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We adopted our first from a family with too many kids they couldn’t keep him. When we were on the shelter website a few months later we saw one that looked just like him we thought it could be his brother. DNA test says they are not related but they look like brothers. One is just taller. lol my husband didn’t want a dog at all but sometimes life gives you the dogs you need 🥰 they are both perfect
That's such a good thing for you to do for him, I'm glad they both found their way to you. And what a small world about your 2nd dog, I can definitely see why you needed him! We've both always loved dogs, and went through phases for about 15 years before getting ours, and I'm so glad we did it. She really does brighten my life, if not everyone who has the pleasure of meeting her. She is a very kind soul.
We just did this! We have 2 older female cats and a big 5 yo Doberman. We've always wanted a second dog but the timing never seemed right, and we worried about another dog invading his established space. He always loved playing with other dogs but we've only had one at a time until now.
We took home a 12 week old rescue just over a week ago and frankly I'm SHOCKED at how well they're getting along!! I wish we'd done this sooner! My advice... Let your original dog and your cats guide the way and establish whatever boundaries they need. The first couple days were rough (emotionally, he's extremely sensitive) for our older dog, but we just let him take space as he needed, kept her out of his bed and didn't try to force a relationship right off the bat. Day by day he improved at letting her get closer to him and smelling, to initiating play, and as of yesterday (9 days post adoption) willingly cuddling together for a few minutes. One of my cats loved her right away and they wrestle all the time and the other cat hisses every time she is in the same room.
If the established animals display corrective behaviors toward the new dog (snapping/clawing, growling/hissing/barking, getting up and leaving, anything that says back off or leave me alone) that is actually OKAY and the newer dog needs to learn what your OG animals' boundaries are. I encourage my older dog not only when he is being patient and gentle, but also when he tells our puppy that she's being too much and he does snap or growl at her to stop. I think a lot of people make the mistake of assuming a growl=aggression, and I don't believe that at all. The same way you'd yell at your toddler to not bite your ear, not out of anger but of pain and communicating that pain to your child to get their attention and stop the behavior--this is what your dog is doing. Obviously this won't be so simple with all dogs, but at least with a well-adjusted rescue puppy and a well-behaved original dog, simply allowing them to communicate on their own language helps a lot. She has already learned jumping is not okay for anybody and tackling isn't welcome either, I haven't seen either behavior in a couple days at least, and that training came from my other animals, not me!
On this same note, they are always closely, directly supervised when together, and I won't be leaving them alone together for any length of time until she's completely potty trained and we have a solid, consistent history of good behavior between them all.
As for pulling the trigger... When you know, you know 🤷🏼♀️ We just figured there is no right time, I saw a cute dog from a reputable non profit rescue, and that was it. No matter what you do or when, there are going to be potty accidents, destroyed items, injuries. Just go for it whenever you're ready for potential chaos in your life and the fun that comes with it.
Thank you so much for your detailed answer, it's so lovely reading that! It sounds like you have a lot on your plate with a little 12 week old, although it sounds like your other animals, as well as you, are doing a really good job at teaching her. It's quite nice to hear someone in the same situation as me also, who has cats to consider as well as the original dog.
Our cats were 5 when we brought our dog home, and it was quite an adjustment for them to have a bouncy/exciteable little ball of fluff trying to play with them/getting in their face. We taught a lot of safety commands to our dog, like leave it/watch me/drop it, in case there ever was an incident. Now all 3 get along great, like you said it was a rough few weeks but our dog basically became best friends with one of our cats - We kept finding them snuggled up together on our bed/the sofa, and they will groom each other. Our other cat is less involved, but he is definitely comfortable. He's just more of a bossy boots, but he did help to but a lot of boundaries in place when she was a puppy. The dog my husband has found (and would willingly pick him up today if the meet went well) is 5, so I feel like he should be a good age for our current dog. I do think another dog would be great for our other one.
Your family sounds lovely, honestly I think you're in an excellent position to go for it! I know it's hard not to worry too much about the what ifs, just try to channel that anxiety into positive behaviors and the training and work that will come with an adoption. I am a pretty high strung person and I worry a lot... It's tiring, but this is actually pretty helpful at this stage of things to be honest. I do most of the training and supervising because I'm just kind of wired like that 😭 Seems like you guys have not only some experience but also the love and patience for it, and ultimately I think that's the key ingredient to success anyway.
I am the definition of that pet-parent whose first dog was SUPER calm and well-behaved, and that made me think, *hey, I should get a second one!*
My first one was the most anti-husky Siberian Husky. Super calm, rarely (if ever) barks or howls, extremely lazy, never been destructive, hates cold weather, etc. Feel like I hit the lottery with her.
My brain: *Hey, that wasn't so bad! I can do this! Let me get a second dog!*
Then I adopted a Rat Terrier.
*holy-fudging-what-TF-did-I-get-myself-into*
He's basically a miniature crackhead hellion on steroids.
WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF! 😭😭😄😂
Lmaoooo I'm cracking up because our second dog is also a rat terrier mix and he is nuts. Very stubborn too, smart, but stubborn.
But he is also the sweetest, cuddling, velcro dog ever. Love my little buddy.
One that came off the husky factory floor misassembled. Their breed is stereotypically known as incredibly energetic, loud, and destructive if not exercised properly.
Mine is basically the canine version of the sloth from the Zootopia movie: slow, lazy, quiet, and has never been the smartest kid on the block.
Same story, first dog was a husky and everyone (including trainers) were like “don’t do it! You can’t handle it as a first time dog owner!” And I did it and did it well, and then got a GSDx puppy that has scaled walls just to watch cars drive by. I’m so grateful there was more fencing on top because she did not give a single indication that she was going to jump. We were walking and she just did it. Literally went from walking to hopping to the side. It was a high wall, and she just “hopped”. I almost had a heart attack even though we’ve walked this bridge a million times and I know there’s additional fencing, like I can see it.
My husky turned out to be an anti-husky husky too which is why I thought I handled it well. I don’t think anything prepares you for the crazy dog but getting that crazy dog.
Oh wow, that's great to hear. I'm glad they're all getting along nicely! My dog loves going to my mom's house where she has a friend for the day in my mom's dog, and she loves going to doggy daycare, however I have been told on her report card that she often just likes to go and lie on the bed for a bit of quiet time haha. I do think she would really love the company, besides her cat brothers!
Aww bless her, I can connect with that! He is a very good researcher and always thinks about things very pragmatically, so who knows if I'll be asking about a third dog in a couple of years haha.
I have my first dog since 2012 and decided to adopt the second one around 2021 because I couldn’t fathom the idea of our first dog potentially leaving us in the middle of the pandemic. That’s almost 10 years of being with that dog alone and I can’t imagine life without him. Didn’t warm up to the second dog for a while as he was so used to being the only child but eventually did.
Aww you seem like a lovely person, so glad it all worked out in the end. They definitely deserve longer lives :( It's awful seeing them grow older, but it sounds like he's been having a great life with you.
I had never had 2 dogs before, but we had been looking for a particular breed mix at area shelters and one finally came up. Fortunately he (big) gets along with our first dog (small). We LOVE having 2, just the fun of 2 different personalities. They are buddies but small likes his own space and big respects that most of the time.
Our first dog (3 year old female at the time) that we adopted from a previous owner had another dog in their family that she was close to. After a few months with us we noticed a shift in her demeanor. It's like she was depressed. (we're very active and have a lot of friends with dogs. The depression seemed to kick in after play dates with other dogs.) This is when I started looking for another dog. We ended up rescuing a 3 year old male dog. It was a game changer for our first dog. It's been 3 years now and they're super close. We added a 3rd dog a little over a year ago.
Honestly I wasn’t planning on it at all. But I saw a cute dog online (on the 7th of this month to be exact lol), and her description sounded exactly like my dog I have now and they looked identical. I thought she was cute so I sent the link to my husband to be like “haha they’re so similar! How sweet!” But then he asked if I wanted another one, and by the 10th we had brought her home. 😂 They act like 2 peas in a pod, no adjustment period needed.
I had a 3.5 year old 16 pound anxious baby girl who I had rescued a year before. She was a street dog and had was in foster care for 8 months and they couldn’t find a home. Anyway I got her, we lived a quiet, WFH, anxious life together in an apartment in a big city. I decided I wanted her to have her own yard and we moved to the suburbs. One day I thought getting her a dog would be a wise move. She was my first dog and basically only pet ever. I’m not sure why I thought this, just seemed like she needed some lessons in how to dog and how to dog, carefree.
Anyway I browsed pet finder and nothing felt right. I ended up quitting my job to take 3 months off to destress. I took my girl to the park one night, way out of our routine, and a couple shouted out “hey do you want a puppy?!”
We agreed to meet in the dog park the next afternoon to see if my anxious, picky little one had ANY interest in a brother. Well, she went right up to the puppy and booped his nose (this is what I do to her) and I was in shock. So by 7pm that night, we had a 9 week old puppy.
She HATED him at first 😂😂😂 he was hyper and soooo friendly and loooooooooved her and always wanted to be close to her. Anyway now they’re best friends. I’m so grateful his arrival also lined up with my time off bc there were so many sleepless nights.
