There’s no standard “proper” time. You do what feels right for you and I’d say you’re getting there. For me, it usually starts with browsing petfinder without a big push to actually find something, then I gradually get to that point and pull the trigger. It usually takes me a few months. I have a friend that called me the day they put down their dog and asked where she should look because she couldn’t stand the idea of a dogless house, so it’s whatever feels right for you.
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@Countrygirl18, you are rocking! Seargent is so cute and I am sure Panda approves. My mom had a Sergeant years ago who was a wonderful dog for her 
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Congrats on your new pup! He is a cutie. I hope he works out 
And the tribute to Panda is lovely.
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Unfortunately it did not work. He was getting aggressive towards our cats and barked 24/7 nonstop which was getting us in trouble with the apartment complex. We took him back yesterday. They understood and it’s a no kill shelter
Aww, too bad, but I’m sure you’ll find the right one eventually.
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Don’t rule out getting a dog or a puppy from a reputable breeder. Take the time to discover what breeds speak to you, what qualities you are looking for. Apartment living may not be the best situation for certain working or herding breeds, depending on their drive. A good breeder can tell you which pups are high drive, energetic, and which ones will tend to be couch potatoes.
The very intelligent dogs are easy to train, but can take over 
if not given boundaries.
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Yes I am thinking of looking for a dog again maybe in the fall. Take a little more time.
Panda was a high energy dog but it was easily managed with daily walks and play in the house, he would be quiet. This dog was much different.
I hope I’ll find the right one eventually. I’ve always wanted a border collie but I’m not sure they mesh well with my living situation.
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I think it would be an unusual border collie that would work in apartment living even with lots of exercise.
I am in the “feast or famine” phase of dog hunting. Found a cute little rescue puppy that will be transported to my area next weekend. As soon as I signed up for him, I connected with a Cavalier breeder in PA. She has a young adult to place, and possibly a puppy! Of course they are a 4-5 hour drive away. Right now I am thinking that a rescue puppy and an adult Cavalier might be a good way to jump back in. But it is hard to not get a Cavalier puppy, even though they are $$$!
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I’m so sorry for your loss. IMO it’s never too soon. Nothing will replace the dog you lost, but a new one will fill the hole in your heart, make you laugh, and make your house feel less empty.
I started looking a couple of months ago, knowing in my heart that our 15-year-old was not going to make it to summer. We ended up adopting our new guy 3 weeks ago and said goodbye to our old guy a week ago. I think it makes the loss a little easier to bear to know we can give a safe home and all our love to another dog right away.
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Sorry for your loss as well
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You know, from personal fairly recent experience, it is too soon, but do it anyway. Or you could always foster too.
Last year, SO and I had picked out a puppy to add to our house. About 7 weeks in, our 12-year-old JRT got sick and when we took him to the vet, we found out that he was dying and had to put him down that day.
After 12 years, I could barely force myself to walk into my house knowing that my dog would not be there. Once inside, I kept “forgetting” that he was gone and would call or look for him. It was unbearable in that empty house but even then I was hesitant to bring our puppy home. Like you, I didn’t know if it was too soon, and I had all of those reservations.
Luckily for us, the breeder said for us to just come and get him and if it didn’t work out, she had a waiting list of people who would be able to take him. So, about 2 weeks later, we picked up our puppy. I think it helped that he was a completely different breed/type from our JRT, but still an active working dog.
It’s been going well, but I will admit that while I love Ollie, I still really want another JRT. Ollie is great and he is who he is, which is a much different dog than our old JRT, thankfully, but there are JRT things that I miss. Down the road (Ollie is 8 months now), I think we will look at adopting an older JRT, but Ollie did help us heal a lot and made it ok to come home and be at home without just being comatose in bed. I still grieve our old dog but it would be much worse without Ollie.
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@RacetrackReject. It’s funny you should mention getting a different breed than jrt. We went the other way! LOL! We had two b&w springers. I loved my girls and was heartbroken when we lost them. One at age 13 and then several years later the other at age 15. However, the BO has a pair of shorty jacks who are very nice dogs-not crazy energetic. Soooo, after many months without a dog at all, we got a jrt puppy. She’s now 10 mo. For a while I was sure I’d made a huge mistake! However, she’s come along so well and is now a loved and mostly behaved part of our family. I’d still get another springer if I had the chance but I think having a very different type if dog kept the “big paws to fill” comparison from being a huge issue.
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I’m so sorry Seargent didn’t work out. I’ve known several cattle dogs and boy, they’re intense. I’ll second whoever suggested not writing off reputable breeders. There’s a lot to be said for predictability. The down side is that those breeders often have long waiting lists, but if you’re thinking fall, that might be ok. Good luck and kudos for giving Seargent a shot.
Thank you. I’m thinking of starting to look into Border collie breeders over the summer (my sister knows how to find AKC registered breeders) and get one in the fall if it works out. Border collies have always been my dream breed.
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Are you home all day? What “job” are you planning on giving your border collie? I hate to be a debbie downer I know a lot of ppl that own them and they’re beautiful dogs. However they are a strong very high energy working dog that needs a job all day long. If the cattle dog didn’t work out I’m really not sure a border collie will work.
I personally have a terrier who has the work dog mentality and it was a completely different ballgame owning her. In the beginning I made it work in a townhouse with 2-5 mile off leash walks every single morning, agility in the evenings but I wouldn’t do it again. Now that I’m in the country with a few acres she’s a completely different much happier dog.
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I am home all day. I’ve always wanted a dog to do agility with again. Years ago I did it with my yellow lab Bella. Panda was not into agility at all so during the time I had him I stopped.
I’m not sure if it would work and I plan on doing my research in finding the right dog. I do want a high energy dog, Panda was. I don’t want a couch potato lol. The main reason sergeant didn’t work wasn’t his energy level, it was the incessant barking. (Literally 24/7 even after walks)
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It would be worth it to reach out and talk to the agility trainer you’ll work with. At my agility facility obviously there are a LOT of trainers there who have border collies. From my experiences in class they’re barking non-stop, even while running. They usually have to be kept in crates fully covered by sheets or out in their cars, and they’re still barking some. I don’t know how that plays out at home I haven’t asked. I completely understand constant barking being a problem. I hate barking and esp in the townhouse I couldn’t have my two dogs barking a lot so I never allowed it and they also don’t bark at agility because of that.
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I’ve just started doing agility with my Portuguese Water Dog and am hooked: it’s so much fun, and she’s a natural at it. I can completely see wanting a BC for it, but herding behavior drives me batty. 
You might take a look at the AKC website and play with the breed finder tool, just for a lark and to see if there’s anything else that might tick the boxes. All of my results were water dogs - PWD, standard poodle, barbet, Irish water spaniel. It was pretty interesting and gave me at least an intro to breeds I didn’t know about.
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I am of the mind that why should we wait? No matter if a beloved horse or dog I start looking immediately. I have the love to give, they need a place to live and it really helps to get me over the loss.
I am not replacing them. I am adding a new member to our animal family…
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Definitely think it’s a personal choice for everyone. Since I’m having some health issues right now plus have a trip soon I figured I’ll wait. Do miss having a dog definitely
