THANKS for advice.Grand-dog (1 year old) tried to eat 2d sock yesterday, and surgery failed.

[elleng]

Family very sad.

Thinking of gifting them another. Should I? Daughter's b'day 27 June, grand daughter & grand son soon. Son in law may be most attached to pups. Should I do such?



Spoke with son i law, he said they're 'devastated,' and grandson in partcicular. He'll be 11 soon.

They're 'gonna take some time.'

[MIButterfly]

1. Oh elleng, I am so sorry.

How awful for you and your family.

As for gifting them with another, I don't know what to say. Maybe it's too soon. Maybe it isn't. I think you should play it by ear; maybe kind of try to figure out how they feel without asking them. I know this isn't very helpful, but I think you should do what you think best.

Again, I extend to you my sympathy on the loss of your grand-puppy.

[BigmanPigman]

2. I've thought of doing something similar

in the past but I decided against it for several reasons. Mainly, I feel people and dogs choose each other. There is a connection on a whole different level and it defies words.

I would just mention it and see how it goes. Play it by ear since at times like this emotions change very quickly. I wouldn't want to force a "poor" match.

[hlthe2b]

3. Yes... I tend to agree. Only elleng can begin to know how they would react, but the suggestion that one

...dog (puppy) can replace another, could be taken wrong by some (no matter how UNINTENDED), and it may be that they need a little time to grieve the one to which they had already become attached.

I'm sorry for the pain of losing a dog this way. Puppies, like children, can be a real challenge to keep safe...

[Laurelin]

4. I'm so sorry

It's such an individual thing, getting a new puppy when you lose another. I can't live without a dog so, if I don't already have an Emergency Backup Dog, I get one very quickly. But some people really can't bear the thought of another dog. Maybe you can talk to them and offer a pup?

Losing a puppy is just awful. My condolences.

[elleng]

5. I'm messed up since heard grandson (almost 11) is 'devasted.' I've rarely heard/seen such

dramatic language from son in law who wrote it to me, so now re-reading it, and thinking of 'devasted' grandson, has really got me.

Son in law said they will 'take some time,' after I offered to help them find another pup, so they're in good hands, I think. Thanks for your thoughts.

(I thought of getting one for myself recently, as it's been quite a while for me and I'm home alone, so it's a 'family thing. I'll wait, and look at family & pup pics.)

[Laurelin]

6. That's so difficult to hear

It isn't really relevant because I do believe that coping with loss is individual, but in case it helps:
I usually have multiple dogs. I try for 2 but mostly dogs in need find me, and sometimes I have 3, which i feel is excessive (not so long ago I had 3 dogs, 3 rescue cats and 2 rescue rabbits. I felt like a hoarder.) Over time the dogs got old and died one by one. When the last one died, a year and a half ago, I wasn't planning to replace her. I live in the Netherlands now, I am getting older, I want to travel, and no dogs have arrived on my doorstep in need. I put away all my dog equipment and tried to cope but I was just lost. I've never gotten a purebred dog from a breeder but that was looking like my only option so I started doing research. I always wanted a labrador so I joined the labrador society, researched genetic testing, and found a breeder. I also looked at training videos online ( it was 10 years since my last puppy). That's a long explanation to say it helped, and I did get a puppy 2 months after my last pup died.

I'm sorry your grandson is devastated. Many dog owners completely understand. Some decide they never want to experience that grief again and some of us decide we can't cope without a dog. I know you'll be there for your family. ❤️‍🩹

[elleng]

7. I'm sure that coping is individual. Quick chat's do seem to help.

I've never had more than one dog at a time, tho family I've described here have. I'm glad to see they're giving it some time. I helped with theirs when they were on vacation once. (I can't stay with cats, due to allergies.) MAYBE I'll help them in the future. I look foreward to caring for pets some time.