Now I’ve returned to office (🤢) and I’m so grateful they have each other to be with throughout the day. He just turned two, weighs 80lb and is a happy, carefree, cuddly golden mix. She is almost 6 and has come leaps and bounds. She goes to strangers for pets, she cuddles with my family/friends, she comes when called - she used to just hide in my bed all the time.
I know I lucked out and the universe just sort of dropped him off at our feet. As soon as I brought him home I felt complete. I can’t explain it. Like this is my family and we are now complete. So, take the leap!
The only reason I got a second dog was because the first one has terrible separation anxiety. The second one completely fixed this issue. They are very bonded.
Well, we foster failed on our first and she seemed lonely. We wanted to get her a friend, so we started fostering another one, male this time. After some very slow intros over the course of a couple months, they got along very well. So we adopted him and he's been great too.
Not without challenges though - he has gotten into fights with our neighbor dog... But we've taken steps to prevent that again... Pitbulls can be challenging
For me, it was when I was converted to 100% work from home during COVID. I had been considering getting a puppy for some time, and it made it significantly easier to potty train when I wasn't really leaving the house. No regrets. While her socialization suffered a little bit given the lack of puppy classes and public gatherings, she's grown up to be a fine dog and I love having her, as does my older dog.
We'd always planned on getting a second. When our first dog was three, his best friend from next door moved away, so he was really lonely. Then, within a week, my dad died and my kid's dad moved a 12 hour drive away, and I thought "screw it, we need some happy sock stealing ankle biting problems around here."
Turns out the puppy we chose is a little crazy, and has a yark like fingernails on a chalkboard. He's also joyful and happy and always excited about everything. We also learned that the dog hates puppies, so it was a rough first year, but now they're inseparable and sleep in a heap.
No regrets, and I'm planning to add a new puppy or dog to then pack every four or five years because I need joy in my life and refuse to ever be without a dog (also we have a good sized house and a huge yard so there's room and we can afford to buy whimsical sweaters for several more dogs).
We have had our schipperke since 2008, got her as a puppy. We had cats for a while (one was an older rescue that lived for about 8 years after her adoption, one we got as a kitten and she passed around 2 years old due to kidney stuff). Other than that, she was a lone dog most of her life.
We got a Pomeranian puppy two years ago and after about 2 days of nervousness (the puppy was so small and so energetic that our older dog didn’t know what to do), they became the best of friends.
It’s given our older dog a second wind of energy and friskiness. She, in turn, seems to be more concerned about the puppy’s behavior than even we are. She models how to be obedient but also loves tearing around the back yard with her little puppy buddy.
All to say it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. Everyone’s life got better from adding the second pup.
My husband and I were in your situation but flipped, I always had multiple dogs. I convinced him and he doesn't regret it one bit, he agrees the second dog is a perfect companion for the first.
We had been thinking/talking about it for a while (also have a cat & various other critters.) I went to the pet store one day to grab something and saw an adorable dog and asked to pet it. I was telling the woman how adorable & sweet she was. She replied, do you want her? I'm looking for a home for her... She wound up being exactly what we were looking for in a sister for our 9 year old Wheaten. She fits in perfectly in our weird pack and we love her to death. Actually the woman warned she didn't really like men... well she is obsessed with my husband and I've become second fiddle!
Shitty neighbors near me either got evicted or decided to just up and leave their townhome. They left a dog, cat, and rabbit to fend for themselves. I ended up taking the dog because we had previously interacted at the dog park. I knew he was REALLY high energy, but he got along well with my pit mix, and I just didn't want to see him get stuck in a shelter and put down. He bounced between a couple of neighbors for about a week as we tried to figure out the best path forward. I was the only one who was really seriously looking for a 2nd, and it ended up being a free dog that kinda fell into my lap!
I always have multiple dogs. They are high emotional, sociable creatures that evolved from packs and will naturally still form packs when on the streets.
Two is a blessing as it helps with the exercise/entertainment. They will probably play if you get the right match and watching them enjoy each other is entertainment for you too.
3 is a good interval but since your existing dog is an established adult already, I would plan on doing crate and rotate for a couple months before you let them loose together. That means they smell each other weeks before they see each other and they get used to seeing (ignoring) each other well before they are allowed to physically interact. This is to make sure they have truly accepted each other before you go head to head on an established dogs territory. I usually let them potty in the same area for a good while too (but at different times) so they start to get comfortable that the new dog is coming into their orbit.
Best of luck to you and thanks for rescuing! 💖
I didn't intend on adopting a second dog, the third cat was also unplanned, but he is the litter mate to my first dog. The rescue asked if anyone could foster him because his first family returned him to the rescue and the foster family he was with didn't have the right space for him because he's a bigger dog. I ended up taking him home and was going to have him adopted out, but then at Christmas he interacted with my nieces and I fell in love with him because he was so good with them.
I did feel some regret after adopting him because I am also autistic and he was very clingy from going through so much turmoil and instability, which got me overstimulated very quickly. After some training and building a better bond with him, he became less clingy and anxious.
Do you have the option to do a foster-to-adopt situation to see how it works out and whether your current dog gets along with the new one?
I started out w one boxer - discovered he had separation anxiety so got a rescue - best decision. This was 20 years ago- ever since I always get another dog after one passes away (after waiting a few months). All my dogs have lived long- save for one w cancer (passes at 14 yrs old) Usually have an older and younger one, which keeps the older one active and great for companionship. I think they just live longer too - might just be my perception though. Also helps with the bereavement…
Adopted our first pooch in 2019 at the age of 25. 4 years passed and me and my fiancé always wanted another. The timing never felt “right” but we went to an adoption event at a brewery and just fell in love with this puppy there. We had been browsing other dogs for a few months but they all fell through the cracks for some really random reasons. This puppy was so chill, so adorable, and fit right in with our family. We introduced her to our older pup and the adoption process was so easy so we just went for it. I think it was a combination of the pup’s temperament/demeanor and also the ease of the adoption and introducing her to our other dog. All the pieces just kinda fell into place.
I have three. My second dog picked me, and then picked my third dog, too.
No.2 was a foster dog at my workplace who started bonding to me and acting like I was his person. I avoided the inevitable for as long as possible and then realized he was too special to let go to someone else. He’s amazing and I love him.
No. 3 was a foster dog that replaced dog 2 at my workplace after I had taken him for myself. She really struggled in the kennel/daycare environment and had/has some serious social deficits that made her unsafe for group play in daycare. She did well when paired with 2 for socializing and play (because 2 is an angel dog) but could not safely be adopted out to a home with other dogs due to her demonstrated lack of appropriate social skills. Her bond with 2 was not going to happen again for her in another household with a different dog and I didn’t think it was fair to her to spend an extended time in rescue under constant stress waiting for an acceptable home to appear for her as an only dog, which can be hard to find.
I got a second because I didn’t want one to be lonely when we were both out of the house. Getting a dog close in age and about the same energy level can be nice so that they can play together and one won’t be pestering the other. It was a good decision for us. Sometimes you can bring your dog with you to a shelter and get a sense of if they would get along. Or the shelter will tell you if they are good with other dogs.
A rescue that we had previously adopted a dog from is trying to close down, but they had several dogs still that they had been having trouble finding homes for. We went and met a couple of them, and we fell in love with a sweet, shy girl who had lived at the rescue basically her whole life. Bringing her home felt right, so we did. She’s afraid of everything, but she’s coming out of her shell little by little.
We got our first dog Buster through what seemed like pure fate at exactly the wrong time. My sister fostered him for a year in a house with other animals before we could actually take him. Afterwards he seemed lonely and so we found Lucy at a shelter. They clicked in the best way and ever since then we've always gotten a dog for our dog. As much as we love them sometimes they need a friend they can speak their own language to.
I adopted my first from the county shelter when she was about 6 weeks old and got her as my ESA. I also had a cat at the time. Years passed, and my kitty unfortunately passed on at the age of 19. Another year passed, and I was thinking of wanting a small dog since my current pup grew to 100 pounds. But, I knew I was poor, lived in an apartment, and didn't NEED another dog. A storm came through though, and my friend spotted a rat dog shivering and skittish looking in the parking lot/road by apartment afterward (while driving home). I told her to grab the dog. Posted about her online, asked my leasing office if anyone reported a missing dog, took her straight to petsmart(or petco, idk which) to see if she was microchipped, and she wasnt. She was emaciated, covered in fleas, and terrified when i found her. After weeks of still having her and not locating the owners, I decided, SHE IS MINE! The universe decided for me that it was time for me to not have ONE extra dog, but FIVE! Because buttercup was suprise pregnant. All puppies went on to their furever homes, and I now have my 2 girls. Finding her is hands down one of my best experiences in life, and I wouldn't give her up for the world!
