I'm thousands of miles distant from my sisters. I had planned to visit them in May. I have hoped that COVID will be less of a threat then. It seems reasonable to hope that.

The dog idea is on hold because I'm failing to even pick up after myself. So I don't want a new responsibility, when I already neglect basic things. In the southwest, we're having a prolonged cold snap that is uncharacteristic of our climate. My furnace can't even keep up with maintaining enough warmth, until after 12 noon. So morning is my worst time. I'm going back to bed now, just to get warm. But, in a few weeks, it will be spring-like. So I try to hope things will get a little easier.

I took a suggestion from a post above to join a facebook support group. They require personal info like full name of deceased and a link to an online obituary. That surprised me and I didn't give that info. So they may not approve me to join.

Thanks for your encouragement. I'll try to view this distress as temporary. I hope you are still enjoying your pooch.