I honestly cannot see me making it to March without a puppy. I'm already locked into scouring breeder ad sites. Had to just stop myself picking up the phone for a litter that's ready now in Swansea.

Stopped myself because part of the reason I was drawn to them was that one of them looks just like Pilau as a puppy. Feels like fate...which is ridiculous magical thinking. I am currently forcing myself to wait.

That said, I daresay mum or J or Our Kid would be willing to look after the pup for a couple of nights while I go away.

's possible of course that as life settles down into some kind of normalcy the draw will lessen and I may end up waiting after all.

But in the entire eight years that J and I lived without a dog, I never ever stopped feeling that there was a dog shaped hole in my life. I was one of those sad people who used to buy dog magazines to pore over puppy pics and dream of having my own dog. And think up possible names for future dogs.

Over the last few months during Pil's decline, I reassured myself by imagining his successor sometimes. Which was also partly about remembering his puppyhood.

Me without a dog just doesn't feel right. Never did.

March seems like a long time to me as well. Dog people are pack animals, we need that connection and denying that need reeks of puritanism. I wouldn't call it magical thinking though, maybe primitive lizard brain thinking? We know what our pack looks like. -Merlin via Griff

Hahaha. Well said Merlin. I like that. That's a nice reframe.

Y'know, it's funny. When we got Pilau he turned out to be a sickly little pup. Looked healthy when we brought him home but within a few days the problems started. He nearly died a few times during those first couple of months whilst they tried to figure out what was wrong with him. Turned out he'd been born with a whipworm infection. Difficult to identify in youngsters.

If someone had said to me back then that this dog will get to 13 years old, I would never have believed them.

I am aware that by getting another puppy I am also stepping back onto the worry-go-round :p

Little buggers inevitably get into your heart quicker than you realise and I believe standard practice is to realise they've fully integrated into the household whilst waiting to see if the chicken bone they've swallowed is going to be safely removed, or some such equally scary nighttime visit to the emergency vets.

Rudyard Kipling explained this obsession so brilliantly in his work The Power Of The Dog.

No matter when a dog comes into your life again Dana, he can be certain that he is a very lucky dog indeed :)

What a great card SG, with a lovely picture!! Dana is quite right, it is good to cry. Cry all you want to, let the grief out.

Sorry for your loss, Dana.

I remember making a joke about similar traits between dogs and marines...

Yet there's one big quality they have in common. Fidelity.

Thankyou. Honestly I don't know how I'd be coping right now if it wasn't for all of you. I've been pretty ok for most of today. The odd wobbly moment, but mostly ok. But right now, this very moment I'm feeling bereft. I miss my Pilau. And it seems wrong that I'm about to enter a new year that he won't be any part of.

And I see him everywhere in my mind's eye. Sometimes nice but sometimes not so nice memories keep flitting through my mind. The truth is I left the decision a couple of days too long. But that's with hindsight. I'm not beating myself up over it. But it means there are some fucking tragic images in my mind right now.

He was a beautiful dog.

I know I'm being a bit maudlin. But I'm having a really bad moment just now.

You've probably made up your mind, but I would suggest getting a mutt, rather than another BC. A true successor, rather a replacement. They're easier to come by, and more in need, also. Just a thought.:blush:

Ach...It'll be another beardie

I fell in love with the breed before I got Pilau. Mum had a beardie pup that died in an accident at 6 months. That's why I ended up getting a bearded collie. He was beautiful. A real bonny lad. Prior to that we (the family) had always tended towards smaller dogs, like terriers.

I like the particular character of the bearded collie. Almost as intelligent as a border collie but much less highly strung.

Yeah, thought so. :lol:

*grins*

I'm nothing if not consistent :p

I know what you mean, Dani.

I love cats - all cats - but if I had the time and money I would get another Singapura.
I've tried to persuade family and friends looking for cats to do the same - no dice.
They cuddle Diz like they're going to eat him up when they come here though.

Do what makes you happy.

I can't imagine you choosing any other cat than a Singapura, if you had your druthers.

If I ever decided to get a cat I'd give serious consideration to that breed, because he is one of the most staggeringly beautiful cats I've ever seen. I never stopped being fascinated by Pilau's fur. The colour of him and the way he looked when he was in motion, for instance. Singapuras are similarly fascinating. To be able to see the ancient wild cat in his movements, yet to have such a friendly character is a lovely mix.

Its hard getting another puppy after losing your life friend. When I lost Marty (Rotti at 10 yrs old), I was a mess for weeks....had days off work, wasnt getting another puppy because I didnt want to feel that loss ever again.

A month later, although the live in bf had Tazzie (Irish Wolfhound) that I loved, I felt something was missing and it took me a little while to realise I needed another dog. I was not getting another Rotti because I didnt want to compare it to him all the time, but I needed another best mate.

I got a Clyde, who had a bit of Bulldog in him.....now I am in love with the American Bulldog breed. I realised from Lucy that all the traits I loved in Clyde - came from that part of him.

Although I am really really over Jackson's clothesline antics and his general naughtiness, and I miss Clyde a great deal still...I bawl over him and my Dad weekly...I love having that male dog in my life and you "know" when its time...which you do....you also know that you love that breed.

I look forward to meeting the new addition when the time and the puppy is right.