I worked at a dog grooming place for a little less than a year, someone brought in this puppy that looked like a mix of a chihuahua and maltipoo, probably several other breeds thrown in there, he was just a stringy scruffy little 5 pound pathetic looking dog, had to be less than a year old. So I washed him and put him back in the kennel, he was very scared, tried calling the parents back and it seemed like the number was fake, it kept saying the number was no longer in service. There was no other contact info on their account at all and it was a new account, the poor dog waited in that kennel scared all day long until it came time to close the store, parents never came back. We couldn’t leave him in the kennel overnight, we didn’t really know what else to do, no one could take him, he looked at me with his scared little eyes and I decided to take him home. He got along really well with my other dog who was never an aggressive or territorial dog or anything, I took the dog back to the salon the next day to see if the parents might come back but they never did. That was 2 years ago and other than a pretty lengthy potty training period that was having us at our wits end, he’s been a great little boy. Unfortunately we lost our first dog to cancer so he’s our only dog now, he still has some issues with excited peeing but other than that he doesn’t pee or poop in the house anymore and we can leave him home alone and he doesn’t get into any trouble. He’s not a big barker or anything, he’s just a Velcro dog that loves to be attached to my wife at all times lol. I felt so bad that his parents abandoned him at the grooming salon, I couldn’t just leave him there or drop him off at a shelter.
I got a second dog because my first dog got really stressed when left alone. It worked so well I’ve kept two dogs ever since.
I’m at an age where I’m at my last dog, so I’ve started fostering the second dog instead of adopting. When my own dog dies I’ll stop fostering.
I saw him on Facebook.
I had a 15 year old dog that was slowing down and it was reducing my physical activity as well. I struggle with depression and other mental health issues and it was getting harder and harder to get myself out to exercise without her when I would see other people with dogs everywhere. I'd always wanted a second dog anyway, but never had the space or money.
I moved into a larger apartment that's very lenient with pets, but I still wasn't planning on another dog. And then I saw a post shared into a local houseplant Facebook group trying to find a home for two German shepherds, a puppy and a young adult. I knew the person who made the post, but she was trying to help a family member's friend of a friend or something find them a home.
The puppy was snatched up right away, and I wouldn't even have considered a puppy anyway for the sake of my old lady, but the other guy was still available. I saw the post updated a few days later pleading for help with the second dog before he had to go to a shelter. I asked for more details like shots ("some" but no records), neuter (no), etc. to figure out how realistic it would be for me to take him. I contacted the property manager of my place for permission, and a couple days later the woman that originally posted him delivered him to my door.
We did a little meet and greet with my old lady out in the yard before bringing him inside for the first time. He ended up needing a little more medical care than I originally anticipated (fleas and worms weren't a big surprise, but he had a horrible infection in both ears), but I got him his basic shots at a pop-up clinic the next morning and took him to a dog wash. He and my old lady got along great for almost 8 months until she passed and I'm glad to have him around now for the support.
He's a really great dog and when I'm ready I'll get a second second dog because he's very social.
Don't have the second one yet but I knew I wanted a buddy for my pup after watching videos from when we dog sat for one of my friends, they were best friends, would cuddle up or play together, and unfortunately she doesn't see that pup anymore cause they moved away (she also doesn't get to play with many other dogs and a lot are too rowdy for her) so now I'm just waiting until I can get her a buddy and another cute fluff for me
You could try fostering first. I think it’s a great way to be of service, and check out the dog chemistry and what life is like with a second dog with no long term commitment. Way better than assuming two dogs will want each other’s company long term because they did ok at a meet and greet.
We have a wonderful long haired GSD and she turned 3 earlier this year, she loves playing with other dogs and is (mostly) past her crazy puppy brain stage. I knew we would want a second one at some point but the chemistry had to be right and a second dog would need to be ok with the house cat, barn cats, and the 16 year old blind/deaf spaniel we had. Thought we’d wait til our old dog has passed first before taking on a new dog so fostering for the local humane society seemed like a good idea in the meantime because Freya (our gsd) is that confident adult(ish) dog some foster dogs need to have in a home.
Our first foster was Stanley, 8 month old former reserve stray who was brought in with two dogs that were likely his parents. He was super chill for a pup and he and Freya became fast friends, he was fine with the cats and the older dog. Had no intention of foster failing going into this, but he really fit in here, we fell for him, and when they called just a couple of weeks later to bring him in to meet potential adopters we had to make a decision, and decided he needed to have his forever home here.
(We’ve since fostered two more, but I only have so much time and energy and realized that for now working on some training with Stan needs to take priority over fostering - also when we’ve had a foster, too much one year old male energy has left Freya feeling a bit frazzled at times I noticed- she’s given me the “I didn’t sign up for this” lecture a couple of times)
My neighbors had an 8 year old AKC pomeranian who lived in their backyard and interacted with people less than 5 minutes a day, and he kept running away to my house. The owners eventually gave him to me, and we have formed a very deep bond. He is now 15, and I have had no regrets.
Because my girl is 12 and my boy is 15, I recently picked up a shichi puppy. Puppies are a lot of work. She does not like her crate so I tend to carry her everywhere 😂 although I do keep trying to get her used to her crate. She is waking me up every 3 hours to go outside and go potty and has not had an accident yet. I don't live in any cities with puppy classes and do not want her to become antisocial so I am trying to introduce her to everyone I can. I have her learning her name and recall is very important to me and we will start leash training after her next vaccination.
Make sure you have time to invest in training a new pup/dog. But I am 100% a dog person. After I lose my old man I might adopt an older dog. I can not imagine a home without dogs.
We had a black lab mix (molly) and an aussie mix (Ozzie) and Molly passed away. I wanted to stay with one dog, but Ozzie was really depressed, so we got a second. Now it's Ozzie and Quincy (Plott Hound). We love them both.
Got my pup early in coronavirus because we transitioned to working from home and I was always here. She's a border collie so she's smart and needs interaction. Then when stuff started to open up and I would go places I could tell she was sad and didn't like being home alone so I adopted a blue heeler to match her energy. She helped me choose him. Now I don't feel bad when I go to my Friday night football games or out to eat.
Young, stupid, and inexperienced lol
It’s the best worst decision I’ve ever made.
Best because she’s freaking fantastic, worst because I thought I was ready for such a breed. I’ve risen to the occasion thankfully. And luckily, she’s aged enough to enjoy my slowing down (I’m only 30 btw but chronic illness is a *****) so not much of a problem for her either.
I‘ve often said I’d never do two dogs again. Truth be told, I probably would but do it better/proper from the start. Maybe even go wild and get three. I always thought I’d do 6 at a time but I also stress out over the minorest of things so probably will never do more than 3.
I got my second dog when she was 7 weeks old and my dog was a little over 2 but I had had her for about a year. The first was a husky and everyone had warned me about how energetic they are, I handled it very well thank God. So I thought maybe I am suited for high energy breeds? So I got a GSD mix (oopsie litter that was going to get dumped, the guy owned an unaltered GSD and Mal). I found out the husky was broken because the GSDx (~6) is STILL making me run for my money. I love every second of it, the husky (~8) hates it so much lol.
I also have ADHD and possibly undiagnosed autism. For some reason, it wasn’t as chaotic as you’d think. I REALLY enjoyed it. I miss it with the husky getting old and injured and unable to join me on long walks as much anymore (she HATES running, more so pulling), I know my second dog misses it too. I think a friend is in order now. I really did enjoy the orderly chaos of two dogs (at one point 3, the third is my sister’s).
ETA: more details:
My husky really enjoyed the company of other dogs, so I thought to get her a friend. She hated every waking moment of it at first, 100% my fault because I wasn’t setting boundaries for the puppy and thought my husky would do it for me. She did but not after it took a toll on her. At one point she started ripping hair out of her tail. Puppies stress her out as it turns out. She can’t live a second without her “sibling” now. Those first few weeks were why I said I’d do it better from the start next time. I feel like I hurt my relationship with my husky, and also didn’t build the right foundation for my relationship with my GSDx. She gets very anxious when it’s just me and her, like she lost something. The husky doesn’t stress too much when my GSDx isn’t with us. I’ve been working on fixing my relationship with them individually since I realized my wrong doing, and still continue to fix aspects of it. It’s very healing seeing how forgiving they are of me. They’re teaching me a lot about myself! Fixing our relationships is why I have my hands too full right now for new dogs.
Woke up one day and thought, “Hm, I think I want a second dog.”
To be fair, I ended up with the first dog two years prior when I woke up and thought, “Hm, I think I want a dog.”
My partner was working from home during Covid. She’d just moved in with me a few months prior, states away from her family, and said she was feeling depressed and had been asking for a dog. I finally relented even though I didn’t feel like my mental load could handle it. I can’t imagine my life without him now and our two dogs are truly brothers and best friends. We recently broke up and it’s going to devastate me when she wants to move out and take him with.
My first two adoptee dogs (separate) were seniors—not reactive to other dogs or overly protective of me, but enough of a history to likely be destabilized by a second dog in the house. Each passed after 3-4yrs due to pre-existing health issues and I decided I wanted to next adopt a younger dog. I took in a 9mo basset-beagle and spoiled him with puppy classes and training. He was exceptionally good socializing with other dogs, responding to recall commands when off-leash and balanced independence with bonding to me. When he turned 2, I got the chance to adopt his biological brother, 14mos younger and raised in the same commune. Despite my expectations, his younger brother is markedly less social and struggles with mild agoraphobia.
