Wanting a 2nd Dog

esmf73

I have 2. We started with a rhodesian ridgeback for 4 years,then got a rescue lab dalmatian cross. He was so naughty that he used to run around the top of the kitchen units! Now he is a wonderful dog. Our ridgeback died 4 years ago and in September I got a jack russell !!!!! puppy. A bigger dog would have been nice, but I have two young children and needed a dog I could pick up to rescue if necessary. It has perked up Domino (now 8) no end. I have a crate which is FAB and they're great friends. Go for it and be prepared for life to change forever!!!!

Sagaris

We have a rescue beagle (she's 6 1/2, had her for 18 months) and after lots of socialising we have decided to start looking for another! There are always lots on the Beagle Welfare rescue pages, the only problem is choosing which one!

Good luck with whatever you decide - and a few photos would be nice!

virgin_moneysaver

there is a beagle, presently with a fosterer in Wiltshire, he's on the Many Tears Rescue Centre website - they have volunteers who help with transport if this is an issue

bugslet

Another one with 5 dogs - I'd certainly always have two. I've never had any problem introducing them into the pack and two dogs together just makes sense!

Lirin

Mine are good company for eachother.

DH thought I was mad taking on the Rough Collie when we had the Lab. Then he met RC, who gave DH the tiniest lick, and won over DH, who's extremely soppy. Now DH thinks I'm mad again, as RC is trying to follow Lab into the 'Grumpiest Dog' stakes.....

They're both lovely, work well together, and play happily. We had a few clashes very early on between them when they were sorting out who lay where in the general pecking order in the house.... easily sorted. Now they'll always look for eachother if they're separated, and each has such a huge personality it's funny to watch them together.

Think the most we had in a house was arond 6-7....

Paradigm

I'm a big fan of having 2 dogs but I also think that there could be problems further down the road.

I have 2 DDBs & they are inseperable, it's like they are tied together. I've already said to my OH that if something should happen to one of them, the other will be devastated.

I had a preview some months ago when the boy had to stay overnight at the vet, the girl was beside herself 'cos he wasn't there... wouldn't eat or sleep & spent all her time looking out of the window!!

I fear that having 2 dogs means always having 2 dogs, whether you want 2 or not... be prepared

Sagaris

virgin_moneysaver wrote: »

there is a beagle, presently with a fosterer in Wiltshire, he's on the Many Tears Rescue Centre website - they have volunteers who help with transport if this is an issue

I've tried to rescue a beagle from them before, they didn't like the fact that I work, as so many of their dogs are ex breeders and need 24/7 company of a human (so I was told).

I've found a couple of likely candidates on the Beagle Welfare website, will see how we go from there! Thanks for the tip though.

Person_one

Paradigm wrote: »

I'm a big fan of having 2 dogs but I also think that there could be problems further down the road.

I have 2 DDBs & they are inseperable, it's like they are tied together. I've already said to my OH that if something should happen to one of them, the other will be devastated.

I had a preview some months ago when the boy had to stay overnight at the vet, the girl was beside herself 'cos he wasn't there... wouldn't eat or sleep & spent all her time looking out of the window!!

I fear that having 2 dogs means always having 2 dogs, whether you want 2 or not... be prepared

They say that dogs get over the death of their friends easier if they are allowed to see the body, smell them and realise what's happened. That's why if it comes to that with mine I hope to find a vet who'll visit the house for the final visit. If you take them away in the car and they just never come back they don't understand where they went.

Hopefully that's years away for mine though, and yours, touch wood.

Paradigm

Person_one wrote: »

They say that dogs get over the death of their friends easier if they are allowed to see the body, smell them and realise what's happened. That's why if it comes to that with mine I hope to find a vet who'll visit the house for the final visit. If you take them away in the car and they just never come back they don't understand where they went.

That may well be right but I can't say, I've yet to go to that dark place.

Person_one wrote: »

Hopefully that's years away for mine though, and yours, touch wood.

Here's hoping for us both

krlyr

Paradigm wrote: »

I'm a big fan of having 2 dogs but I also think that there could be problems further down the road.

I have 2 DDBs & they are inseperable, it's like they are tied together. I've already said to my OH that if something should happen to one of them, the other will be devastated.

I had a preview some months ago when the boy had to stay overnight at the vet, the girl was beside herself 'cos he wasn't there... wouldn't eat or sleep & spent all her time looking out of the window!!

I fear that having 2 dogs means always having 2 dogs, whether you want 2 or not... be prepared

Might be something worth addressing, and definately something for the OP to consider. You can train the dogs to deal with being seperate, much like you train a dog with seperation anxiety to be OK on its own - lots of babysteps, but worth doing now before anything happens that takes the choice out of it. Encouraging some seperate time in the house, e.g. giving them a Kong in seperate rooms, having a special time when one dog is taken by a walk by someone else in the house (or a dog walker if you're on your own) while the dog at home gets loads of fuss and games - basically make being home alone a thing for them to look forward to. Little steps, at the dogs' own paces, never pushing them beyond their threshold, and you'll get there eventually. Even though my two love their walks together, I make sure they get solo walks too, to promote that independence.