The loss of a Yorkie

I had a toy Yorkie "Sierra" that was my pride and joy for fourteen years. A month ago she got really really sick and we had to put her down. I have talked to a few people who suggested I get another dog but I am afraid that no dog will ever compare to Sierra. But then again I am such a Yorkie lover... Is it better to wait and grieve or get another one?

I am so sorry for your loss. My husband & I had a yorkie that got sick suddenly and ended up having to be put down. We were devastated. So I do understand how painful the loss is. But I would wait before getting another yorkie. We waited about 4 months before we got one. The puppy was so sweet but I don't think I ever bonded with him like I should have. I probably should have waited a year or so, before getting another one. In my mind, I think I compared the new pup to our 1st one. Which isn't fair. Each dog is completely different from each other. In my mind I knew that but in my heart, I made the comparison.
Whatever you do, I hope you find a new friend that helps fill the void.
Good luck.

I realize this is such a late response but I just felt I needed to share my experiences also.

First and foremost I feel your pain and am so sorry for your loss.

In 2004 I lost 2 yorkies and 2 boxers. It was the most painful year I have ever been through. The first Yorkie died after giving birth - something we could never have known she had - and she was just 2 years old. The worst part of that loss was I was away. She wasn't due to whelp for another week and a half. I got a call at 11:30 pm to tell me she was gone.

Then about a month later I needed to put my Boxer of 12 yrs. down due to a spinal disorder and she became very incontinent. Again - the pain of saying goodbye. My friend who is a Vet Tech came to the house to give her an injection. We had decided to bury her on our property - so my husband had gone out and dug a hole - Do you know this dog had never been on the side of the house before and pulled me over to where the hole was, layed down on her special blanket and looked at me to say It's okay - it's time. That night I had a dream of her getting up on all 4 legs again and running in the field. It was beautiful and it will always be with me.

Next was my almost 15 yr. old Yorkie. She had been on medicine for her heart and the medicine caused Kidney problems. I had been keeping her alive with fluids under the skin for about 6 months - on and off - the day before her kidneys failed she was totally okay - Having her go down in just a couple of hours was another shock. She was my very first Yorkie and it was the hardest goodbye I ever had to experience. I thought loosing the other 2 just months prior was hard. Anyone who knew me and my Yorkie knew she would hit my heart the worst.

Then to top everything off 4 months later the son of my female boxer got very sick. We finally found out through weeks of testing and medicine he had a blood clot lodged in his heart. We were trying some new drugs to dissolve the clot but it was making him so sick he couldn't eat and he just had water running out of him. Unfortunately the clot dislodged itself and he died immediately of a heart attack. He was only 7 yrs. old.

I think what got me through each and every painful episode was the fact that I had other Yorkies in the house. They needed my attention. It didn't mean that I didn't cry or grieve for my lost family, it just meant that life goes on and you will move on too in time.

Each of us deals with grief in very different ways. Some move on quickly, others need the time to come to terms with the loss. Getting another dog is never a replacement - it is another dog or cat or whatever to love and care for. You do tend to compare sometimes but you quickly realize there is only one like the one you lost. The new puppy or kitten has its very own personallity and you will both come to love each other.

Again I feel your pain - but know that you will move on to a comfortable place and you will know when it is right for the next animal to capture your heart.

Pauline

Now I have to add my experience I had a little baby teacup yorkie he was MY LIFE, I have incurable cancer and he was with me through all of my treatments and surgeries. I would talk to him and lay down with him and when I was sick it was like he knew and comforted me when I got through my first round of treatments chemo and radiation I thought I beat the cancer and was so thrilled. Well my baby his name was Piton got sick he cried all day and night, I took him to 5 vets. Each one suggested that my baby had a liver shunt issue. It would be a costly operation that may not even work. I have 3 kids to take care of and when the vets told me it would cost 15k for the entire surgery I couldnt afford it and had to do the hardest thing I ever did my baby was put down. I had to walk away I couldnt see them kill my 3 year old dog he was a baby. It was like my child was being put down. I cried for 2 days straight It was so bad I thought Id never get over it. I wanted another one just like him but my husband thought it was a bad idea so 2 days after my yorkie died he took me and we bought a chihuahua. I have to say I didnt feel the same about him at first he was short haired so I couldnt do his hair like my Yorkie and he was a bit nippy and my other baby would never nip at me. SO I nagged my husband for a yorkie he was so miserable because he felt how could I want another Yorkie? But I did. I went to a breeder and after crying to my husband I bought him. I purposely got a larger size Yorkie a toy size (big mistake) I should have gotten the tiny one Ive been longing for but I was afraid that the smaller they were the bigger chance of the dog dying again. SO I got my yorkie and he turned out to be 12 pounds. I love him so much because he is a VERY loving dog he kisses my kids and gets along with everyone but had his share of fights with my CHihuahua Princeton. Then I realized how much Princeton loves me. When he would fight chili just to be next to me I was sad. Chili almost chewed Princetons ear off once but now they get along fine all of a sudden. I think because Prince backs off now hes afraid of Chili. So to make a long story short. I have 2 dogs that I adore now it took 2 to replace one.. and I know in my heart I will own a dog till the day I die. Well after all of this my cancer came back, Now its incurable. I still think of my baby that died when I get chemo and wish he was here. I hope I see him again when I die. I really cant live without a dog. If one of these dogs die I go out the next day and buy another one I will only buy chihuahuas and yorkies nothing else and next time I will get a teacup. I adore the small dogs its like having a baby forever they never grow they stay cute forever. I will never forget my baby Piton who died he had a great personality.

I have only just joined and i am sorry for your loss. If you havent already, i suggest you get another one. My yorkie died last year in may at the age of 3! sudden cancer of the brain had to put her to sleep straight away for the pain, i was heart broken and swore id never have another one as no one could replace her or compare to her, she was my baby and i felt i had lost an arm. Nut 3 months later my boyfriend came home with this fluffy bundle and at first i didnt want her, but couldnt help but love her, and since day one i have been so over protective of her she is my life saver, i wanted to give up from my loss, and now she keeps me going, she makes me happy again, she is not any thing like the one i lost, but she is herself and i am close in a different way and would never wanted it any different. I still think of my lossed baby everyday and it still hurts, but my new one makes me smile and we are happy. Im sorry i waffled, but i hope that helped you if it isnt too late!