Just last week, a VGSR dog died. His name was Aslan. He was much loved by his adopters and had been well-cared for to the very end. His end came early, unexpectedly, and tragically, but at least he had a home and people who loved him at the end, although they had only had him since May. Here is his picture. Aslan's owners, particularly his mom, were lost without a dog. Everyone is different in terms of when they are ready for another dog. Some people take a year or more, some can not live without a dog. Aslan's owners fall into the latter camp and set about looking for a new companion immediately. My own feelings on the timing question are these:
1. It is very personal and individual and varies widely.
2. One dog never replaces another, but makes it own space in your life and your heart.
3. The best tribute you can make to the friend that you lost is to give the gift of life to another.
3. The best tribute you can make to the friend that you lost is to give the gift of life to another.
And so, the tragedy of Aslan's death had a flip side, the blessing of a new home and a new life for another dog, aptly named "Destiny." Destiny came to VGSR in terrible condition. She had no hair, her pores were infested with fleas, she had both bacterial and fungal infections everywhere. She was not originally one of my fosters but came to me only in November. At that time she was looking much better, but still not great. 
She still had some bare patches of skin, a lot of thin hair, and ongoing infections. I put her on EVO, a grain-free dog food because grains are a common source of allergies in dogs. She went through another month of medications and was doing better and growing more hair, but the underlying cause of her problems, be it allergy, auto-immune disorder, or whatever, was still not determined or addressed. This was the dog that Aslan's owners adopted. I had her at the vet's office for a skin 
biopsy when the adopters arrived anxious to see, meet, and adopt this dog. We sent them home with a bag of hypoallergenic food and a month's worth of meds, but also with the knowledge that we still didn't really know what was wrong with this dog. None of that mattered to them. They loved her, wanted her, and wanted to help her. They considered their dog to be a family member and did not turn away because the dog had problems.
She still had some bare patches of skin, a lot of thin hair, and ongoing infections. I put her on EVO, a grain-free dog food because grains are a common source of allergies in dogs. She went through another month of medications and was doing better and growing more hair, but the underlying cause of her problems, be it allergy, auto-immune disorder, or whatever, was still not determined or addressed. This was the dog that Aslan's owners adopted. I had her at the vet's office for a skin 
biopsy when the adopters arrived anxious to see, meet, and adopt this dog. We sent them home with a bag of hypoallergenic food and a month's worth of meds, but also with the knowledge that we still didn't really know what was wrong with this dog. None of that mattered to them. They loved her, wanted her, and wanted to help her. They considered their dog to be a family member and did not turn away because the dog had problems. Nothing turns me off potential adopters more than those that approach adoption as if they were buying a car. If people are concerned about the shape of the ears, markings, color, or other trivial matters, chances are good that the dog they adopt is going to be returned because, inevitiably, it will not live up to all their expectations. They want a dog that is perfect right out of the box, and if not, they will return it.
Destiny's new family weren't looking for a "perfect" dog. Well, that's not quite right. They were looking for the perfect dog and they found it. However, they were wise enough to know that the perfect dog isn't defined by looks or pedigree.
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