I have been thinking a lot about getting a dog again. My former canine companion passed away about 5 years ago. I still feel like he is going to greet me at the door whenever I come home, or start barking when someone knocks at our door.
He was a huge black and tan Rottweiler – Sheppard mix and may have put on a show for strangers but he never came close to hurting other people or any other animal. He was scary to look at until you got to know him. He was named ICE for ‘I Chew Everything.” He lived up to his name. When he was a pup anything was fair game, shoes, food, socks, a tennis ball had a life span of a few days.
As he got older he learned to stick to his chew toys and maybe a daily tennis ball. I had to train him rigorously because he was so big. because he was half Rottweiler, he liked to ‘mouth’ people’s hands. This freaked some people out until they could see how well trained he was.( I had previously worked with guard dogs ).
He slept with me every night, except when I was away for a year after meeting Marilyn ( my late wife ) . Her Labrador would never allow another dog into the house.
Marilyn died that fall at age 44 from a vicious cancer throughout her whole body . We didn’t even make it to our first anniversary. Ice died March of that year. He was 14 years old. 5 years ago.
So I am thinking hard before I get another dog. I know I will not marry again.
Living with Mental illness 
How awful for you to have lost two loved companions within such a short time of each other. Why not borrow a friend’s dog or foster a dog for a while, just to make sure you’re ready for another one. We gave our dog a home after he had been abandoned as a very sick pup. I know he’s not going to last forever but he’s been with us almost eight years now and I can’t imagine not having him around.
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Thank you for the advice. I will contact the Humane Society to see if the have a fostering program.
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Eric I am so sorry your love story with Marilyn was so short on this plane of existence. The first year of our marriage my husband and I adopted Rocky – a mostly Shepard mix. He was a wonderful dog who was nine months old when we brought our daughter home from the hospital. He immediately became the baby’s guardian – lying by her crib at night. Letting her pull his collar without a whimper – she practically hanged the poor dog – but he took it all in four legged stride. One day when he was four and half years old Rocky walked into a wall and began to drool. I rushed him to the vet – epilepsy. The vet told me such a large dog could be dangerous around small children if it had an episode. With the heaviest of hearts I put him down. I had never cried that hard before or have I ever again. It was awful. My own daughter went through chemo between ages 25 -27. Her own beloved and very old bulldog had to be put down during that time. We got her a new puppy the same week. My daughter has so much love in her for animals that she must have a dog in her life. My daughter is cancer-free now, and Shadow is nearly 8 years old. She brings us all joy, so Eric get yourself that new dog. I can see from your profile photo that you are a loving person, and some lucky canine needs you. Be well. Thanks for visiting my site. Sending light your way.
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Thank you for sharing your storey and your very kind words.
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