In a way, I actually get the next dog, before something happens. I'd been thinking about getting a Collie, but didn't seriously start looking, until I found out Maddie had cancer. I didn't want Murph to be alone, for however long it might take me to be ready for another dog, so that was the catalyst for that decision. She died about a year and half, after I got Oz.

Then after she died, with Murph being 13, I started thinking about Oz being alone. I started looking on petfinder about 2 months after she died. I even inquired on a couple I fell in love with from their pictures. They were puppies so they were snatched up very fast, before I could make them mine. I always feel like everything happens for a reason though and then shortily there after, Murph hurt his knee. Probably lucky none of those puppies worked out. I put off any thoughts of a puppy while he was healing.

A few more months passed and I finally felt Murph was ready to deal with a puppy. I continued looking on petfinder, but also breeder sites for Border Terriers, Australian Cattle Dogs and Collies. Couldn't bring myself to consider another Cairn. Maddie's too much to live upto I think. I kept coming back to Collies, because they feel "right" to me. So approx 6 mos passed from the time of Maddie's death to getting Gully.

The first week I had Gully was not good. I cried everyday about Maddie. His sparkling lil' personality though, lil' by lil', wheedled his way into my heart. Such a lil' character, he had me laughing with all his antics and exhuberance. I then realized I had room in my heart for him too and that he had in no way replaced Maddie. She was still with me. In fact, my memory of her is incredibly vivid, even 10 months later. It's like she's not really gone. Her presence walks among us everyday.

I had always said I'd never get another Cairn, because Maddie's impossible to live upto and on the flip side, because Murph was an extremely hard puppy to raise. My mind's bending a lil' on that though. I find myself looking at Murph and just can't imagine not having a lil' ray of sunshine that burns so brightly in a Cairn in my life. Sometimes I think Border Terrier, but more and more I think maybe another lil' Cairny. Hopefully it'll be a ways down the road, before I have to make that kind of decision.

Anyways, I think everybody needs to do what feels "right" for them. It's different for everybody and there's no one "right" way.

Par...