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I understand how people feel about losing their pets and I think Scooby put it very well on why we can't dwell on life span. I lost my beautiful adopted Sheltie a few years ago and still have her pics on my phone. I still think of her often. I now have a silly little Cockapoo named Rosie who keeps me laughing with her antics and feeling well-loved. I think that if you are going to have a dog or any loving pet, you need to accept that their life spans are much shorter than ours and you will one day have to deal with their loss. I spend every day showing my little dog affection, playing with her, keeping her safe and healthy and giving her a loving home. Both of my lovely dogs were rescues. Rosie is 5 years old now and I lost Skye when she was only 11 years old. I had expected to have her at least til 13 or 14 but it was not to be. I know someday I will lose Rosie too but I will treasure the time we had together and will never forget her. And yes when the time is right, I will adopt another needy pup and give them a forever home.
"I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years (or less even), what would it be if they were to live double that time?"
Sir Walter Scott
I agree with Scooby and GenuineDogShop's posts...one can't go into dog ownership worrying too much about how long they will live. We don't wonder the same about having human kids.
Grief is the price we pay for love and I'm willing to do it over and over again. We just lost our beloved Sammy Davis two short months ago. He was 11 1/2 and had been with us 3 1/2 years. He was our foster dog and after getting no applications for him, we adopted him ourselves. Yes....it hurts still but we wouldn't have traded these few short years for anything. It was our privilege to be his people. We still have four dogs...three are seniors and one is getting up there too so we know what the future holds. Until that day, it's 'love on' and enjoying each and every day. That's all any of us can do anyway...whether it be human or canine.
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