{"id":4058,"date":"2026-07-12T05:23:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T00:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=4058"},"modified":"2026-07-12T05:23:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T00:23:23","slug":"inquiring-minds-are-asking-how-soon-is-too-soon-to-get-a-new-dog-after-losing-your-four-legged-best-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=4058","title":{"rendered":"Inquiring minds are asking: How soon is too soon to get a new dog after losing your four-legged best friend?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">For those of you who are unfamiliar with some of the more personal aspects of my life, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-culture_article_main-content_article-body_6_4993053\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/culture\/so-long-rooney-ode-mans-best-friend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I lost my dog Rooney<\/a> about three and a half months ago.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">He was an 11\u201312-year-old <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-culture_article_main-content_article-body_6_4993054\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/lifestyle\/pets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lab mix<\/a> that my wife and I rescued in the latter half of his life, and even though we only had him for about six years, we created a lifetime of memories with him.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Even nearly four months later, I still find myself thinking about the hole he left in our lives and there are times when doing even mundane tasks around the house reminds me of him.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-culture_article_main-content_article-body_6_4993055\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/health\/womans-cancer-battle-takes-unbelievable-turn-when-her-dog-gets-same-diagnosis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>WOMAN&#8217;S CANCER BATTLE TAKES UNBELIEVABLE TURN WHEN HER DOG GETS SAME DIAGNOSIS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/343\/192\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/686\/384\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/672\/378\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1344\/756\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/931\/523\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1862\/1046\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/720\/405\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1440\/810\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1200\/675\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Sometimes the smallest dogs can be the biggest annoyance.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Sometimes the smallest dogs can be the biggest annoyance.<\/span> <span>(Baloncici)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">I say all of this to underscore that I still probably haven&#8217;t completely gotten over having to put him down back in March, so when talks started to commence in recent weeks about potentially looking for a new dog, I met those conversations with mixed emotions.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The first time my wife mentioned thinking about &#8220;the next dog,&#8221; my face scrunched in disgust.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">How could she even consider replacing Rooney so soon?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Then I thought a little more about it and considered <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-culture_article_main-content_article-body_6_4993056\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/lifestyle\/parenting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">my two-year-old son<\/a>, who only just started to develop a bond with Rooney right before we lost him.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">I got even more heartbroken imagining my son falling in love with the new dog, as the memory of Rooney slowly faded from his mind as he aged.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-culture_article_main-content_article-body_6_4993057\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/woman-stalked-charging-bear-morning-dog-walk-captures-terrifying-encounter-camera\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>WOMAN STALKED BY CHARGING BEAR ON MORNING DOG WALK CAPTURES TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER ON CAMERA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/343\/192\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/686\/384\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/672\/378\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1344\/756\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/931\/523\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1862\/1046\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/720\/405\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1440\/810\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1200\/675\/jeff-m-dog-mud.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"a brown and white mixed breed dog lies in the mud\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>You don&#8217;t want this (slightly messy) baby hopping into your duvet?<\/span> <span>(Photo courtesy of reader Jeff M.)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Not to mention the fact that we still have another dog, Elle, who will probably have a full-on stroke if\/when we bring a young, energetic puppy into our increasingly crowded house.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">I clearly wasn&#8217;t handling the suggestion well, but I slept on it, and I&#8217;m not sure if it&#8217;s just because my wife has worn me down, but I&#8217;m starting to see another side to this whole thing.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Getting another dog doesn&#8217;t mean forgetting Rooney entirely, and although there is still some scarring from losing him, the pain has been dulled significantly over the last few months.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">And does it really make a difference if we wait another three months, six months, a year, before we get another dog?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Part of me says yes, but part of me says no.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">My wife and I are opposites when it comes to change and sentimentality.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">She&#8217;s very Type-A, and is almost eager to embrace change. While I tend to be more reflective and resist change unless it&#8217;s smacking me right in the face.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Perhaps that&#8217;s the crux of this whole thing. I don&#8217;t think my wife loved Rooney any less than I did, I just think it&#8217;s in her nature to move on quicker than I do.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">I think having a young child changes the calculus as well.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">If we were childless, I&#8217;d imagine the timeline to get a new dog would be elongated, but I know my wife is keen on the idea of getting our son a dog of his own so they can &#8220;<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-culture_article_main-content_article-body_6_4993058\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/topic\/family-traditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">grow up together<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">All of this still warrants the simple question: When is it &#8220;appropriate&#8221; to get a new dog after losing your four-legged best friend?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Additionally, is there ever an appropriate time? Or do you just have to &#8220;feel it out?&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/343\/192\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/686\/384\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/672\/378\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1344\/756\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/931\/523\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1862\/1046\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/720\/405\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1440\/810\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/dogs-photo-3.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Dogs laying on the floor.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Ring\u2019s new Search Party feature uses artificial intelligence and neighborhood cameras to help locate lost dogs, even for users without Ring devices.<\/span> <span>(Photo by Jay L. Clendenin\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">It&#8217;s a complex situation that I&#8217;m not sure has the correct answer, and yet here we sit at the crossroads of it all.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">These are the things they don&#8217;t <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-culture_article_main-content_article-body_6_4993060\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/education\/parents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">teach you about parenting<\/a>, but we have to learn on the fly anyway.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">C&#8217;est la vie.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Austin Perry is a writer for OutKick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For those of you who are unfamiliar with some of the more personal aspects of my life, I lost my dog Rooney about three and a half months ago. He was an 11\u201312-year-old lab mix that my wife and I rescued in the latter half of his life, and even though we only had him&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/jack-russell-barking-509c66fb66d95510VgnVCM100000d7c1a8c0____.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}