[Fasterthanyou]

I had a golden lab that was given to my father when the pet store couldn't pay the bill. Kind of an exchange program that worked out well for us. That dog was almost 2 years older than me and when I had to put him down with my dad it was REALLY hard. I was only 14. We grieved his death for a few months but honestly it shouldn't last more than that. After a month of not having the dog around you reform a new routine without the dog. When that happens and things trigger memories of the dog you should immediatly think of the GOOD times you had with him/her. Smile, force it if you have too.
On my 16th b-day I got a puppy from a neighbor's litter. It didn't fill in the same gap and nothing will (nore should it) but it was a new family member. So the moral of that long and borring story is to wait at least a year before considering a new dog. If you get one too soon you'll feel like you've just replaced the other dog with a newer younger version. That in itself can trigger memories of your old dog.