I'm very sorry for your loss as well. Our pets bring us such joy and love and their lives are way too short. We said goodbye to our sweet 12 year girl Danny (black lab) in September 2011. It took us a few months (May 2012) to decide to bring another one into our hearts but found one on
www.petfinders.com within a couple of days of making the decision to look. I can't tell you what drew us to this one - there were so many that needed homes. She was rescued in Missouri and in a foster home in the town right next to us in Massachusetts. We brought her into our home for a "test" (we have another older dog - wanted to make sure they got along). It was love at first sight! On Monday, we will celebrate the 1 year anniversary of our adopting her. We named her Gracie because she is our gift from God. :-)