.
It feels wrong to not be doing this. Again, 17 years of Gavin bedtimes.
For years, If I was in the living room after his last potty, he used to go to bed on his own around 9:00, and come out and get me if I didn't follow him shortly.
He always started out in my bedroom, moved to the living room during the night, and came back to the bedroom in the morning.
 
Don't put a time limit on your decision you will know when you're ready. And when you are, there will be a Sheltie that would love to be with you.
I lasted 3 months after Dewey passed from seizures.I missed my partner that went to work with me, played with me and at the time I was 6 months from retirement which led into the time of COVID. I know he helped me through it all. He also learned how to alert me to high BP. I love him dearly. I knew I would get another Sheltie but maybe I got 1 sooner because I missed them and had 1 in my life for 29 years at that time.
 
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We all grieve differently…for me when I made the appointment to have my Cocker put down I started looking for a Sheltie pup (Piper). That’s what I knew I had to do…my mom waited a few years in between (I’d never be able to). You’ll know when your ready, right now you need to come to terms with your loss. Gavin was a part of your life for 17 years…that’s a lifetime! You can’t be expected to rush through the grieving process.
Any time you want to talk Cindy we’re here for you…if not in open chat private messaging is an option.
 
I really am in a spot where I couldn't get a puppy right now even if I wanted one. If Mom has surgery in 2-3 months, well, the 2000 mile car ride would be hell with a little one. and Mom's place is not easily puppy proofed. So I am looking at the other end of that, which would by 4-5 months at the earliest assuming I stay 2 months. But that could easily shift by a few months. I wish Gavin's breeder was still here, but she moved to Kentucky I think well over a decade ago.
 
so when I lost my first dog (not a sheltie), I couldn't stand the empty house and I adopted a rescue adult boy (not a sheltie) within a month and a couple years later got him a friend from sheltie rescue. then the first sheltie puppy...... and the next and the next and the next.
I don't know how things would have gone if I didn't have the others when I lost Cranberry last fall
 
I'd be up for fostering, but I don't know how telling them the dog has to be returned to them before Mom's surgery (whenever that is, maybe 3 months) would work.
I'm still chasing down diarrhea smells. there is one area remaining that I can't find the source. doesn't help that a lot of the rugs are brown...
 
Cindy said:
I can't imagine not having another Sheltie to love.
I am saving all the dog beds, harnesses, gear, etc.
Just putting them away for a time.
I read that people commonly grieve their pets for about a year (some longer, some shorter).
That sounds about right, But I hope I don't feel this lost for a whole year.
Click to expand...
Cindy, everyone's journey is personal and unique. You can't yet know when you will be ready to love again. I welcomed Asher three months after bidding Layla farewell, but that didn't mean I stopped mourning her. Most days I smile, remembering something funny and endearing she did or marvel at the comfort she brought to so many. Yet there are moments when I miss her with every fiber of my being.

Grief is like the ocean. Right now, you're engulfed by the crashing waves of grief. The storm will pass, and the waves subside. At length, the sea of sorrow will calm, and you'll start to see the beauty beyond the overwhelming surge of loss. Days may come when a wave of grief washes ove you, but by then, you will have learned to swim through the feelings -- maybe not alone.
 
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