Pros: the brothers play-fight with each other to exhaustion. The elder used to initiate playful wrestling with us constantly so having a second dog has helped tremendously divert their energy. Neither is strongly jealous or possessive, but oft swap toys or prime cuddle spot. I was really worried the older brother would hate sharing attention, but he’s still young enough to not think our love, his food supply, or attention was in jeopardy.
Cons: Training the younger brother is much harder. I admit I expected their shared DNA would result in similar personalities, but after a few months it’s obvious the younger dog is anxious and wary. Sometimes the presence of his older brother helps, other times it distracts from training.
Conclusion: Patience, observation. I half-expected both personalities to level out one another, but it’s not that simple. Training was different for both brothers. I do think their closeness in age and shared DNA helped make their relationship less competitive.
Your situation sounds similar to mine. I have a 3yo chill dog that we adopted over a year ago and my husband and I had been talking for a while about getting a second one and had looked periodically over the last 6 months or so. I work from home and he owns a business and partially works from home.
We just brought the 2nd dog home 2 weeks ago and I really felt like I was ready for anything but she has been a bit much for us to be honest. She’s 9mo and not house trained and also a nervous/excited pee-er and she likes to chew. She pretty much needs to be supervised or crated at all times which is fine for now, but I’m just so concerned about this being a forever thing. I have moments that I’m so happy we got her and then other moments that I wish I hadn’t. I felt so much weight in picking a second dog because I wanted it to be right for my first dog and I do think they like each other, but it hasn’t all been easy. Only time will tell though so we’re hopeful she will get comfortable and the accidents will stop.
I definitely don’t think it’s a bad idea to get a second dog, I think it’s good for them to have a play mate and company when you’re away. I guess my advice is just keep in mind that no matter how much you try to manage your expectations, or try to pick the right one, it might not be perfect. It is scary before and after the adoption, it’s hard to know what to do but trust your gut.
We did this about a month ago. My partner and I lived with my parents up until about a month ago, where my dog had my mom's dog as a companion. My mom's dog passed away and my dog seemed really torn up about it. It was hard watching her act so visibly depressed, so we decided if she was gonna have to get used to apartment life, we may as well get her a friend to help her adjust. We adopted a little dachshund/WFT mix and he's been pretty great, aside from severe seperation anxiety and peeing every time anything slightly unpleasant happens. Learning curves
An opportunity fell in our laps to take in a free AKC registered French Bulldog that we didn’t want to pass up. We weren’t sure how our 7 year old ACD mix who’d been an only child her whole life would do so we took the Frenchie for a trial week. They both adapted so well and while they don’t love each other, they do like each other and get along great.
Well, my fiancé already had a dog that he really got for his son who is no longer living at home. So she never really felt like my dog. I wanted a dog, and my fiancé was really against it because he kept saying we already had a dog. I thought this was really unfair because I didn't decide to get this dog, I wanted my own dog and she was not my ideal dog either. Eventually he agreed to get another dog and we got a 3-month-old puppy.
His dog absolutely hated my dog at first. It was surprising because she never had any problems with dogs before. She doesn't really like playing with them, but she interacts with them fine. I guess she was getting old and used to being the only dog in the house. She snapped and growled at him all the time, especially since he was so young and he was always in her face, trying to play and generally being an annoying baby to her.
Eventually she got used to him and she never snaps or growls at him anymore; and he absolutely ADORES her. I actually do think she feels more comfortable with him around when she's in a new situation, like with a pet-sitter or at a boarding place. Sometimes we leave her with a pet-sitter by herself while we take my dog on a trip and she seems a lot more stressed out when we pick her up than if she was with my dog at a pet-sitter's.
I think having another dog around is good for my dog, even though I don't really like my fiancé's dog. It's nice for him to have another dog around even though she doesn't play with him, he just loves her. My fiancé and I both work from home 100% so it's pretty easy to take care of them, and my dog turned out great.
I think you never know what's going to happen though, I mean, I thought my fiancé's dog would like my puppy, because supposedly when she was found, she was taking care of puppies that weren't hers. So I thought she'd like a puppy, but she hated him at first. Even if your dog loves other dogs, you never know how they will react when you bring another strange dog into their home. But you can never guarantee anything 100%, and I think if you want another dog, go for it, most likely it will be fine and it sounds like both of you want another dog.
After getting a second dog, I can't imagine having just one anymore at all. If they click (ours really did, but of course they can be polar opposites or whatever so it doesn't work as well, which is always an option) - the small interactions they have with each other, their playing and communication, nibbling of the ear with affection... it is something we could never provide for our dog if she didn't have a doggy "brother". I definitely think we really enriched our 1st dogs life a lot by getting a 2nd one (and saved another dog from the streets which is of course a plus).
The timing will never be perfect, there will be precautions that will be overlooked but you will address and adapt and adjust. My partner and I were never able to have dogs growing up and we got our first 3 years ago. We don't plan on having kids so we spoil her and our two cats quite excessivley. She's going on 4 years and we just thought that our dogs overall health and well being would benefit from having a buddy and we wanted to adopt a rescue.
It took some getting used to be our pitbull and our newly acquired Jack Russel mix quickly became best friends and he is cool with the cats as well. I am not very social and have a high stress job and sometimes I come home so wound up and these two tackle me at the door and kiss me non stop and demand that we go on a long walk and it reminds me what the important things in life are. Good luck to you all on your new journey, there is always a loving animal out there waiting for an equally loving home.
I watched a video where Cesar Millan said that his younger pitbull Junior made his older pitbull Daddy feel young again and "definitely" added years to his life. I wanted the same for Scooter (half Shiba Inu, Mini Poodle and Pekingese), who was 11 when I adopted Mookie. I naively convinced myself that he would make it to 16 like Daddy did. It will be one year next week since we had to say goodbye to him at 13yrs "young".
I was scrolling fb, and jodies cypress dog rehoming page came up. Showed an 18 month old beagle x pointer type dog with 1 eye. I immediately fell in love with her, and she was flown over once she'd been spayed and had an operation to remove her damaged eye.
She was an absolute mischievous monster (in a cute way), and every day was an adventure with her. She passed away last year at 11 years old. Her and my old girl were the best of friends and she misses her sister terribly. I mentioned her name not too long ago, and she jumped up, wagging her tail looking for her. I cried.
We just adopted a second Rescue dog last month!
My wife never had dogs growing up. I did (from 3 years old and continuously until college). While I was in college, my parents had 2 labs.
After my wife and I married and she was two months away from our daughter being born, a Schippereke/ Spitz adopted her and our daughter. By that I mean the dog literally showed up on the doorstep and after vet checks proceeded to snuggle with my wife and put her head on or beside my wife's pregnant abdomen.
After our daughter was born, her dog brought clothes, diapers, Tylenol bottles, blankets, regular bottles, etc. when our daughter cried. Her dog brought books and toys when she was happy.
Skip 4 years. A Dalmatian literally adopted our daughter by showing up in the garden after preschool. They were best friends. We did not know our daughter had seizures, narcolepsy, dyspraxia, and autism.
12 years later, we adopted a bonded pair of puppies. They were Border Collie / Australian Cattle Dog mix. They. Became her carer Dogs.
Skip 16 years ahead.
This year, we loved and missed our dogs. We also knew there were dogs who needed a good home. After a lot of research, we found a great rescue (Godbey Creek Canine).
Our first dog was an instant match with us energy wise, temperament, everything !
Since 1992, we always have had 2 dogs. Our dogs have gotten along with each other easily and quickly. Our rescue dog needed a canine friend. She had been socialised with other dogs, people of all genders and ages, and was so sweet.
We decided to see if she would meet another dog and be OK.
From day 1, they act as close as our BC/ACD twins. Literally! They play together, sleep on each other's beds, play with each other's toys, run the fenced in yard together. From day 1.
And they aren't related.
Oh, and it is OK to have autism and a second dog. Just take your dog for a meet & greet after seeing the new dog first. Talk with the new dog's caregiver about any questions you have. Between my daughter, wife, and I, we had 5 pages of questions. We like to cover every base.
I am looking outside right now as our "older" dog (3 years) is gently "guiding" her younger "brother " (1-2 years) by the ear to the water pail. He is drinking water and licking her head.
As I have said, he has only been here a month. I know we have been lucky, but the rescue center is fantastic!
I got my second dog in a weird 12 hour situation. Her original owner was lying about me on Facebook saying I never called her to pick up her other dog who I was watching as a favor and all I did was post my side and show the screenshots of my texts and my calls to her. It ended with her husbands sergeant texting me and asking if I wanted her because they couldn’t keep her so they ended up taking her
I will say it’s not an ideal way to get a dog, but right now me and my spouse are researching breeds to see which will fit our lifestyle better he wants another husky while I want an African boerboel as a ppd from a reputable breeder so we’re looking at breeds that are middle ground, I will say thou if we find the perfect dog that fits our needs in a shelter then we do plan on applying for them to give them a good life
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We adopted our first from a family with too many kids they couldn’t keep him. When we were on the shelter website a few months later we saw one that looked just like him we thought it could be his brother. DNA test says they are not related but they look like brothers. One is just taller. lol my husband didn’t want a dog at all but sometimes life gives you the dogs you need 🥰 they are both perfect
That's such a good thing for you to do for him, I'm glad they both found their way to you. And what a small world about your 2nd dog, I can definitely see why you needed him! We've both always loved dogs, and went through phases for about 15 years before getting ours, and I'm so glad we did it. She really does brighten my life, if not everyone who has the pleasure of meeting her. She is a very kind soul.
