What you are describing is apparently all too common. I bought my Dobe from a breeder who is also a vet. We were discussing this sort of thing and she said she had any number of clients (I guess this could be of her Vet practice or of her breeding business) who had one Dobie and then said that they wouldn’t get another because “It hurt too much”. They really are 4 legged people.
Yes, unfortunately, apparently my experience has been shared by many others. This is not the first time I’ve heard that people who have owned one Doberman can bear the thought of losing a second one.
And you’re right: they are like four-legged people. Baron was like my alter ego. All I had to do was look in his direction, and he seemed to know what I was thinking. The pain of our parting was so deeply painful that even after two years, it is still hard even to look back on the good times without feeling the devastating loss.