I think that a lot of us have gone thru what you are going thru. It is tough and no its not just a dog. February 2006, I buried my dad on Tuesday and my Tank on Friday, REALLY bad week. On saturday Bailey was featured at being at the shelter on one of our news stations. I wasnt sure that I wanted to go and see if she was there and actually put it off until late in the afternoon. Needless to say-she was there and now she is a huge part of my life. I cant, to this day, look at Tanks pics and not have a moment- so they are all put away. I have a 4 poster bed and his collar with his tags are on the post on my side.
Bailey was a huge distraction, but I dont really think that I was at peace until Tug came into the family. I cant explain, but he finally filled that missing spot. He is a lot like Tank and we accidentally call him Tank too often. I love all of my dogs, unconditionall y, and they know it and all of them are special. Time does help. Talking from experience though, if you really want the Dane with the white feet, I say go for it. I waited over a year before we added Tug to the family and now I think that I should have done it earlier. I tried to stay away from every thing that would remind me of Tank, but in the end, I lost that battle- and I am glad that it was a battle that was lost.
I hope that today is better than yesterday, and dont feel silly, crying is good. There were times after Tank that I had to pull over on the way home because I couldnt drive because I was crying, or I had to leave my desk at work.
It will get easier and you have BPO. So if you need anything from any of us- just ask.