Thank you for your kind observations. His name is Nevis; after the mountain Ben Nevis which is not that far away from us. The name could end up being quite apt as his front paws are very big compared to the rest of him.

She booped him on the nose with her nose and he hurtled off to the back of the room

That is adorable. Reminds me of when Sephy met Shania for the first time. She was afraid of him too but they very quickly became best of friends.

I think they will be fine, we will be fine. I am collecting him day after tomorrow.

I am so glad to hear this. Decided on a name yet? Big hugs to you all and to your new pup.

A belated thank you for your support and information. I read the piece and have to agree. They pick up and sense/smell many things. I’ve often heard it said that animals can smell fear on you. If that’s the case, then yes, probably grief too.

She’s still very depressed and pining. Her confidence seems to be at rock bottom and makes me now wonder how much of her confidence was drawn from him when he was alive. I stuck my toe in the water and visited a breeder with a litter of Shiba pups. I picked out one of them who seemed to be curious and confident and then took her in to meet him.

He came and sat a foot or so away from her and regarded her very gravely for a minute or so. She booped him on the nose with her nose and he hurtled off to the back of the room and I thought; oh no, he’s headed for the door but he was quite smart and he circled back under the sofa and I felt something touch the back of. my heels. A little head poked out between my feet and he was watching her again and after a couple of minutes, he reappeared dragging an oversized tennis ball. My girl watched him and seemed quite bemused by his antics.

I think they will be fine, we will be fine. I am collecting him day after tomorrow. We can never replace our boy but perhaps we can bring some joy back into our home – and again, thank you so much.

I am very sorry for your loss. In terms of other furry ones, what made the biggest difference for mine is my own energy. When I am stressed out and emotionally disturbed, they become so as well. My dogs, I have observed, are very sensitive to my emotions and they can sense/smell my true emotions, seeing through whatever brave face I try to put on. When I take care of myself and process my difficult emotions, their mood improves as well.

I recently read an article about a study showing that dogs can smell stress in people – https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/10/11/how-dogs-smell-human-stress/

Big hugs to both you and your Shiba girl.

Thank you very much. It has been difficult, but it was also a growth experience. Shania, Lara, and Sephy will always be in my heart and I will forever be grateful for the wonderful years we spent together. After this, I deeply believe that “it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

Thank you very much for your kind words. Big big hugs to Makoto. Feel free to post some links to his pictures. I would love to see his pictures. 🙂

Thank you. We have been thinking of getting another Shiba. If you have pictures of yours, please send me a link. Would love to see him. Dogs are definitely wonderful rays of sunshine. That is a great way to describe them.

One thing that has helped me greatly is to talk about the dark night of my soul. We are not alone in our darkness.