I have had to say good bye to 6 dogs and each time is a little rougher than the time before but I always had another dog in the house to help me deal with my loss. That didn’t happen with Jewel. I had Essence and Beauty for about 13 years before Essence got sick and passed away. I had Beauty for about 3 weeks before I found Jewel at an animal shelter in WV. I brought her home and 18-year old Beauty got a new lease on life! But time was not on her side and she passed away right after the New Year. I had Jewel as my only dog for 13 years. All of my dogs had their own personality but Jewel was different. She and I had a special bond so when she got cancer and passed away three years ago, I was devastated. I did everything I could to save her but the tumor was on the roof of her mouth and she stopped eating. I had run out of choices. After she was gone, I told myself that I was going to wait before getting another dog. That didn’t last long – my house was too quiet! I adopted Lexi a week later. She was only 6 mos old and I had to start all over again – training, walking on the leash, not being afraid of every noise, not gobbling her food. Sometimes I felt myself getting frustrated with her because she wasn’t Jewel. But she wasn’t Jewel – she was Lexi. She didn’t look like Jewel, she didn’t act like Jewel…she was Lexi and Lexi had her own personality. Lexi is the sweetest, most loving dog ever and I love her and can’t imagine my life without her. She has helped me deal with the loss of Jewel. It is normal to feel the way that you do but don’t let that hinder you ability to love Maximus NEEDS the love that you have in your heart and Frodo would want you to give that love to a dog that has not had the opportunity to experience the love and caring that he experienced before he passed away. You can grieve for Frodo; I still grieve for Jewel but I look at Lexi and am reminded that I have alot more love to give and Jewel would want me care for another dog the way that I cared for her. Take Care!