Posted by Lisa Cecere on May 27, 1998 at 12:23:02:

In Reply to: Grieving the loss of our dear Peke. posted by Suzanne McNeil on May 25, 1998 at 09:52:28:

> We recently lost our male peke. He had a quick and violent run in with a nieghbors dog, and we are all devasted by the loss. Our Py was a ray of sunshine in our home, and it is the nature of his death that our family cannot come to terms with. Our female peke is so depressed, I worry about her. We are considering a new Peke pup in the future, but we wonder how much time should pass before he is introduced, and what can we do for her (and us) right now? We live on a secluded 64 acre farm, our Py had extensive behavior training, and my daughter was working with him for junior handling. We always keep an eye on our pekes and stay close by, our experience has taught us that you never know what could happen, and when it does, it happens so fast, you are helpless. I hope anyone who reads this and feels safe letting their pekes loose, even for a short time, can learn from our great tragedy. Any suggestions on how to get through this difficult time is greatly appreciated! Suzanne

Dear Suzanne,

I can't begin to say how sorry I am to hear about your pup. My mother bred Pekes, I grew up with them, and have one now. While I love all dogs, Pekes have a special place in my heart.

Throughout the years we lost 2 dogs in the fashion that you mentioned. I don't know if it is any comfort but part of Pekes' charm is their fearlessness. It is who they are, why they make us laugh. Good God, when I walk my Pushy by a neighbor's Mastiff it is positively embarrassing how she carries on and how the spectacle looks.

If I may provide any comfort I would only say it is not your fault. When you are ready, please get another one for your female. In fact, get several. I grew up w/ 7 at one time and while the personalities of all were a handful, it was a grand household.

My thoughts are with you,

Lisa