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lilly316

Dog quandary

Lily316
14 years ago

I took my rescued pup for a well dog check up today. He is my pride and joy. While in line to pay, this cute little strange looking dog was behind me. He is a doxi, wirehair terrier, ?? mix with funny fur and a cute face. My dog loved him, and they started playing together. They both weigh 25 pounds and tumbled across the floor. I asked the woman who had him about him and she said he's a foster, 10 months old found in Kentucky and brought north to a foster group. Now my husband wants him. He's very sweet ,she said, laid back, likes people and cats and is house and crate trained. I have never had two dogs at one time..cats yes. Five of them presently. My dog is a treasure and I would hate to have anything spoil that. He has never had an accident in the house, is super smart and a dear dog. He's my best friend. I'm worried another dog may change that. People w/ multiple dogs, are your dogs as affectionate and nice as they were before you introduced a new pet?

Comments (20)

  • Ninapearl
    14 years ago

    it sounds like you were there and he was there at precisely the right time and it was meant to be! definitely, a higher power arranged this meeting! LOL

    i have had as many as 3 dogs at a time and each one of them was as affectionate as the next. i think, sometimes, you will find that when you raise two puppies together, they bond more with each other than with their humans but i don't think that would be the case here.

    at present, i have two great danes. each of them will come to me one at a time for lovin' and sometimes, that time occurs in their minds at the SAME time and i end up either on the couch covered up by two dogs or on the floor sprawled out between them, which i find a little more comfy. :D

    not to mention...the joy of seeing two happy dogs playing together will, 100% of the time, put a huge smile on your face and make you laugh out loud. you cannot possibly be depressed!

    ask if you can bring him home for a week trial period just to make sure he has no issues that you couldn't live with. he sounds so adorable!

  • weed30 St. Louis
    14 years ago

    Go for it! Your dog will love you just as much, and will be a more contented dog with a 4 legged buddy to play with. Ninapearl is absolutely correct in commenting on the joy of watching two happy dogs playing together!

  • debd18
    14 years ago

    I've always had multiple dogs and I think they enjoy the company of their own kind in a different way than they enjoy being with us. I got a new puppy in December and for the first couple of weeks my other dog was wrapped up in her, but once the newness wore off, she was back to her old self. She was just so happy to have someone to play fight with that it distracted her at first. I've never had a dog that failed to bond with me due to the presence of other dogs or to permanently replace their affection for me with a new dog.

    Some dogs do become partners in crime and can seem like more than twice the work of one. On the other hand, they keep each other company during times when you're busy or away from home.

  • User
    14 years ago

    Dogs are pack animals. Instinct demands group living. That is the main reason they are so easily domesticated.

    One dog is not a pack. In adding to a family group, what you just experienced is not common.

    Get the new dog!

  • pamghatten
    14 years ago

    Another vote to get the other dog. I love having two dogs ... my male (Brownie) is my shadow, except when playing with my female (Lily). They keep each other company, or get into trouble together, while I'm at work. :>)

  • Lily316
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks everyone for their unanimous advice. I think I'll contact the foster mom and ask if I can have a sleepover to see how Grover adapts to my house, yard ,and most importunately my cats.He appears very mellow and laid back. I also have a backyard wildlife habitat and have a pet squirrel I raised from 3 weeks old who lives with the other squirrels. . My dog is great with wildlife and a new one must be too. I'll keep you posted.

  • Ninapearl
    14 years ago

    set him up for success. confine the cats where he can't interact with them right away...let THEM get used to HIS presence before you try introductions.

    i haven't seen too many squirrels that can't outrun even the most determined dog but there again, you can set him up for success by being diligent about what is acceptable and what is not. my youngest great dane girl LOVED chasing squirrels. she never caught any but i didn't like her running off into the woods and taking a chance on picking up a tick so i simply worked with her. now, she will bound off the deck but will only go a few strides before she remembers "uh oh, mom doesn't want me to do dat!"

    remember, foster dogs and rescue dogs take a while to acclimate to new surroundings. a one nighter won't really tell you what you need to know. some rescue dogs can take several weeks, even 2 or 3 months, to settle in. my first dane girl walked into the house the first day, sauntered over and sat on the couch and just made herself right at home. stark contrast to my second big girl who cowered in a corner for days on end before she figured out she was here to stay!

    i'm getting windy...having already rescued, you probably know all of this but i thought i'd toss it out there anyway. post pics of your little guy when you can!

