Advice on dog?

[xSummer]

I actually need advice myself. I lost my dog this past March which I had for 15 years. When he was 8 we got another dog and although they were stand off at first, they become close, in a brother sister closeness. Whe

n he passed, she was depressed for weeks. Now I've noticed that she always wants attention and even if I walk down to the mailbox and back she acts like I left for a week. She plays now and isn't as depressed. As a family, we decided to get another puppy, only 8 weeks old. I guess my question is just because we want a puppy, should we get one? Should we take the attention away from her? I feel like she wants a friend because she will bark at dogs when she sees them and cry when they disappear, however if she has a chance she will run after them barking and growl but never bite, kind of like saying she's the boss. Should I get another puppy or should she be our only one?

[hrtbrk]

Another dog will probably help her, especially if she has separation anxiety. Her mother instincts should kick in.

[Mouseykins]

I second what hrtbrk said. Angel our our 11 year old Jack Russel passed away last year and Mouse started acting the same way. She still gets super excited when we come home, more so then she used too. We do want to get her bred so she can have a littler of puppies and we'll keep one for a companion for her and to continue on the line. Angel was Mouse's mom so it was a bit of a hard adjustment for her but she settled in well after a while.

 

A new puppy would probably be a welcomed companion for her. Just watch that both get equal amounts of attention and one isn't favored over the other. If the puppy is that little , she'll probably mother the little one and have a companion when no one is home.

 

Just a warning: Puppies are terrors when they're teething XD They will chew and eat anything and everything they can get. So make sure you puppy proof. Much like baby proofing. XD

(You're probably already aware of that but had to throw that in there from my own personal experiences.) :D

 

Best of luck with a new puppy and your girl!

[~Xandria]

Awh, this is heartbreaking. I'm going to second what everyone else said. Your dog is used to having another dog in the house with her and now she doesn't want to be alone. Another dog 'should' help... but it will probably take awhile to. There's going to be an adjustment period just like there was the first time, so you should be wary of that. Also, some dogs react differently to puppies than they would an adult dog.

 

My suggestion would be to find a friend who has a puppy that they can bring over. Maybe you could even puppy sit for a couple of days? See how your dog reacts to the puppy and make sure she isn't too agressive. Mother instincts might kick in, but then again... that may never happen, and she will just end up more jealous and lonely. I would go into this with caution as I have dealt with the same thing in the past. I tried introducing a new puppy to my adult dog when her brother passed and it just never worked. I ended up getting another adult dog from the pound, and that worked out fine.

 

So before you go out and buy your new puppy you may want to test the waters. :)

 

I'm also really sorry for your loss.

[Jadey]

Definitely get another dog. She sounds like she really needs attention and bringing a new puppy into the family will give her something to do as well. I was in the same situation a few years ago, but with my cats. I'd had Bella and Banjo for years and they were so close, and in the middle of winter I found Bella had drowned in the neighbours pool. I kept finding Banjo sitting on the little hill that overlooked the neighbours pool just watching it for hours and hours. He wouldn't eat or interact with us, so I took him to the vet and the vet diagnosed him with depression and said the best thing for him would be to get a new little kitten. I was outraged at the time because it had only been two weeks since Bella had passed and I was still mourning the loss, but as I was leaving the vets there was a cage of dumped kittens and there was an absolute tiny one that caught my eye. In the moment, I rescued her and brought her home. Banjo didn't like the new addition Annie at all, but it got him eating when she tried to eat his food and got him interacting with us because he didn't want her to have the attention. Now, a few years later their best friends and do everything together. I think it was the best decision even though it was really soon after the sudden loss of Bella.

 

I hope my little story helps in some way haha