How long should one wait to get another pet after their old pet dies?

Let me tell you something. everyone handles the death of a beloved pet differently. Its been a while since I have lost a pet as our current dogs are ten years old now, but it does not mean I have forgotten the day that we had to put our previous German Shepard mix (Candy) down at the age of fifteen.

As long as I can remember, I have always lived with dogs so I have gone through the loss of a beloved pet at least a couple times. The first time I was faced with the death of a dog, I was only five and obviously at the time I had no understanding of the loss of a dog but the last time I was faced with the death of a dog was when I was twenty, which I still remember that like it was only yesturday. You see Candy in a sense grew up with me as I was only five years old when she was brought home. I don't even remember how long it was between the loss of the previous dog and when Candy came to join our household but all I do remember is how she put a mark on our life and how important she was for us.

Candy was a German Shepherd/Collie Mix and as a puppy she was a handful. I may have been only five but I do remember her tearing up the kitchen carpeting but she was only a puppy.

What made Candy so special. I really can't say other than she was always a motherhen. As long as I could remember is that she was a motherhen. Growing up we had two other dogs but they didn't leave the mark that she did and they didn't last as long as she did. In addition to Candy we had two cocker spaniels. One was blond and the other was red (Sandy and Happy). Sandy shared the same birthday as Candy and Happy was two years younger than them.

Candy was the ring leader of all the dogs in the house. When it was food time, she made sure the others knew that it was food time.

Growing up, Candy looked over me to the point that if I was running in the house, she used to chase me because to her it was unacceptable.

It really is up to each individual. Everyone deals with the death of a pet differently. We had my dog Lucky only two weeks before Candy was put down. I would not have changed those two week as he did keep her spirits up. You see Candy at this point could not walk. I mean she could walk, but we had to help her up so that she could walk. The two weeks before we did get Lucky, she hardly barked or did anything, but once Lucky was in the house, we actually did hear her barking. Basically when Candy left the world, he took her place by watching over us. We didn't stop at just having Lucky. A month later we ended up with another German Shepherd mix. Between the two dogs, they filled the void that Candy had left and when the time that we loose these two, they will leave a mark in our life like Candy had done previously to us.  No matter how much they drive me nuts at times, I would not change either one for the world.

I know I have said that its based on individual basis, but let me point out some good things about getting one right away. Yes you miss your previous dog, but l let me tell you one thing; no matter how long your beloved pet is gone, you will always miss them.

So what are the benefits of getting one right away? The main reason is that they will fill the void that your previous pet left.They won't replace them but they will fill that hole that you may be feeling. They will help keep your mind off the loss, but you will always remember that pet as that is a given.

They will give you a reason to live and to love them.

If you feel that you are not ready for a new pet, don't get them as you will end up bringing the pet back. So to conclude, there is no real answer but you have to go with what you feel best. Nobody can make the decision for you but yourself.Go with your feelings.