We just did this! We have 2 older female cats and a big 5 yo Doberman. We've always wanted a second dog but the timing never seemed right, and we worried about another dog invading his established space. He always loved playing with other dogs but we've only had one at a time until now. We took home a 12 week old rescue just over a week ago and frankly I'm SHOCKED at how well they're getting along!! I wish we'd done this sooner! My advice... Let your original dog and your cats guide the way and establish whatever boundaries they need. The first couple days were rough (emotionally, he's extremely sensitive) for our older dog, but we just let him take space as he needed, kept her out of his bed and didn't try to force a relationship right off the bat. Day by day he improved at letting her get closer to him and smelling, to initiating play, and as of yesterday (9 days post adoption) willingly cuddling together for a few minutes. One of my cats loved her right away and they wrestle all the time and the other cat hisses every time she is in the same room. If the established animals display corrective behaviors toward the new dog (snapping/clawing, growling/hissing/barking, getting up and leaving, anything that says back off or leave me alone) that is actually OKAY and the newer dog needs to learn what your OG animals' boundaries are. I encourage my older dog not only when he is being patient and gentle, but also when he tells our puppy that she's being too much and he does snap or growl at her to stop. I think a lot of people make the mistake of assuming a growl=aggression, and I don't believe that at all. The same way you'd yell at your toddler to not bite your ear, not out of anger but of pain and communicating that pain to your child to get their attention and stop the behavior--this is what your dog is doing. Obviously this won't be so simple with all dogs, but at least with a well-adjusted rescue puppy and a well-behaved original dog, simply allowing them to communicate on their own language helps a lot. She has already learned jumping is not okay for anybody and tackling isn't welcome either, I haven't seen either behavior in a couple days at least, and that training came from my other animals, not me! On this same note, they are always closely, directly supervised when together, and I won't be leaving them alone together for any length of time until she's completely potty trained and we have a solid, consistent history of good behavior between them all. As for pulling the trigger... When you know, you know 🤷🏼♀️ We just figured there is no right time, I saw a cute dog from a reputable non profit rescue, and that was it. No matter what you do or when, there are going to be potty accidents, destroyed items, injuries. Just go for it whenever you're ready for potential chaos in your life and the fun that comes with it.
Thank you so much for your detailed answer, it's so lovely reading that! It sounds like you have a lot on your plate with a little 12 week old, although it sounds like your other animals, as well as you, are doing a really good job at teaching her. It's quite nice to hear someone in the same situation as me also, who has cats to consider as well as the original dog. Our cats were 5 when we brought our dog home, and it was quite an adjustment for them to have a bouncy/exciteable little ball of fluff trying to play with them/getting in their face. We taught a lot of safety commands to our dog, like leave it/watch me/drop it, in case there ever was an incident. Now all 3 get along great, like you said it was a rough few weeks but our dog basically became best friends with one of our cats - We kept finding them snuggled up together on our bed/the sofa, and they will groom each other. Our other cat is less involved, but he is definitely comfortable. He's just more of a bossy boots, but he did help to but a lot of boundaries in place when she was a puppy. The dog my husband has found (and would willingly pick him up today if the meet went well) is 5, so I feel like he should be a good age for our current dog. I do think another dog would be great for our other one.
Your family sounds lovely, honestly I think you're in an excellent position to go for it! I know it's hard not to worry too much about the what ifs, just try to channel that anxiety into positive behaviors and the training and work that will come with an adoption. I am a pretty high strung person and I worry a lot... It's tiring, but this is actually pretty helpful at this stage of things to be honest. I do most of the training and supervising because I'm just kind of wired like that 😭 Seems like you guys have not only some experience but also the love and patience for it, and ultimately I think that's the key ingredient to success anyway.
I am the definition of that pet-parent whose first dog was SUPER calm and well-behaved, and that made me think, *hey, I should get a second one!* My first one was the most anti-husky Siberian Husky. Super calm, rarely (if ever) barks or howls, extremely lazy, never been destructive, hates cold weather, etc. Feel like I hit the lottery with her. My brain: *Hey, that wasn't so bad! I can do this! Let me get a second dog!* Then I adopted a Rat Terrier. *holy-fudging-what-TF-did-I-get-myself-into* He's basically a miniature crackhead hellion on steroids. WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF! 😭😭😄😂
Lmaoooo I'm cracking up because our second dog is also a rat terrier mix and he is nuts. Very stubborn too, smart, but stubborn. But he is also the sweetest, cuddling, velcro dog ever. Love my little buddy.
Yes! They're extremely stubborn, too smart for their own good, but so dang adorable!
Just curious, what is an anti-husky Siberian Husky?
One that came off the husky factory floor misassembled. Their breed is stereotypically known as incredibly energetic, loud, and destructive if not exercised properly. Mine is basically the canine version of the sloth from the Zootopia movie: slow, lazy, quiet, and has never been the smartest kid on the block.
Same story, first dog was a husky and everyone (including trainers) were like “don’t do it! You can’t handle it as a first time dog owner!” And I did it and did it well, and then got a GSDx puppy that has scaled walls just to watch cars drive by. I’m so grateful there was more fencing on top because she did not give a single indication that she was going to jump. We were walking and she just did it. Literally went from walking to hopping to the side. It was a high wall, and she just “hopped”. I almost had a heart attack even though we’ve walked this bridge a million times and I know there’s additional fencing, like I can see it. My husky turned out to be an anti-husky husky too which is why I thought I handled it well. I don’t think anything prepares you for the crazy dog but getting that crazy dog.
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Oh wow, that's great to hear. I'm glad they're all getting along nicely! My dog loves going to my mom's house where she has a friend for the day in my mom's dog, and she loves going to doggy daycare, however I have been told on her report card that she often just likes to go and lie on the bed for a bit of quiet time haha. I do think she would really love the company, besides her cat brothers!
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Aww bless her, I can connect with that! He is a very good researcher and always thinks about things very pragmatically, so who knows if I'll be asking about a third dog in a couple of years haha.
I have my first dog since 2012 and decided to adopt the second one around 2021 because I couldn’t fathom the idea of our first dog potentially leaving us in the middle of the pandemic. That’s almost 10 years of being with that dog alone and I can’t imagine life without him. Didn’t warm up to the second dog for a while as he was so used to being the only child but eventually did.
Aww you seem like a lovely person, so glad it all worked out in the end. They definitely deserve longer lives :( It's awful seeing them grow older, but it sounds like he's been having a great life with you.
I had never had 2 dogs before, but we had been looking for a particular breed mix at area shelters and one finally came up. Fortunately he (big) gets along with our first dog (small). We LOVE having 2, just the fun of 2 different personalities. They are buddies but small likes his own space and big respects that most of the time.
Our first dog (3 year old female at the time) that we adopted from a previous owner had another dog in their family that she was close to. After a few months with us we noticed a shift in her demeanor. It's like she was depressed. (we're very active and have a lot of friends with dogs. The depression seemed to kick in after play dates with other dogs.) This is when I started looking for another dog. We ended up rescuing a 3 year old male dog. It was a game changer for our first dog. It's been 3 years now and they're super close. We added a 3rd dog a little over a year ago.
Honestly I wasn’t planning on it at all. But I saw a cute dog online (on the 7th of this month to be exact lol), and her description sounded exactly like my dog I have now and they looked identical. I thought she was cute so I sent the link to my husband to be like “haha they’re so similar! How sweet!” But then he asked if I wanted another one, and by the 10th we had brought her home. 😂 They act like 2 peas in a pod, no adjustment period needed.
[But don’t they just look so cute together](https://www.reddit.com/u/pitiful-raisin/s/KgAgCwPEkI)
I had a 3.5 year old 16 pound anxious baby girl who I had rescued a year before. She was a street dog and had was in foster care for 8 months and they couldn’t find a home. Anyway I got her, we lived a quiet, WFH, anxious life together in an apartment in a big city. I decided I wanted her to have her own yard and we moved to the suburbs. One day I thought getting her a dog would be a wise move. She was my first dog and basically only pet ever. I’m not sure why I thought this, just seemed like she needed some lessons in how to dog and how to dog, carefree. Anyway I browsed pet finder and nothing felt right. I ended up quitting my job to take 3 months off to destress. I took my girl to the park one night, way out of our routine, and a couple shouted out “hey do you want a puppy?!” We agreed to meet in the dog park the next afternoon to see if my anxious, picky little one had ANY interest in a brother. Well, she went right up to the puppy and booped his nose (this is what I do to her) and I was in shock. So by 7pm that night, we had a 9 week old puppy. She HATED him at first 😂😂😂 he was hyper and soooo friendly and loooooooooved her and always wanted to be close to her. Anyway now they’re best friends. I’m so grateful his arrival also lined up with my time off bc there were so many sleepless nights. Now I’ve returned to office (🤢) and I’m so grateful they have each other to be with throughout the day. He just turned two, weighs 80lb and is a happy, carefree, cuddly golden mix. She is almost 6 and has come leaps and bounds. She goes to strangers for pets, she cuddles with my family/friends, she comes when called - she used to just hide in my bed all the time. I know I lucked out and the universe just sort of dropped him off at our feet. As soon as I brought him home I felt complete. I can’t explain it. Like this is my family and we are now complete. So, take the leap!