  • Lily316
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    No sleepovers allowed by this group. So last night I submitted an application online. I have to re send it tonight since one of my referrals is going to Europe tomorrow for 10 days. I heard from a very good source that this dog is very popular which mean there are many applications on him. In fact a friend of mine is one of them. She said she heard of the group in the paper but I had emailed her a pix of him on Tuesday.Hmmmm

  • cindyandmocha
    14 years ago

    I have 3 large dogs and I never planned it. I had one. He had so much energy we decided he needed a companion (I could only throw a ball so long before I was tired, and he still wanted more). WE let him pick out his OWN buddy.

    I didn't particularly like the dog he picked, but it was for him, not me, right?

    Well she is now (5 yrs later) a total "mamma's girl". She hates when I travel and adores me, and it took a couple of years for her to get to this state. What a joy, and what I would have missed without her.

    In the meantime, our other puppy is still our baby, and still affectionate, but he has a pal that plays with him too. It is adorable to watch them together. Two is not much more work than one, and everyone wins.

    It's almost like, "Can I love two children as much as I could love an only-child". Yes you can, both are totally different.

  • Lily316
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I think it was serendipity that I was at the vet the exact moment this dog was there. Turns out, I didn't even need a vet appt., since I apparently keep better records of shots than their office, and he didn't need anything . We did a fecal thing and that was it. My dog picked this dog and that was the last thing I was thinking of that night. But he's real cute..actually a little Heinz 57 , but appealing. I doubt my chances are good because I heard from a good source that he is popular. I don't know what their criteria is...maybe they want a young family with kids. But my daughter's family would not work as well as mine since they are so active..grandson is in every conceivable sport and they're never home. I on the other hand am older but at home and give my animals a lot of attention. Fingers crossed.

  • Ninapearl
    14 years ago

    if he's so popular, why has he not been adopted yet?? good luck, hope they see what a great home you would give him!!

  • Lily316
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    He has only been here for a week..rescued in Kentucky. Apparently, the group takes its time. All the animals are in foster care homes.

  • annzgw
    14 years ago

    As nina said, set him up for success if you're lucky enough to bring him home. Since he's a terrier, and they have a natural prey drive, be prepared for needed training in leaving the wildlife alone.

    I do hope all works out well for you. One advantage you have is you've already seen him in person and the foster has met you!

  • cindyandmocha
    14 years ago

    absolutely get the dog. I only wanted one, and now i have 3 (4 if i count the little dog my dadinlaw has that lives with us ----------- OH GAH of course i count her! i have 4)!

    but I only wanted one. I have to say they keep each other soooo much company and its really true, one is not much more work than 2, it's only extra food.

  • cindyandmocha
    14 years ago

    Sooo... my company made me go to toronto for a presentation to deliver. It went great. But I came home to severe thunderstorm warnings.

    Today, I spent the thundering rainy day with 3 dogs on my lap. Not tiny dogs, 3 "pushing 100 lbs dogs".. lol

    So Mocha was on my left on the sofa (90 lbs) and Rust on my right (100 lbs) and Ginger on my feet (70 lbs),

    I spent the entire day covered in puppies (9 to 11 yr old puppies, but still puppies in their AND my mind). They wanted to be by mamma.

    It was really cool, and made me giggle.

  • Lily316
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Sounds like my kind of day.

  • Ninapearl
    14 years ago

    spent the better part of yesterday evening the same way. i kept a handful of miniature marshmallows and every time it thundered, i would get all happy and goofy and pop a marshmallow into each of my dane girls' mouth. by the time the storm was over, they were looking forward to the thunder!

  • Lily316
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    We had a rather bad storm with much thunder and lightning tonight and my dog didn't blink but one of my cats jumped out of her bed and headed to the basement. I don't know if she ever came up. She's a tad neurotic anyway.

  • cindyandmocha
    14 years ago

    April, any word yet?

  • Lily316
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    They closed down the applications. On his site it says pending. I got an email from the person who will choose his owner out of the many applications they received. It may take 10 days to 2 weeks. This is the second person in this group to say there were a lot of applications so I doubt my chances are good. First come get preferential treatment as long as all the requirements are met.