2 Dogs?.....Is there a negative?

[mommyto3]

About a month ago I wrote about a dog we rescued. (My husband brought him home from the firestation after the dog showed up starved and abused ) At the time I really did not want him but he has turned out to be an AWESOME dog and he has fit into our family perfectly . When my husband brought him home my main concern was he would have to be an outside dog. We have a HUGE fenced in backyard with shade trees. He gets plenty of attention.....2 mile walk everyday, and when everyone gets home from school/work he is played with until dark. He seems very happy with us.

So here is the dilema.....we feel bad for him when he is alone all day. We found at a local SPCA a dog that looks EXACTLY like him. A Rhodesion Ridgeback / Black Mouth Cur mix. (Sorry about the spelling) Are we crazy for thinking about getting him a buddy? What pitfalls are we not thinking about? We know about the cost of the food and vet visits, but our main concern is behavior issues. Our dog now is perfect, he never barks , doesn't try to get out of the fence, etc. ( He even poops in only one corner of the yard, which my kids love since they don't have to pick up poop all over the yard) My husband is afraid of our dog maybe picking up bad habits from the other dog? Do they do that? (Sorry if this all sounds ignorant but this is the first time we have ever owned a dog)

Thanks for any input!

 

[Pixiedust34]

We have only 1 dog, but consider having double the vet, meds, grooming, and boarding bills. It costs a lot for us to board our dog each year, and it would be an added expense for us to have another dog to board when we travel. Plus the vet costs would be high, especially if one (or both) dogs would need specialized care some day. Our former dog spent the last 2 years of her life visiting a vet cardiologist $$$$ and that was expensive.

If cost is no factor, I think that having 2 dogs would be fun! Dogs are pack animals and I think they'd enjoy each other's company. You never know about how well a dog is trained until you take it home. If you are considering a second dog, many shelters require you to bring in your current dog to meet the new one to make sure they get along OK. If this isn't a requirement, you might want to ask if it's a possibility to bring your dog in to play with the new dog in a neutral area at the shelter. You can observe them together and decide how well they get along.

 

[sweet angel]

I have 2 dogs. Double the vet bill is the biggest deterrent! Double the food too.

Dogs are like kids in that each one has a different personality. My two are polar opposites -- one's a fraidy cat, the other one is afraid of nothing. One loves to snuggle, the other one likes to try to lick the brains out of your head. One is a barker, the other -- not so much.

I don't really think they get lonely if they're by themselves though.

 

[r3ngels]

We have 2 dogs and for the most part I like it... but lately they haven't been getting along. I don't know why. I think the puppy is angry about something. I need an animal psyc person

 

[Mickrzy]

We have 10 call me crazy but we live in the country and have 10 acres. All have been rescues Littlest is cross of Jack Russelland youngest 1yr and largest is cross mastif, oldest dog is 9yr. They all get along great even with cats and pot belly pigs and horses. We love them all and would not part with any of them

 

[damo]

We have two and other than the obvious cost increment, we love it. They honestly do seem to keep each other company and are concerned about each other.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We're getting another one soon, but we've decided on a puppy versus rescue.

I found a stray yellow lab earlier this week and kept her in my backyard until I found her owner. She was such a sweetheart, that I knew if Lab rescue didn't return my call (and they never did, BTW!), I would be very tempted to keep her.

Wellll... Chloe was highly interested in this new interloper and snuck past me and got into the backyard when I opened the door. Let's just say it didn't go well and it took all I had in me to get Chloe back in the house before a full-blown dogfight ensued.

Chloe was a brat!

Long story - but I ended up taking the lab to a local vet to see if she was chipped. They told me that it was possible that she was in heat. Chloe must've sensed it.

Anyway, I took the lab for a walk, and some neighborhood kids recognized her and we put her back where she belonged.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

We have 10 call me crazy but we live in the country and have 10 acres. All have been rescues Littlest is cross of Jack Russelland youngest 1yr and largest is cross mastif, oldest dog is 9yr. They all get along great even with cats and pot belly pigs and horses. We love them all and would not part with any of them

Let me guess ... the Jack Russell mix bosses the mastiff mix around?

