It’s good to see you back. I can feel your loss and no words will make it go away.

glad to see you blogging again--was beginning to worry a little.  It is tough, but I think waiting is a wise decision.  You might find that the independence outweighs the need--then again, you might decide it is time for another dog, perhaps one that is a little more independent and one that does not require quite as much “watching.” Based on what I have learned about you by reading your blog and the occasional emails over the last few years, I know you will make the right decision and a well thought out one!!  I was the same way when we lost our other cat after 18 years--he was more dogl-ike than cat-like and once the initial sadness wore off, much as I missed him, I decided that we would not get another. And then, as you know, the decision was taken out of my hands when i was presented a new kitten for Christmas this year!!  The kitten who turned a year old in July and is now sprawled out in front of my computer, tail hanging over the keyboard and making swipes at my hands as I type!!  So, who knows, you could be presented with a new puppy and then there will be no decision to be made!!  Thinking about you........

There is a day on the not-to-distant horizon when we will be without a dog to care for. We’re already talking about what the replacement might be, but even if we don’t get a new dog, we still have the rabbit, the cockatiel, and the goldfish.

Thanks Gary. Yep, it’s one of those time things. Can’t rush it.

Cyn, I swear if anyone gifted me with a dog for Christmas, I’d be sorely tempted to strangle them. A kitten? Now that’s a completely different matter. Of course, Abbie would have a little something to say about that, but, somehow or other, cats usually fit themselves to their circumstances and flourish. (Stinky was a notable exception to that, though. He clearly chose us for his family and that was all there was to it.) Dogs, on the other hand, need to be on something of the same wavelength as their humans. I think they have to pick you and not the other way around. It’s funny, when I decided to get a greyhound, I’d had my heart set on another one. That dog didn’t see me for dust and Terry simply fell all over me. She made it clear that she was my dog. And so she was.

Pablo, I still have one cat and seven guppies. Not quite the same activity level as with a rabbit and a cockatiel, though. I used to have a rabbit. He was a the neatest little fellow. Litter box trained and everything. Personality galore. Did you acquire your little menagerie yourself or did your kids contribute to the cause? ;)

It’s pretty clear to me that I will be acquiring something else and probably in the not too distant future. I just simply do not like a quiet house. I like activity in my house. I do not have any difficulty finding serenity in the midst of a house full of chaos. It think I must thrive on it or something. It’s just tooooo quiet around here now.