My heart breaks for you. I am glad to hear that Tobie didn't suffer. It will take a long time for you to get over his loss. However, the love you have for him is needed by another Boxer. Don't do anything in haste.
When Rocky passed, we got rid of all his stuff, at least we thought we did. We got rid of his feeding, and water bowls, and all his old toys. We had him cremated and put his collar around the tin that held his ashes, then put the container, with his collar around it and one of his favorite toys, a small teddy bear like stuffy in his red Milk Bone blanket and buried him in one of our garden mounds next to his departed friend, Poosoir the cat.
We thought we had gotten rid of all his old toys, but Indy has managed to find three or four that we had missed. Rocky had secreted them in hiding places and Indy managed to find them.
In a previous e-mail I commented that Rocky's spirit seems to live in Indy's body. Maybe it does, since Indy has managed to drag these momentos from their hiding places. Indy now has a bedraggled blue stuffy football, a yellow tennis ball and a tug of war toy that had been Rocky's.
That emptiness you feel can only be filled by another Boxer. You probably don't want to think about that right now. It took us about a month, then I told my wife we had to find another. She wondered if we wanted to go through this again, and I told her no, but I didn't like having such an empty morbid home.
I assure you, that you can love another Boxer with the same intensity. And yes, parting will again be difficult. But it's a small price to pay for the way these incredible animals can light up a home.
I know how difficult it can be. I can remember wandering aimlessly around the house, patting the corner of the couch which was Rocky's favorite place to relax and look out a fromt window.
Be thankful for all Tobie meant to you. Many people go through life never having such a dear friend.
Condolences, Tom
