New Beginnings

When Danny died, I said no more dogs. The heartbreak was just too great. I could not imagine loving another dog and losing them too.

But the days pass slowly and the house is too quiet and we are too sad. I miss Danny’s companionship, playfulness and Golden smile.

We started thinking about adopting another Golden. This is not an easy decision. I asked myself a million questions. Had we mourned long enough ? Would it seem we were trying to replace or erase Danny’s memory ? Can I accept that a new dog will be unique (not Danny) and love him for himself ? Danny was an incredible dog – will my expectations be too great ?

After considerable soul searching, I realized that: My heart will always ache for Danny, just as it does for our other dogs; Danny will never be forgotten; Danny was not Jake (our first Golden), but we adored him.

Someone told us, if you are truly a dog person, you will always want a dog to share your life. Danny’s foster Mom, Linda, said it best – By getting a new dog, we honor our previous dog because they have added so much to our lives that even though the pain of losing them is great we are willing to risk our hearts all over again.

We will soon begin the Sunshine Golden Retriever Rescue adoption process (application, phone interview, home interview). With a little luck, by Thanksgiving, there may be a new member of our pack.