How did you decide on #2 (or 3, or more)?

[Bailey08]

I wanted another dog for entirely selfish reasons. One of the reasons that I am almost embarassed to say outloud... is... Heaven forbid something every happen to Maddie I don't know what I'd do. The idea of another dog to learn some of her habits (both bad and good, I'm okay with that) is somewhat comforting to me

That thought has crossed my mind, too. B isn't yet 3 and I'm already really weird about thinking (i.e., getting anxious about the fact) that he has a finite amount of time with me. And I know I'll lose it when the time comes.

Thanks for posting -- so much of your posted sounded a lot like how I feel. Plus, I course love Baileys.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

I have always had a hard time having only one of any animal--in my mind, I always think "they must want a friend of their same species"--LOL--odd, I know, but really it bothers me to have a single. Especially since we work, and I think having a buddy is a good thing for them.

As for how we decided--each time we added someone new, we just went searching to find a dog that would work for all of us. And I love having more than one dog. I would get another one if my husband would agree.

 

[Danefied]

I honestly don't know what its like to have only one dog!
I grew up in a multi dog home, lived with multiple dogs in college, so I guess it never occurred to me to have only one LOL!

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Strangely, I very much enjoy having just one dog. When I move out, I plan on bringing Chloe with me, and while I may get another dog before she passes - once Chloe does pass away, I will keep that dog as a single dog, at least for a long while (or plan to).

 

[JacksonsMom]

I had to greatly weigh the pros/cons for myself. Originally, I was wanting to get another dog FOR Jackson but I think sometimes it can be a bad idea to do this just to give your current dog a friend. I had to think to myself... do *I* really want a second dog? Financially, could I afford to groom two, feed two, provide vet care, etc? What if an emergency came up with both dogs at once... I probably couldn't afford it, to be honest. I am 20 years old and still in college. I can support Jackson on my own, but not so sure about another.

With my current lifestyle, I really enjoy bringing Jackson places with me. I am a young single girl and I like to travel and when I can, I bring him with me. Every summer, we vacation to Gettysburg for example and he comes. I visit over my dads house once or twice a week and he has two dogs and a fenced in yard, etc. When I go to family members homes for holidays, I bring him with me, etc. If I just go visit a close friend at their house, he comes with me. He's my constant little companion and I really don't think I could do it with two of them and I'd end up leaving them home more often than not (because I wouldn't want to bring one, and not bring the other). I have a really tight bond with him (and I'm not saying this can't occur with two dogs, obviously it can)... but it's just something I'm not sure I want to 'break' right now or change.

I know I will have a second eventually... but now is not the time. Yes, Jackson loves other dogs and he probably would be happier with a friend (or maybe not, you never know). But I make sure to get him to the dog park once or twice a week, he visits my dads dogs often, we go for daily walks (with other dogs, as I am a dogwalker), etc, etc. He gets a lot of training, attention, socialization and doggy playdates. He's a very social dog so I'm not too concerned about that part of it.

I think I will know when the time is right but for now, I've learned to be very content with just Jackson and I. It took a lot of realizing though... I think I was so obsessed with the idea of a second dog for a while that I forget what I have right in front of me. I have a GREAT dog who is capable of nearly anything I'd ever want a dog to do. My life is very easy with him right now... he's a go-with-the-flow kind of dog, and while he does require quite a bit of exercise/activity and is very active, at the same time he is also a laidback dog (MOST of the time). If I wanna sleep in til 10am? He's right there with me. Skip a walk for a day? Usually no problem, just make it up to him by playing fetch at home or doing other indoor games. Things like that. I'm just not sure I'm all that ready for a new pup to change my routine around.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Strangely, I very much enjoy having just one dog. When I move out, I plan on bringing Chloe with me, and while I may get another dog before she passes - once Chloe does pass away, I will keep that dog as a single dog, at least for a long while (or plan to).

I think I'm slowly becoming more like this, but I dunno yet.

I think I love the IDEA of a second dog more than the actual doing of it if that makes sense.