We have 4 -- 3 miniature poodles and one Tibetan Spaniel, between 10 and 17 lbs. They all have their different personalities but they all get along with each other. If cost of the vet and food bills isn't a factor, the only negative I can think of is this ... if you're looking at an older dog (i.e., not a puppy), try to introduce your dog and the other dog on a trial basis first to see if they get along. You don't know how well either yours or the other dog may get along. They could be fine with other dogs but not take a liking to each other. Bringing a new puppy in might be better because you'd be starting at the beginning.

Good luck.

 

[Princess~Fun]

So here is the dilema.....we feel bad for him when he is alone all day. We found at a local SPCA a dog that looks EXACTLY like him. A Rhodesion Ridgeback / Black Mouth Cur mix. (Sorry about the spelling) Are we crazy for thinking about getting him a buddy? What pitfalls are we not thinking about? We know about the cost of the food and vet visits, but our main concern is behavior issues. Our dog now is perfect, he never barks , doesn't try to get out of the fence, etc. ( He even poops in only one corner of the yard, which my kids love since they don't have to pick up poop all over the yard) My husband is afraid of our dog maybe picking up bad habits from the other dog? Do they do that? (Sorry if this all sounds ignorant but this is the first time we have ever owned a dog)

Thanks for any input!

Well let me give my experience a try. We had one dog, she's a girl. We wanted another dog but our vet and a special breeder we talked to said if we got another girl our dog would probably be jealous and they would compete for attention. So we got a boy. At first our girl got really annoyed and would growl at him. Him being a baby would just show her respect by laying down so she could see he ment no harm. Now they are best friends. It's gotten to the point that they sleep in the same cage. And if we take the boy to the vet and leave the girl alone, she will ignore us completly and and won't look us in the eye until he's home. Same goes for the boy. They love to play and just get along great.

I would (if I was you) talk to my local vet, and some good breeders about this before you decide to do this.

Hope I helped!

 

[belle&beast]

We have 2 and they get along great! We have had 2 dogs for a long time and I don't think I could have it any other way. The downfall at our house is twice the hair and dirt! (not to mention mud and snow now) Oh well!

 

[lesroi]

We have 4 dogs and a cat... All of them live inside our house as they are a part of our family.

I would say if you insist that your dog has to live outside, it might be nice if he had a pal to snuggle and play with when you are too busy. That being said, you never know if he is going to get along with a new friend. Best bet is to get his temperament evaluated, and of course introduce the new buddies on NEUTRAL turf, not in your yard.

The largest factor will likely be the cost. If you can afford it, I say "2 is better than 1!"

Tracy

 

[mommyto3]

"I would say if you insist that your dog has to live outside, it might be nice if he had a pal to snuggle and play with when you are too busy."


I would like to respond to this as I *interpret* this as being said snarky. I apologize if I am wrong.

We did not seek out Bruno....he was starving, afraid, and had a raw sore all the way around his neck with missing fur which we assume he had been chained up and the chain was too tight .

My husband wanted to help him out, so he brought him home. We took him to the vet and he had heart worms and worms in his poop (ewww) . The vet told us if we took him to the SPCA they would just put him down and not spend the money to get him well. So of course we decided to keep him. We got him his shots and everything he needed to get rid of the heart worms and poop worms. And bought the flea stuff. He is an AWESOME dog who we love and he loves us back. I know keeping a dog in the backyard is not the *politically correct* thing to do. But what were his choices.....starving on the street, death, or a family who loves him but can not have him in the house?

As far as being to "busy", most people work and children go to school. I know people who crate their dog all day while they are at work. How is having a safe, fenced, HUGE backyard with plenty of shade and closed shelter any worse?

Again, I apologize if I am reading this post wrong. We have only wanted to help him and give him a better life than he had.

 

[lesroi]

"I would say if you insist that your dog has to live outside, it might be nice if he had a pal to snuggle and play with when you are too busy."


I would like to respond to this as I *interpret* this as being said snarky. I apologize if I am wrong.

We did not seek out Bruno....he was starving, afraid, and had a raw sore all the way around his neck with missing fur which we assume he had been chained up and the chain was too tight .