The only reason I got a second dog was because the first one has terrible separation anxiety. The second one completely fixed this issue. They are very bonded.
Well, we foster failed on our first and she seemed lonely. We wanted to get her a friend, so we started fostering another one, male this time. After some very slow intros over the course of a couple months, they got along very well. So we adopted him and he's been great too. Not without challenges though - he has gotten into fights with our neighbor dog... But we've taken steps to prevent that again... Pitbulls can be challenging
For me, it was when I was converted to 100% work from home during COVID. I had been considering getting a puppy for some time, and it made it significantly easier to potty train when I wasn't really leaving the house. No regrets. While her socialization suffered a little bit given the lack of puppy classes and public gatherings, she's grown up to be a fine dog and I love having her, as does my older dog.
We'd always planned on getting a second. When our first dog was three, his best friend from next door moved away, so he was really lonely. Then, within a week, my dad died and my kid's dad moved a 12 hour drive away, and I thought "screw it, we need some happy sock stealing ankle biting problems around here." Turns out the puppy we chose is a little crazy, and has a yark like fingernails on a chalkboard. He's also joyful and happy and always excited about everything. We also learned that the dog hates puppies, so it was a rough first year, but now they're inseparable and sleep in a heap. No regrets, and I'm planning to add a new puppy or dog to then pack every four or five years because I need joy in my life and refuse to ever be without a dog (also we have a good sized house and a huge yard so there's room and we can afford to buy whimsical sweaters for several more dogs).
We have had our schipperke since 2008, got her as a puppy. We had cats for a while (one was an older rescue that lived for about 8 years after her adoption, one we got as a kitten and she passed around 2 years old due to kidney stuff). Other than that, she was a lone dog most of her life. We got a Pomeranian puppy two years ago and after about 2 days of nervousness (the puppy was so small and so energetic that our older dog didn’t know what to do), they became the best of friends. It’s given our older dog a second wind of energy and friskiness. She, in turn, seems to be more concerned about the puppy’s behavior than even we are. She models how to be obedient but also loves tearing around the back yard with her little puppy buddy. All to say it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. Everyone’s life got better from adding the second pup.
My husband and I were in your situation but flipped, I always had multiple dogs. I convinced him and he doesn't regret it one bit, he agrees the second dog is a perfect companion for the first.
We had been thinking/talking about it for a while (also have a cat & various other critters.) I went to the pet store one day to grab something and saw an adorable dog and asked to pet it. I was telling the woman how adorable & sweet she was. She replied, do you want her? I'm looking for a home for her... She wound up being exactly what we were looking for in a sister for our 9 year old Wheaten. She fits in perfectly in our weird pack and we love her to death. Actually the woman warned she didn't really like men... well she is obsessed with my husband and I've become second fiddle!
Shitty neighbors near me either got evicted or decided to just up and leave their townhome. They left a dog, cat, and rabbit to fend for themselves. I ended up taking the dog because we had previously interacted at the dog park. I knew he was REALLY high energy, but he got along well with my pit mix, and I just didn't want to see him get stuck in a shelter and put down. He bounced between a couple of neighbors for about a week as we tried to figure out the best path forward. I was the only one who was really seriously looking for a 2nd, and it ended up being a free dog that kinda fell into my lap!
I always have multiple dogs. They are high emotional, sociable creatures that evolved from packs and will naturally still form packs when on the streets. Two is a blessing as it helps with the exercise/entertainment. They will probably play if you get the right match and watching them enjoy each other is entertainment for you too. 3 is a good interval but since your existing dog is an established adult already, I would plan on doing crate and rotate for a couple months before you let them loose together. That means they smell each other weeks before they see each other and they get used to seeing (ignoring) each other well before they are allowed to physically interact. This is to make sure they have truly accepted each other before you go head to head on an established dogs territory. I usually let them potty in the same area for a good while too (but at different times) so they start to get comfortable that the new dog is coming into their orbit. Best of luck to you and thanks for rescuing! 💖
I didn't intend on adopting a second dog, the third cat was also unplanned, but he is the litter mate to my first dog. The rescue asked if anyone could foster him because his first family returned him to the rescue and the foster family he was with didn't have the right space for him because he's a bigger dog. I ended up taking him home and was going to have him adopted out, but then at Christmas he interacted with my nieces and I fell in love with him because he was so good with them. I did feel some regret after adopting him because I am also autistic and he was very clingy from going through so much turmoil and instability, which got me overstimulated very quickly. After some training and building a better bond with him, he became less clingy and anxious. Do you have the option to do a foster-to-adopt situation to see how it works out and whether your current dog gets along with the new one?
Found him, shelter was full. Couldn’t bring my self to let him die.
I started out w one boxer - discovered he had separation anxiety so got a rescue - best decision. This was 20 years ago- ever since I always get another dog after one passes away (after waiting a few months). All my dogs have lived long- save for one w cancer (passes at 14 yrs old) Usually have an older and younger one, which keeps the older one active and great for companionship. I think they just live longer too - might just be my perception though. Also helps with the bereavement…
Adopted our first pooch in 2019 at the age of 25. 4 years passed and me and my fiancé always wanted another. The timing never felt “right” but we went to an adoption event at a brewery and just fell in love with this puppy there. We had been browsing other dogs for a few months but they all fell through the cracks for some really random reasons. This puppy was so chill, so adorable, and fit right in with our family. We introduced her to our older pup and the adoption process was so easy so we just went for it. I think it was a combination of the pup’s temperament/demeanor and also the ease of the adoption and introducing her to our other dog. All the pieces just kinda fell into place.
I have three. My second dog picked me, and then picked my third dog, too. No.2 was a foster dog at my workplace who started bonding to me and acting like I was his person. I avoided the inevitable for as long as possible and then realized he was too special to let go to someone else. He’s amazing and I love him. No. 3 was a foster dog that replaced dog 2 at my workplace after I had taken him for myself. She really struggled in the kennel/daycare environment and had/has some serious social deficits that made her unsafe for group play in daycare. She did well when paired with 2 for socializing and play (because 2 is an angel dog) but could not safely be adopted out to a home with other dogs due to her demonstrated lack of appropriate social skills. Her bond with 2 was not going to happen again for her in another household with a different dog and I didn’t think it was fair to her to spend an extended time in rescue under constant stress waiting for an acceptable home to appear for her as an only dog, which can be hard to find.
I got a second because I didn’t want one to be lonely when we were both out of the house. Getting a dog close in age and about the same energy level can be nice so that they can play together and one won’t be pestering the other. It was a good decision for us. Sometimes you can bring your dog with you to a shelter and get a sense of if they would get along. Or the shelter will tell you if they are good with other dogs.
A rescue that we had previously adopted a dog from is trying to close down, but they had several dogs still that they had been having trouble finding homes for. We went and met a couple of them, and we fell in love with a sweet, shy girl who had lived at the rescue basically her whole life. Bringing her home felt right, so we did. She’s afraid of everything, but she’s coming out of her shell little by little.
We got our first dog Buster through what seemed like pure fate at exactly the wrong time. My sister fostered him for a year in a house with other animals before we could actually take him. Afterwards he seemed lonely and so we found Lucy at a shelter. They clicked in the best way and ever since then we've always gotten a dog for our dog. As much as we love them sometimes they need a friend they can speak their own language to.
I adopted my first from the county shelter when she was about 6 weeks old and got her as my ESA. I also had a cat at the time. Years passed, and my kitty unfortunately passed on at the age of 19. Another year passed, and I was thinking of wanting a small dog since my current pup grew to 100 pounds. But, I knew I was poor, lived in an apartment, and didn't NEED another dog. A storm came through though, and my friend spotted a rat dog shivering and skittish looking in the parking lot/road by apartment afterward (while driving home). I told her to grab the dog. Posted about her online, asked my leasing office if anyone reported a missing dog, took her straight to petsmart(or petco, idk which) to see if she was microchipped, and she wasnt. She was emaciated, covered in fleas, and terrified when i found her. After weeks of still having her and not locating the owners, I decided, SHE IS MINE! The universe decided for me that it was time for me to not have ONE extra dog, but FIVE! Because buttercup was suprise pregnant. All puppies went on to their furever homes, and I now have my 2 girls. Finding her is hands down one of my best experiences in life, and I wouldn't give her up for the world!
