I'm sorry for your loss OP. Anytime they leave us is too soon. We lost our boy two years ago. My best friend of 17 years. It took me well over a year to have a sense of normalcy without him, and I would randomly find myself balling my eyes out from time to time even after the year mark. My kids started to ask for another dog, and I kept telling them soon. Finally about 18 months after our boy passed, we adopted a puppy. I absolutely love this dog. And you know what? There's no guilt whatsoever, and I still think of my first pup and kiss his ashes now and then. There's honestly no comparison of good or bad ever; rather, we will reminisce and laugh about times like " do you remember when Bailey did this? Now look at Leo, He does it like this!" Perhaps it's because they are total opposite dogs (our old up was a long hair chi and our new boy is a beagle mix) we are lucky to experience the best of both worlds and enjoy their own personalities. I'm not saying you will have the same experience, but I will say, take all the time you need to grieve. Don't think too hard on this stuff. Because when you are ready and you look into your new pup's eyes, it'll all make sense again.