Deacon is a seven year old mild mannered neutered male pem. When he was 2 and a half, we brought home Titan, an eight week old puppy. I guess Deacon was the alpha dog, but only slightly. Titan was the runt and Deacon always had about 7 or 8 pounds on him, so when they wrestled or scrapped, when Deacon was ready to end it, he just pinned Titan down with his bulk, but ever so gently....Titan suddenly became ill in January, and staggered around the house in a drugged haze for much of the month as we made frequent trips to the vet before we finally settled on a diagnosis of GME. He had a brief prednisone fueled remission, but passed away in late February....Deacon was a bit down for a week or so but I have perhaps overcompensated by spoiling him with treats and toys. We are getting another puppy because we were afraid that an older dog might try to take over....I'm looking forward to the "baby" but am worried about Deacon thinking we are replacing his friend, or not adjusting as well since he is older now........Any advice would be appreciated......