I worked at a dog grooming place for a little less than a year, someone brought in this puppy that looked like a mix of a chihuahua and maltipoo, probably several other breeds thrown in there, he was just a stringy scruffy little 5 pound pathetic looking dog, had to be less than a year old. So I washed him and put him back in the kennel, he was very scared, tried calling the parents back and it seemed like the number was fake, it kept saying the number was no longer in service. There was no other contact info on their account at all and it was a new account, the poor dog waited in that kennel scared all day long until it came time to close the store, parents never came back. We couldn’t leave him in the kennel overnight, we didn’t really know what else to do, no one could take him, he looked at me with his scared little eyes and I decided to take him home. He got along really well with my other dog who was never an aggressive or territorial dog or anything, I took the dog back to the salon the next day to see if the parents might come back but they never did. That was 2 years ago and other than a pretty lengthy potty training period that was having us at our wits end, he’s been a great little boy. Unfortunately we lost our first dog to cancer so he’s our only dog now, he still has some issues with excited peeing but other than that he doesn’t pee or poop in the house anymore and we can leave him home alone and he doesn’t get into any trouble. He’s not a big barker or anything, he’s just a Velcro dog that loves to be attached to my wife at all times lol. I felt so bad that his parents abandoned him at the grooming salon, I couldn’t just leave him there or drop him off at a shelter.
I got a second dog because my first dog got really stressed when left alone. It worked so well I’ve kept two dogs ever since. I’m at an age where I’m at my last dog, so I’ve started fostering the second dog instead of adopting. When my own dog dies I’ll stop fostering.
I saw him on Facebook. I had a 15 year old dog that was slowing down and it was reducing my physical activity as well. I struggle with depression and other mental health issues and it was getting harder and harder to get myself out to exercise without her when I would see other people with dogs everywhere. I'd always wanted a second dog anyway, but never had the space or money. I moved into a larger apartment that's very lenient with pets, but I still wasn't planning on another dog. And then I saw a post shared into a local houseplant Facebook group trying to find a home for two German shepherds, a puppy and a young adult. I knew the person who made the post, but she was trying to help a family member's friend of a friend or something find them a home. The puppy was snatched up right away, and I wouldn't even have considered a puppy anyway for the sake of my old lady, but the other guy was still available. I saw the post updated a few days later pleading for help with the second dog before he had to go to a shelter. I asked for more details like shots ("some" but no records), neuter (no), etc. to figure out how realistic it would be for me to take him. I contacted the property manager of my place for permission, and a couple days later the woman that originally posted him delivered him to my door. We did a little meet and greet with my old lady out in the yard before bringing him inside for the first time. He ended up needing a little more medical care than I originally anticipated (fleas and worms weren't a big surprise, but he had a horrible infection in both ears), but I got him his basic shots at a pop-up clinic the next morning and took him to a dog wash. He and my old lady got along great for almost 8 months until she passed and I'm glad to have him around now for the support. He's a really great dog and when I'm ready I'll get a second second dog because he's very social.
Don't have the second one yet but I knew I wanted a buddy for my pup after watching videos from when we dog sat for one of my friends, they were best friends, would cuddle up or play together, and unfortunately she doesn't see that pup anymore cause they moved away (she also doesn't get to play with many other dogs and a lot are too rowdy for her) so now I'm just waiting until I can get her a buddy and another cute fluff for me
You could try fostering first. I think it’s a great way to be of service, and check out the dog chemistry and what life is like with a second dog with no long term commitment. Way better than assuming two dogs will want each other’s company long term because they did ok at a meet and greet. We have a wonderful long haired GSD and she turned 3 earlier this year, she loves playing with other dogs and is (mostly) past her crazy puppy brain stage. I knew we would want a second one at some point but the chemistry had to be right and a second dog would need to be ok with the house cat, barn cats, and the 16 year old blind/deaf spaniel we had. Thought we’d wait til our old dog has passed first before taking on a new dog so fostering for the local humane society seemed like a good idea in the meantime because Freya (our gsd) is that confident adult(ish) dog some foster dogs need to have in a home. Our first foster was Stanley, 8 month old former reserve stray who was brought in with two dogs that were likely his parents. He was super chill for a pup and he and Freya became fast friends, he was fine with the cats and the older dog. Had no intention of foster failing going into this, but he really fit in here, we fell for him, and when they called just a couple of weeks later to bring him in to meet potential adopters we had to make a decision, and decided he needed to have his forever home here. (We’ve since fostered two more, but I only have so much time and energy and realized that for now working on some training with Stan needs to take priority over fostering - also when we’ve had a foster, too much one year old male energy has left Freya feeling a bit frazzled at times I noticed- she’s given me the “I didn’t sign up for this” lecture a couple of times)
My neighbors had an 8 year old AKC pomeranian who lived in their backyard and interacted with people less than 5 minutes a day, and he kept running away to my house. The owners eventually gave him to me, and we have formed a very deep bond. He is now 15, and I have had no regrets. Because my girl is 12 and my boy is 15, I recently picked up a shichi puppy. Puppies are a lot of work. She does not like her crate so I tend to carry her everywhere 😂 although I do keep trying to get her used to her crate. She is waking me up every 3 hours to go outside and go potty and has not had an accident yet. I don't live in any cities with puppy classes and do not want her to become antisocial so I am trying to introduce her to everyone I can. I have her learning her name and recall is very important to me and we will start leash training after her next vaccination. Make sure you have time to invest in training a new pup/dog. But I am 100% a dog person. After I lose my old man I might adopt an older dog. I can not imagine a home without dogs.
I got a dog for my dog. 0 regrets. We’re all happier for it 🥰
We had a black lab mix (molly) and an aussie mix (Ozzie) and Molly passed away. I wanted to stay with one dog, but Ozzie was really depressed, so we got a second. Now it's Ozzie and Quincy (Plott Hound). We love them both.
Got my pup early in coronavirus because we transitioned to working from home and I was always here. She's a border collie so she's smart and needs interaction. Then when stuff started to open up and I would go places I could tell she was sad and didn't like being home alone so I adopted a blue heeler to match her energy. She helped me choose him. Now I don't feel bad when I go to my Friday night football games or out to eat.
Young, stupid, and inexperienced lol It’s the best worst decision I’ve ever made. Best because she’s freaking fantastic, worst because I thought I was ready for such a breed. I’ve risen to the occasion thankfully. And luckily, she’s aged enough to enjoy my slowing down (I’m only 30 btw but chronic illness is a *****) so not much of a problem for her either. I‘ve often said I’d never do two dogs again. Truth be told, I probably would but do it better/proper from the start. Maybe even go wild and get three. I always thought I’d do 6 at a time but I also stress out over the minorest of things so probably will never do more than 3. I got my second dog when she was 7 weeks old and my dog was a little over 2 but I had had her for about a year. The first was a husky and everyone had warned me about how energetic they are, I handled it very well thank God. So I thought maybe I am suited for high energy breeds? So I got a GSD mix (oopsie litter that was going to get dumped, the guy owned an unaltered GSD and Mal). I found out the husky was broken because the GSDx (~6) is STILL making me run for my money. I love every second of it, the husky (~8) hates it so much lol. I also have ADHD and possibly undiagnosed autism. For some reason, it wasn’t as chaotic as you’d think. I REALLY enjoyed it. I miss it with the husky getting old and injured and unable to join me on long walks as much anymore (she HATES running, more so pulling), I know my second dog misses it too. I think a friend is in order now. I really did enjoy the orderly chaos of two dogs (at one point 3, the third is my sister’s). ETA: more details: My husky really enjoyed the company of other dogs, so I thought to get her a friend. She hated every waking moment of it at first, 100% my fault because I wasn’t setting boundaries for the puppy and thought my husky would do it for me. She did but not after it took a toll on her. At one point she started ripping hair out of her tail. Puppies stress her out as it turns out. She can’t live a second without her “sibling” now. Those first few weeks were why I said I’d do it better from the start next time. I feel like I hurt my relationship with my husky, and also didn’t build the right foundation for my relationship with my GSDx. She gets very anxious when it’s just me and her, like she lost something. The husky doesn’t stress too much when my GSDx isn’t with us. I’ve been working on fixing my relationship with them individually since I realized my wrong doing, and still continue to fix aspects of it. It’s very healing seeing how forgiving they are of me. They’re teaching me a lot about myself! Fixing our relationships is why I have my hands too full right now for new dogs.
Woke up one day and thought, “Hm, I think I want a second dog.” To be fair, I ended up with the first dog two years prior when I woke up and thought, “Hm, I think I want a dog.”
My partner was working from home during Covid. She’d just moved in with me a few months prior, states away from her family, and said she was feeling depressed and had been asking for a dog. I finally relented even though I didn’t feel like my mental load could handle it. I can’t imagine my life without him now and our two dogs are truly brothers and best friends. We recently broke up and it’s going to devastate me when she wants to move out and take him with.