I do think it would be really nice for Jackson to have a constant compainion. I know he misses it sometimes because I live at my moms house and her dog was his best friend until she died (hit by a car) when Jackson was 10 months old. It took some adjusting for him to be an "only dog" but I'm very lucky in that I spent (on average) 2 nights a week over at my dads house who has 2 little dogs himself and a big fenced in yard so he does get to 'live' with other dogs part-time, LOL. I may want a second dog more when I am living on my own and working more often.

I admit, I don't always like the dog he turns into when he is around my dads dogs. They both are not trained at all so I think they rub off on him... he turns into a semi high-strung dog and the minute he hears one of them so much as growl, he goes into alert mode and jumps up from whatever he's doing to go see what the deal is. Sleeping in NEVER happens at my dads house... there is just too much going on for him to be sleeping. Training doesn't happen as much with him when I'm there because the other dogs want in on it and then it's just... annoying. I'm always glad to return back home after a few days over there to just Jackson and I again. And then again, he goes with me to dogsitting jobs a lot of times and he doesn't act like a nutjob around other peoples dogs so it must just be my dads house, LOL

However, on the plus side, it is VERY nice to see him being able to play and get his energy out indoors without constantly needing me to pay attention to him, things like that. He's always tired when we get back home after being at my dads house. He loves being able to just go out free in the backyard and run and play. He's definitely very happy over there and that is nice to see.

I think that if the right dog came along, it'd be hard for me to pass up. But like I said, I've learned to be content with one. I guess we shall see.

 

[Southpaw]

I think if I had the RIGHT dog, I would be content with just one. When I just had Molly I never desired a second dog, she was perfect, I didn't need another one. I'm not saying the Lucy/Juno are not "enough" but they each lack things that I SO desire. For example one of my favorite things about having a dog is just... loving them. Laying on the couch and snuggling, being able to pet them. I LOVE dogs that melt into you when you start petting them, dogs that rest their head in your lap, dogs that nudge you for attention, etc. I love dogs that love human contact. Juno HATES being touched and that can be really disappointing sometimes.

Not that that is the reason why I want another dog lol, but it certainly fuels the "want." Main reason I want another dog relatively soon is because I feel like now is the best time. If I don't do it within the next year, I think it'll be a long time before I get another.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I think if I had the RIGHT dog, I would be content with just one. When I just had Molly I never desired a second dog, she was perfect, I didn't need another one. I'm not saying the Lucy/Juno are not "enough" but they each lack things that I SO desire. For example one of my favorite things about having a dog is just... loving them. Laying on the couch and snuggling, being able to pet them. I LOVE dogs that melt into you when you start petting them, dogs that rest their head in your lap, dogs that nudge you for attention, etc. I love dogs that love human contact. Juno HATES being touched and that can be really disappointing sometimes.

Not that that is the reason why I want another dog lol, but it certainly fuels the "want." Main reason I want another dog relatively soon is because I feel like now is the best time. If I don't do it within the next year, I think it'll be a long time before I get another.

I totally understand. Sometimes certain things about Jackson make me feel that way too. He is cuddly in the mornings and late at night but he's not a dog who enjoys me picking him up and giving him lovin' and would much rather be on the floor, doing something else, lol. But he's very attached to me in other ways and shows his love in a different way, I guess. For the MOST part (minus a few little things) he's my perfect dog. But I often think it'd be nice to have a second who was a big cuddly loving dog too.

As much as I want a bigger dog (a GSD to be exact)... sometimes I think that's going to have to wait until after Jackson is gone. Whenever I stay overnight at some of my clients house, I am reminded how difficult it is to have a big dog/small dog combo (with a young big dog anyways). I watch a Rottweiler and he is ALOT of dog. Like he needs sooo much exercise-wise and attention-wise and is just constant. He can be a pain in the butt and I love him so much, but it can be very stressful with him and Jackson together. And then I'm reminded why it would probably be a dumb idea to get a GSD puppy ANY time soon, LoL.

 

[Saeleofu]

B isn't yet 3 and I'm already really weird about thinking (i.e., getting anxious about the fact) that he has a finite amount of time with me. And I know I'll lose it when the time comes.

