11 years ago I got a puppy. He got full of cancer and we had to put him down last Wednesday. Horrible week.
Yes its awful losing a cherished pet.
You might think of getting a wolf puppy.
Really!
Domesticated wolves will live over 20 years if you feed them raw meat, de-worm, get them their shots, etc...
We have had them in Maine and WA.
They are legal because domesticated wolves have about 5% dog in their gnome and are called a "Canine Hybrid" though you can't tell them from wild wolves.
My son has a domesticated wolf-dog 5 generations removed from the wild, a domesticated Timber Wolf.
A beautiful creature, VERY tame, very loyal, loves children.
However VERY ominous. A standing wolf stare is really creepy as his eyes follow you as you walk by but has no real threat unless you try to hurt someone.Then you are hamburger.
Of all our wolves we have had not one had an odor of any kind, amazing.
They do have a different animal culture than dogs, similar but different.
You must go through a ritual greeting in the morning, they lick your face, hands, you must stroke their head and neck.
You must learn to howl with them in the twilight of evening
Really, children love it!
HankD