My first two adoptee dogs (separate) were seniors—not reactive to other dogs or overly protective of me, but enough of a history to likely be destabilized by a second dog in the house. Each passed after 3-4yrs due to pre-existing health issues and I decided I wanted to next adopt a younger dog. I took in a 9mo basset-beagle and spoiled him with puppy classes and training. He was exceptionally good socializing with other dogs, responding to recall commands when off-leash and balanced independence with bonding to me. When he turned 2, I got the chance to adopt his biological brother, 14mos younger and raised in the same commune. Despite my expectations, his younger brother is markedly less social and struggles with mild agoraphobia. Pros: the brothers play-fight with each other to exhaustion. The elder used to initiate playful wrestling with us constantly so having a second dog has helped tremendously divert their energy. Neither is strongly jealous or possessive, but oft swap toys or prime cuddle spot. I was really worried the older brother would hate sharing attention, but he’s still young enough to not think our love, his food supply, or attention was in jeopardy. Cons: Training the younger brother is much harder. I admit I expected their shared DNA would result in similar personalities, but after a few months it’s obvious the younger dog is anxious and wary. Sometimes the presence of his older brother helps, other times it distracts from training. Conclusion: Patience, observation. I half-expected both personalities to level out one another, but it’s not that simple. Training was different for both brothers. I do think their closeness in age and shared DNA helped make their relationship less competitive.
Your situation sounds similar to mine. I have a 3yo chill dog that we adopted over a year ago and my husband and I had been talking for a while about getting a second one and had looked periodically over the last 6 months or so. I work from home and he owns a business and partially works from home. We just brought the 2nd dog home 2 weeks ago and I really felt like I was ready for anything but she has been a bit much for us to be honest. She’s 9mo and not house trained and also a nervous/excited pee-er and she likes to chew. She pretty much needs to be supervised or crated at all times which is fine for now, but I’m just so concerned about this being a forever thing. I have moments that I’m so happy we got her and then other moments that I wish I hadn’t. I felt so much weight in picking a second dog because I wanted it to be right for my first dog and I do think they like each other, but it hasn’t all been easy. Only time will tell though so we’re hopeful she will get comfortable and the accidents will stop. I definitely don’t think it’s a bad idea to get a second dog, I think it’s good for them to have a play mate and company when you’re away. I guess my advice is just keep in mind that no matter how much you try to manage your expectations, or try to pick the right one, it might not be perfect. It is scary before and after the adoption, it’s hard to know what to do but trust your gut.
We did this about a month ago. My partner and I lived with my parents up until about a month ago, where my dog had my mom's dog as a companion. My mom's dog passed away and my dog seemed really torn up about it. It was hard watching her act so visibly depressed, so we decided if she was gonna have to get used to apartment life, we may as well get her a friend to help her adjust. We adopted a little dachshund/WFT mix and he's been pretty great, aside from severe seperation anxiety and peeing every time anything slightly unpleasant happens. Learning curves
An opportunity fell in our laps to take in a free AKC registered French Bulldog that we didn’t want to pass up. We weren’t sure how our 7 year old ACD mix who’d been an only child her whole life would do so we took the Frenchie for a trial week. They both adapted so well and while they don’t love each other, they do like each other and get along great.
Well, my fiancé already had a dog that he really got for his son who is no longer living at home. So she never really felt like my dog. I wanted a dog, and my fiancé was really against it because he kept saying we already had a dog. I thought this was really unfair because I didn't decide to get this dog, I wanted my own dog and she was not my ideal dog either. Eventually he agreed to get another dog and we got a 3-month-old puppy. His dog absolutely hated my dog at first. It was surprising because she never had any problems with dogs before. She doesn't really like playing with them, but she interacts with them fine. I guess she was getting old and used to being the only dog in the house. She snapped and growled at him all the time, especially since he was so young and he was always in her face, trying to play and generally being an annoying baby to her. Eventually she got used to him and she never snaps or growls at him anymore; and he absolutely ADORES her. I actually do think she feels more comfortable with him around when she's in a new situation, like with a pet-sitter or at a boarding place. Sometimes we leave her with a pet-sitter by herself while we take my dog on a trip and she seems a lot more stressed out when we pick her up than if she was with my dog at a pet-sitter's. I think having another dog around is good for my dog, even though I don't really like my fiancé's dog. It's nice for him to have another dog around even though she doesn't play with him, he just loves her. My fiancé and I both work from home 100% so it's pretty easy to take care of them, and my dog turned out great. I think you never know what's going to happen though, I mean, I thought my fiancé's dog would like my puppy, because supposedly when she was found, she was taking care of puppies that weren't hers. So I thought she'd like a puppy, but she hated him at first. Even if your dog loves other dogs, you never know how they will react when you bring another strange dog into their home. But you can never guarantee anything 100%, and I think if you want another dog, go for it, most likely it will be fine and it sounds like both of you want another dog.
After getting a second dog, I can't imagine having just one anymore at all. If they click (ours really did, but of course they can be polar opposites or whatever so it doesn't work as well, which is always an option) - the small interactions they have with each other, their playing and communication, nibbling of the ear with affection... it is something we could never provide for our dog if she didn't have a doggy "brother". I definitely think we really enriched our 1st dogs life a lot by getting a 2nd one (and saved another dog from the streets which is of course a plus).
The timing will never be perfect, there will be precautions that will be overlooked but you will address and adapt and adjust. My partner and I were never able to have dogs growing up and we got our first 3 years ago. We don't plan on having kids so we spoil her and our two cats quite excessivley. She's going on 4 years and we just thought that our dogs overall health and well being would benefit from having a buddy and we wanted to adopt a rescue. It took some getting used to be our pitbull and our newly acquired Jack Russel mix quickly became best friends and he is cool with the cats as well. I am not very social and have a high stress job and sometimes I come home so wound up and these two tackle me at the door and kiss me non stop and demand that we go on a long walk and it reminds me what the important things in life are. Good luck to you all on your new journey, there is always a loving animal out there waiting for an equally loving home.
I watched a video where Cesar Millan said that his younger pitbull Junior made his older pitbull Daddy feel young again and "definitely" added years to his life. I wanted the same for Scooter (half Shiba Inu, Mini Poodle and Pekingese), who was 11 when I adopted Mookie. I naively convinced myself that he would make it to 16 like Daddy did. It will be one year next week since we had to say goodbye to him at 13yrs "young".
I was scrolling fb, and jodies cypress dog rehoming page came up. Showed an 18 month old beagle x pointer type dog with 1 eye. I immediately fell in love with her, and she was flown over once she'd been spayed and had an operation to remove her damaged eye. She was an absolute mischievous monster (in a cute way), and every day was an adventure with her. She passed away last year at 11 years old. Her and my old girl were the best of friends and she misses her sister terribly. I mentioned her name not too long ago, and she jumped up, wagging her tail looking for her. I cried.
Well, I haven't adopted a 2nd dog, BUT my dog was very lonely, so I adopted a cat for her, and now they are best friends.
We just adopted a second Rescue dog last month! My wife never had dogs growing up. I did (from 3 years old and continuously until college). While I was in college, my parents had 2 labs. After my wife and I married and she was two months away from our daughter being born, a Schippereke/ Spitz adopted her and our daughter. By that I mean the dog literally showed up on the doorstep and after vet checks proceeded to snuggle with my wife and put her head on or beside my wife's pregnant abdomen. After our daughter was born, her dog brought clothes, diapers, Tylenol bottles, blankets, regular bottles, etc. when our daughter cried. Her dog brought books and toys when she was happy. Skip 4 years. A Dalmatian literally adopted our daughter by showing up in the garden after preschool. They were best friends. We did not know our daughter had seizures, narcolepsy, dyspraxia, and autism. 12 years later, we adopted a bonded pair of puppies. They were Border Collie / Australian Cattle Dog mix. They. Became her carer Dogs. Skip 16 years ahead. This year, we loved and missed our dogs. We also knew there were dogs who needed a good home. After a lot of research, we found a great rescue (Godbey Creek Canine). Our first dog was an instant match with us energy wise, temperament, everything ! Since 1992, we always have had 2 dogs. Our dogs have gotten along with each other easily and quickly. Our rescue dog needed a canine friend. She had been socialised with other dogs, people of all genders and ages, and was so sweet. We decided to see if she would meet another dog and be OK. From day 1, they act as close as our BC/ACD twins. Literally! They play together, sleep on each other's beds, play with each other's toys, run the fenced in yard together. From day 1. And they aren't related. Oh, and it is OK to have autism and a second dog. Just take your dog for a meet & greet after seeing the new dog first. Talk with the new dog's caregiver about any questions you have. Between my daughter, wife, and I, we had 5 pages of questions. We like to cover every base. I am looking outside right now as our "older" dog (3 years) is gently "guiding" her younger "brother " (1-2 years) by the ear to the water pail. He is drinking water and licking her head. As I have said, he has only been here a month. I know we have been lucky, but the rescue center is fantastic!
I got my second dog in a weird 12 hour situation. Her original owner was lying about me on Facebook saying I never called her to pick up her other dog who I was watching as a favor and all I did was post my side and show the screenshots of my texts and my calls to her. It ended with her husbands sergeant texting me and asking if I wanted her because they couldn’t keep her so they ended up taking her I will say it’s not an ideal way to get a dog, but right now me and my spouse are researching breeds to see which will fit our lifestyle better he wants another husky while I want an African boerboel as a ppd from a reputable breeder so we’re looking at breeds that are middle ground, I will say thou if we find the perfect dog that fits our needs in a shelter then we do plan on applying for them to give them a good life