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Hi Kristin, first off, I am very sorry for your loss.
I have lost two golden boys to cancer also and it was not easy with any of them. After my first golden died, I thought I would die. He was only 5 1/2 years old. What tore me out of my sadness, was getting another golden puppy a month later. He was totally different from the other golden and I bonded even closer with him and I had him for 12 1/2 years. When he died, I was devastated again, but since I had been through a loss before, it was just a little bit easier to cope.
About three months after losing Sam, I adopted a black lab mix from a kill shelter. The lab mix was 10 months already and he was soo different and I kept comparing him to my golden and he did not measure up at the time. He was young, he was untrained and destructive. I was not sure if I had done the right thing, even though I really wanted this dog. I had a talk with my older sister and she said to me: 'I think you feel like you are betraying Sam if you love this new dog "Thunder". It is okay to love again and of course he is different than Sam.' You know, that really helped. That was exactly how I felt. I felt like I was betraying Sam. It was like a burden was lifted off my shoulders and my heart and I loved Thunder and stopped comparing him to Sam. Thunder is now almost 11 years old and such a good boy, I am sooo glad, that I adopted him.
Two years after adopting Thunder, I got a 7 1/2 week old golden retriever puppy "Toby". Toby also looked totally different than Sam. Toby is light golden and Sam was medium golden. At the time, I had also looked for a golden that looked just like Sam. But when I saw Toby, it was mutual love at first sight and I feel like Sam guided me. So, you see, when you see the dog that was ment for you, it does not matter what he looks like. You just know: that is the one for you.
Toby and Sam are related, Toby is Sam's nephew. As Toby is getting older, I can see some of the same facial expressions, but Toby is still different and you know what? I think I bonded with Toby even more and deeper than with Sam if that is at all possible. As wonderful as that is, it also scares the heck out of me. I really don't know what happens if I lost Toby. Especially lately, I have been through so much with Toby. He had a TPLO on his right knee in October and FHO on his left hip in December. He is just my baby, he will turn 9 years this year. Very very scary.
But, you see, it is okay to love another dog, another golden again. The golden you lost, is always in your heart, nothing can take that away from you.
I still think a lot about both goldens I lost and I remember their little quirks and how much they added to my life. I would not have missed that for the world and I know they had a happy life with me and they want me to be happy.
You have so much more love to give and why not share it with another golden, whether it is a pup or an adult. They are sooooooo worth it!
 
It took us (me actually) 8 months for Jessie after losing Casey and I can't say enough how Jessie has helped me. I was actually hoping for similar traits but it's Jessie's differences that are so funny and wonderful. I'm still grieving for Casey and I know I always will, tears are coming now. But, when I see that little smiling, mischevious face of our Jessie, I have to smile. And that's what life should be about..giving love and smiling..and always having a golden.
 
Your heart will grow to fit your new love. I also think their hearts are big enough to want you to find someone else to love and help you heal. It is in their honor i have always gotten another rescue.

I've rescued four older/senior goldens since 2002. The second one, Boomer, was so attuned to me that he had DTs when I left the room. My FIL said he didn't know old dogs could learn to love someone new that much.

I turned Copper down when the shelter called about him. I had rescued an adult male(maybe 5?) from that shelter three months before and he had so much baggage we had a lot of work to do. Copper ran out of time and the rescues turned him down so I took him in. Copper started out as a pity rescue and I thought I had my main man Chance to help when I lost Copper since Copper was appreciably older.

Yep - Chance died 2 years later most likely from Hamangio and Copper stepped right into his shoes. From second place to dog of my heart. I still grieve him and he died Oct. 22, 2010. I think the reason I am finding it so very hard to accept that is that this time I made the mistake of not getting another Golden since my husband was against it. A little mixed breed mama and her puppies showed up last May and we kept one puppy and the little mama. My Bassett mix that Copper raised is now my main man.

I think I must always have a dog and although I am now goldenless and will be for years (we have four mixed breeds we've rescued) I still think they are the greatest and absolutely love, love, love their people.
 
I waited two days after we lost Lady. My father died on Sunday and Lady died on Tuesday. I was really stressed, and my wife thought I needed to replace her so she did an online search of shelters. She found Lucy the next day in a shelter 240 miles away and called them immediately. We made the trip the following day and brought her home. She has been with us seven years now and has been the best dog we have ever had. She is my shadow. We realize she is getting old [she was three when we got her], so last February we got a golden puppy for her to train. There have been some jealousy issues, but overall they have been great companions. The training has not worked out as we hoped, though, because Lucy has learned some of Amber's bad habits [like counter surfing].
 
I am the type that cannot go without a dog. Having a dog defines the person I am.