I'm like this sometimes too. Gavroche is 3 1/2 and I already finding myself dreading the time that he's no longer with me. With him having health issues already, joint issues, and his breed and color, I fear his time will come way too soon

 

[RD]

I picked my 2nd dog because I fostered her and she and I have a very special bond. I really decided on her because of my feelings, not logic. I can't pick pet dogs for myself when I have a service dog with me who detests other dogs in her space. I can't take back the love I have for Wink, but I will never have another dog unless it can either put Eve in her place or avoid her entirely.

I didn't have a problem being a one-dog household. Eve is versatile and can do just about everything I would ever want to do with a dog, and she can either keep me busy or be completely out of the way, depending on my mood.

Definitely weigh the pros/cons carefully if you're looking to get a new dog. Wink is a darling and is the polar opposite to Eve; she fills a void in my life that I didn't know was there until I met her. That said, she was a bad decision based on pure emotion, and it's been stressful to manage a crazy puppy and a superbitch in the same studio apartment.

 

[hey_jude]

I will tell you it WAS very sad to almost have to grieve the loss of Jude's only child-ness, and there are times when I feel sad, but overall Jonah has brought a lot of joy our lives. It's nice to see them keeping each other company in the morning when I let them outside and it's nice to see them laying in the backseat together when I get back to the car after running to a store (Jonah still in a crate, but you know what I mean). The companionship I think helps a ton with Jude's loneliness. It's sad that he's not the center of my world anymore, and I'm not totally his, but I think it's healthier for everyone all around.

With that said, Jude and I still have a special relationship and we still try to get special time together.

It's definitely a trade off- but I know for me it's been worth it. Hope it helps!

 

[MyHorseMyRules]

Tempie kind of fell into my lap, but I decided to keep her partly because she made my life so much easier by helping to keep Raja busy.

And as for Boone... Well, when Tempie got injured and I had to face the fact that she may never be able to return to SAR work, I needed to start training another working dog. So when Boone's breeder offered to donate me a puppy, I took him up on it. And to be honest, other than the added costs of feeding another dog, having a third just really didn't change much. Everyone kept saying that adding a third is so much harder, but I really haven't had any trouble with it.

 

[vanillasugar]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately too. I've started to worry that if we wait much longer to add a second dog, it's going to be "too late" for Sierra since she'll be so accustomed to being an only.

I don't know that I'll go out and look for another dog for a while, but if the right dog comes along for our family (Sierra and Buddy included) then I'd happily welcome a second at that time.

 

[Dekka]

It sort of just happened. Growing up we always had a couple of cats (well almost always, when one died it could take awhile for another one to show up) We rarely had dogs and it was always just one.

Dekka is the perfect dog. As a pet owner I would be happy with just her. There IS blatant corporatism in this house lol. But Darien wanted his own dog, so he has Sport. I want to breed (and thanks to that I have Dekka) So we have a few JRTs. I LOVE Kat, she is soo awesome. She is not Dekka but she is so much fun I am very glad I have her and that Dekka likes her. The whippet was supposed to be for hubby but I came home with two. I like them, but more than anything I just like Bounce.

Some dogs are happier in a one or two dog home. Snip is now much happier being an only dog. The whippets would be sad being only dogs. I think caring what the dog thinks (at least to the point of not being stressed) is important. But when you choose the next dog, pick one you will love and THEN think if it will fit with your current canine resident.

 

[StillandSilent]

I love Argon deeply, but he is not the dog I wanted. He's the dog that landed in my lap to foster, and ended up staying. I wanted another dog who could be my agility dog, so I went looking
Since Argon does have DA issues, though, I fostered first to see what kind of dog he would do well with. Then, once the fosters left, I saw Gambit's picture a few hours away and well....there he was!
I think that Argon is actually happier now that I have Gambit. I'm less focused on him, and I think that takes off pressure that I didn't really know I was putting on him.

 

[smkie]

When the dog is laying on the cold road on the coldest day of the year, looking for all the world like she is dead, you really don't have much choice. WHen the dog's behavior is so dangerous to herself, rehoming just went to the back burner until the training was done, and then, we were too bonded to separate. Kind of like the universe was saying this is what needed to happen so it did.