My husband wanted to help him out, so he brought him home. We took him to the vet and he had heart worms and worms in his poop (ewww) . The vet told us if we took him to the SPCA they would just put him down and not spend the money to get him well. So of course we decided to keep him. We got him his shots and everything he needed to get rid of the heart worms and poop worms. And bought the flea stuff. He is an AWESOME dog who we love and he loves us back. I know keeping a dog in the backyard is not the *politically correct* thing to do. But what were his choices.....starving on the street, death, or a family who loves him but can not have him in the house?

As far as being to "busy", most people work and children go to school. I know people who crate their dog all day while they are at work. How is having a safe, fenced, HUGE backyard with plenty of shade and closed shelter any worse?

Again, I apologize if I am reading this post wrong. We have only wanted to help him and give him a better life than he had.

-- Deleted ---

Nevermind what I wrote before. I can't change your mind. Do what you think is best.

I think it is GREAT what you are doing for Bruno. I commend you for saving his life!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

As the owner of 2 Rescues...leave well enough alone!!! You rescued this one dog and he is happy.

Anyway if you truly want a companion dog for him you will need to select a dog that gets along with him, not one for you. There is a difference and it is a tricky decision to find a match.

And you will be giving up what you have now, so be warned.

Don't worry about him being "lonely" while you are gone...he just sleeps anyway.

 

[inaminute]

We started with one rescue, and discovered she loved being with other dogs. So, we added a puppy. Nikki is like a different dog. She's very happy with Sophie--well, most of the time.

When we got Nikki she was two years old and had just been spayed. We're assuming she had at least one litter. Anyway, Sophie was 3-4 months old when she joined our family. Nikki knew she was a puppy and treated her accordingly. It was cute to watch her actually teaching Sophie things. She was very tolerant of Sophie.

Sophie is now 8 months old and lately Nikki has been laying down the law as to who is top dog between the two of them. Sophie seems o.k. with it so far. I'm hoping they'll continue to get along.

Anyway, the only drawback we've found is the expense. It is double the vet bills, double the food, double the toys, double the heartworm preventative and flea control, double the worries.

In return, though, you get double the puppy kisses, double the loyalty, double the puppy grins, double the snuggles, double the love. In my mind, it's well worth it.

If DH would let me, I'd go rescue another one!

 

[MichelleVW]

I'm an inside dog person and I would think that one dog in the backyard would be lonely, but if he seems happy why mess with it! As long as he gets walks and played with then he should be fine, and it sounds like he's happy.

I've got 3 dogs and 2 cats and it's EXPENSIVE and that's just regular maintenance...let alone someone getting sick!!

 

[Galahad]

We have 3. If you can afford the higher expenses it's definitely the way to go to have more than one. Dogs are social and not just with their people.

 

[hoosll]

We chose to get two dogs at the same time and it has worked out great - downside, vet bills, food and it is SO hard to separate them ....

if you decide to get a second dog, try to introduce them a couple of times on neutral groun such as a dog park so neither dog feels like his home territory is being invaded. Observe the dogs to see which is the dominate dog and ALWAYS greet, feed, etc., the dominate dog first. Don't feel sorry for the beta dog as this will just make the dominate dog more aggressive. Once they have sorted themselves into a hierarchy then things will be comfortable for them.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Two dogs are lots of fun! We adopted two dogs (one adult female, one male puppy, unrelated) from the pound 14 years ago and they adored each other right off the bat and were great company for each other. Besides the expense (ouch!--vet bills have been very pricey--we take great care of our pets and great care is not cheap), I would just be concerned that the dogs may not get along with each other. We were very lucky with the ones we adopted--I think it was good that they were opposite genders and that one was a puppy and the other an adult.

 

[Kahana-ri]

We have two dogs. A Jack Russell, 13, and a rescue boxer.lab.shepard mix, 6. The boys pal around all day and do nothing with out each other. The Jack Russell is the boss even though the mix is bigger. I love having two dogs, they make for great companions for each other and for our family.
My only concern now is that when the Jack Russell passes because he is much older, how sad our mix will be. He only knows his Jack Russell brother.