Hi. I am 70 years old also. We lost our precious emotional support dog May 30, 2021. We had a house fire when we were at a movie theater. Our cell phones were off during the movie when the fire department was trying to reach us. My neighbor called me on our drive home to tell me Belah was 'gone.' I thought she meant Belah had run away, but she died in the fire. We lost everything, but losing Belah was by far the greater loss. She was only 5 years old and loved by everyone who met her. She was my bff. I trained her myself. Our neighbors cried with us over our and their loss. We put a memorial on the property and laid her to rest on the property. My husband said burying her was the hardest thing he has ever had to do. He is 70 yrs old also. I thought I was dying from a broken heart. My heart shutdown--to keep from breaking, I think--but the emotions were raw and we were so vulnerable. I cried day after day, I couldn't sleep at night. We were homeless which actually was a blessing because we had no home without her anyway. She was our 'child' and our life. She kept us active and kept us exploring life. I could not take the grief and pain so after 2 weeks of going from motel to motel, I called the breeder that we had gotten Belah from and told her what happened. She said she had some 6 week-old puppies that would be ready for a new home. We bought one and named her Emma. Emma is not Belah and she 'weathered' the homelessness and riding in the car a great deal extremely well. Although I still grieve for Belah, Emma has done so much for me and my husband, as if she knew we were in grief. It took me awhile to not feel guilty about caring for another dog and since she is not Belah it took time but I am so much better emotionally and dealing better with life and my depression having Emma in our life. We have no regrets about getting Emma.

i am so sorry for your loss. i had to give up my sweet little dog years ago because of moving reasons, but i know its not the same. yet i feel compassion for you and i know that losing your baby is like losing a child. i also know that is how i would feel. i have a cat but even that's not the same because cat's are independent. dog's are loving and just want to please their guardians. they are constantly loving. i think you should get another dog whenever the moment is right, as long as you are not trying to replace your little Shi Tzu. this will be a brand new (or old) dog with its own personality bringing you love in its own way. i hope you will consider adopting from a kill shelter even if its not a puppy. you never know what you might find...or what might find you.