Grieving about previous pets is a rough road to travel and everyone travels this road at different speeds. We got a boxer pup (Gracie) when we lived in FL, and she was that 1 in a million from my point of view. Excellent dog, boxers are family oriented, very protective of the family unit but very social dogs as well, fairly easy to train/housebreak as well. Love to play with children but very protective of them as well. I had to put Gracie down after 9 yrs of life with her in '05, and I was not ready for another dog 2 yrs later. Wife got me a 2nd boxer pup (Roxie) late '07 for anniversary gift without my knowledge or asking me if I wanted another dog. I had some initial reservations about Roxie as I compared her to Gracie, but Roxie is that 2nd in a million dog. Different personalities to some extent, but the same basic demeanor as well. I love their facial expressions, they can wrinkle their forehead just like humans can. there are lots of boxer rescue groups so the cost can be quite a bit less that route. GL in your travels.