Anna, every person is different. I think I've told you this before, so forgive me for repeating myself. But, I knew my Cocker Spaniel, Kaycee, was very sick with Congestive Heart Failure, and after talking with my vet about how Helen and I would react to her eventual death, I made the decision to get a puppy for Helen for her 8th birthday. That's when Honey joined our family. Kaycee was like a "mom" to her and I think that Honey learned good things from her 3 months with Kaycee. The day that I had to make the decision to send Kaycee to the bridge was the hardest day of my life. Thank goodness that you have your Hunny and Roxie like we had Honey. She was a lifesaver for us. But the very next day after losing Kaycee, my good friend's Golden gave birth to 14 puppies. I made the decision that day (even wrote the check) to get a female puppy from that litter, and seven weeks later, Lilly joined our family. It was a good decision for us. I actually considered getting another Cocker Spaniel, but when that litter came so quickly after Kaycee's death and they were Honey's "half siblings" (same father) and it just seemed like it was meant to be.

You and Mark will know when you're ready. Whether it be an Angus "lookalike" or another dog that just grabs your heart, you'll know.

Logan