I lost my heart dog Goliath over 4 years ago. He went to the bridge at the age of thirteen. I brought Brady into our home about 8 months earlier because I knew I needed him to help me and my kids to heal.

We have now had Brady five years this week, and the past month I have been thinking that he is my second heart dog. The bond that we have has really grown deeper as time goes by. We do have another golden too, and I do love her to pieces, but Brady and I have something very special like Goliath and I had - but it took time.

I find that my bond has been always closer with the male dogs and cats that I have had than the females, where I think the females having bonded more with my husband.

My heart goes out to any one who puts off getting another dog because they are afraid of the pain of another loss. I think the pain of the empty house and loneliness everyday is worse.
 
Cubbysan

Kristin
I am so very, very, sorry for your loss of Teddy and I pray you will find that your next dog becomes a Heart Dog, too. I feel very blessed that I am able to REALLY LOVE EVERY dog we've had. I think the ones that I HAVE CHOSEN, that were rescues, are the ones I love the most.



Cubbysan

When you said, "I am the type that cannot go without a dog and having a dog defines who I am," you are also talking about me!! I think that every dog Ken and I have ever had has been my Heart Dog.
What makes me love a dog -even more and bond with them more is how NEEDY THEY ARE!!
IF I had to choose my Heart Dogs, I would have to say Munchkin (Female Samoyed we adopted) and Smooch (Female Golden Retriever, we adopted) definitely were. This is the first time I HAVE chosen a male Golden and Tucker is fast becoming a Heart Dog, too!!
 
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My heart dog was my golden/collie mix, Winnie. I had her for 14 years before I let her go to the Bridge due to cancer. She was exactly what I needed when I was healing from a nasty divorce. She and I bonded in a way I have not with Lucy and Desi. I love Lucy and Desi and would never give them up but there is still a small Winnie-shaped hole in my heart that they can never fill.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. When I was 3 years old my parents brought home a pure bred white German shepherd named Lady. She was the most amazing dog I have ever met. She was not well trained but would come to you like a Bullet when you mentioned her name. She treated my and I like we were her own and never let us out of her sight. She was the opposite of a gaurd dog and would let strangers into the yard and treat them like family. Lady died when she was 13.5 years old. I thought I would never be able to get over losing her. I slept with her collar in my bed for 3 weeks after she died just to keep the smell of her near me. I guess you can say that she was my heart dog. My entire family was crushed when she died that we decided to wait before getting another dog. We waited 4 and a half years. This October I decided that it was time to move on and get a puppy though we decided to go for a different breed ( though I wouldnt hesitate for a minute to get another shepherd). Afteruch deliberation we decided on the Golden Retriever. We found a fantastic CKC registered breeder only 25 minutes away from our house who had a brand new 1 week old litter of 7. We went for a visit not knowing what to expect and instantly fell in love with the little puppies and put down a deposit. To be honest we only decided to go witha female because we had such a fantastic experience with Lady. We didn't decide on which puppy to bring home until they were 5 weeks old. I think this was key to getting the right dog for us because we were able to see them grow and get an idea of their personalities. We brought Ripley home at 8 weeks and have been in love with her ever since. For some it takes time but for others it's best to move on right away. If you feel the need to get another puppy right away, don't hesitate because if your heart is telling you to move on, then listen to it.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. When I was 3 years old my parents brought home a pure bred white German shepherd named Lady. She was the most amazing dog I have ever met. She was not well trained but would come to you like a Bullet when you mentioned her name. She treated my and I like we were her own and never let us out of her sight. She was the opposite of a gaurd dog and would let strangers into the yard and treat them like family. Lady died when she was 13.5 years old. I thought I would never be able to get over losing her. I slept with her collar in my bed for 3 weeks after she died just to keep the smell of her near me. I guess you can say that she was my heart dog. My entire family was crushed when she died that we decided to wait before getting another dog. We waited 4 and a half years. This October I decided that it was time to move on and get a puppy though we decided to go for a different breed ( though I wouldnt hesitate for a minute to get another shepherd). Afteruch deliberation we decided on the Golden Retriever. We found a fantastic CKC registered breeder only 25 minutes away from our house who had a brand new 1 week old litter of 7. We went for a visit not knowing what to expect and instantly fell in love with the little puppies and put down a deposit. To be honest we only decided to go witha female because we had such a fantastic experience with Lady. We didn't decide on which puppy to bring home until they were 5 weeks old. I think this was key to getting the right dog for us because we were able to see them grow and get an idea of their personalities. We brought Ripley home at 8 weeks and have been in love with her ever since. For some it takes time but for others it's best to move on right away. If you feel the need to get another puppy right away, don't hesitate because if your heart is telling you to move on, then listen to it.
What an insightful and lovely first post. Welcome to the forum. I hope you'll stay and share some pictures of your new baby girl.
 
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