getting a second dog.. (Shar-Pei, shepherd, poodle, chihuahua)
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i'm a big animal lover -- i have two 4 year old cats & a 1 year old english setter/pyrenees/lab mix (he's got longer white hair with lots of black spots). he's about 40lbs, very lanky & skinny, definitely 'medium' height/size.
from 6 weeks old he's been with my roommate's older aussie (he'll be 7 this year). he learned so much from him (in a good way) & depended on him for puppy play. he's so lonesome without a playmate when my roommate takes him with him somewhere.
now i'm moving out into my own place & i really want a second dog to sort of 'replace' my roommate's dog. we had a very nice routine with the two dogs & i'll miss it, but not near as much as my dog will.
so my question -- i want a medium or smaller sized dog. my dog is very submissive, so i don't really feel he'd be rough or mean to a small dog (i've seen him roll over on his back for a 4lb puppy before lol), but i'm not sure if that's a good mix. like a setter mix & a chihuahua or a pom or whatnot. any insight on that?
also, what breeds are known to be better with cats than others?
thank you! actually, i'm moving to roanoke in less than a week. is it true that you can't adopt out to only the county your in or an adjacent county with ALL shelters? i'd love to get a shelter dog (i got mine from the appomattox shelter)!
You might want to go with a rescued dog, rather than a shelter dog, as they could tell you if he gets along with cats, other dogs, and you get more behavior information.
Also, FYI, we had two dogs, worked great, one was stolen from our yard, so we got another one, Sam never liked his new GF, she was the same breed and everything as his former GF. They never "clicked". He LOVED his last GF, but just never cared for the new GF. We eventually found a home for her, because it was just not the same. So, make sure you can take him back if the chemistry is not there.
thank you! actually, i'm moving to roanoke in less than a week. is it true that you can't adopt out to only the county your in or an adjacent county with ALL shelters? i'd love to get a shelter dog (i got mine from the appomattox shelter)!
Not at all. All rescues and shelters have different policies. I'm in middle TN and have adopted a puppy as far out as Utah. Had someone on here do the home visit for me as a matter of fact!
There are some rescues and shelters that won't adopt out of their town or state or area, but you'll need to ask. Millions of pets die every year in shelter, so if one you call won't adopt in your area, keep looking. Those homeless fur kids NEED you!
ETA if you're looking for a tiny breed, I suggest you go to a non-breed specific rescue and ask if they have any that are currently fostered in a home with a medium size dog. If they're already
used to it, they'll be fine. Little dogs are notoriously confident. If your dog is as submissive as you've said I'm sure it's going to be great with any other dog. Good luck and keep us updated! They all live quite peacefully and happily together.
As a reference: I've got six chihuahuas, a three to four pound teacup poodle, three pitties and a shepherd all living together. And on Thursday I brought home a beagle girl that I'm fostering until her transport leaves on Wednesday for her rescue.
Oh - that's another thing! If you're not dead set on owning a dog, look into fostering one through a local rescue!!!! Foster homes save lives. Your dog will be able to play with dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds that way and will get some serious doggie socialization time! Most rescues cover all the vetting and monthly preventatives and you just cover the food and training. Cheap way to have another dog while saving lives!
I've had this go several ways and I appreciate the advice Mrs1885 has suggested about fostering.
When I had my first dog I was off work and then when I went back to work I got her a playmate and they bonded IMMEDIATELY. I got her a little cocker spaniel. I had no idea how she would react and was surprised to see this happen on the very day I brought her home.
Unfortunately, Buscuit the Shar-pei was hit and killed a year later and that cocker spaniel was NEVER the same after that. I got another shar-pei and she hated it. They tolerated each other, but never really interacted. So, I got the new Shar-pei another playmate, a mixed shar pei rescue and that was complete indifference.
I fostered dogs and it is true you can get more info on cats and such. I adopted a dog to a woman who had cat and this particular dog was NOT a cat dog at all and I didn't have cats to be able to see if it would work and we were able to take him back and find her a more suitable companion dog. All dogs are different and it's not always breed specific.
On the flip side, I had a group of foster puppies in the house and my one dog just loved to lie on her back and let the puppies crawl all over her. One in particular was a timid dog at first but playful. After several years of fostering I adopted him as a playmate for Nina. I was never really a small dog person, but tried it. He's a mixed min-pin.
He outgrew his tiimid phase in a hurry and even though he came into the house with a bunch of other dogs - he could not handle my bringing in any other dog after him and killed two of my foster puppies. When I call my big dog in he will run and charge at her snarling and nip her at times to blood. Yet in the house they play just fine. However he has a high prey drive and brings rather large (2x his size) dead animals into the house through the dog door - and it's a lot. I had him assessed by a trainer and he did better than I anticipated - but he was out of his element.
Feeling he would be better served in a different environment in the home of someone who could give him one on one attention with no other animals, I talked with the Director of the rescue I worked with and got him and the concensus was - they would take him back, but he would be euthanized based on his past behavior due to liability. We are now getting involved in a training study...but no amount of training will cure his excessive prey drive. I will never be allowed to foster again as long as I have him. I don't have the heart or stomache to euthanize him. Small dogs are not always the best way to go. Although I've seen it work out beautifully.
One thing our rescue does, but not all do, is 'foster-to-adopt.' They fill out all the paperwork to adopt, have the home visit and go through the whole process and they are given the dog for a two week trial as 'fosters' and if it works out then the adoption and paperwork goes through - this is something you may want to look into as well. It's not something we do with all dogs, just certain dogs and cases and the final decision to do it rests with the adoptions coordinator.
Sorry for the gloom and doom scenerios here - but I hope I've provided you with some considerations and some options to choose the best playmate for your dog.
Last edited by Thursday007; 02-21-2011 at 03:11 AM..
thank you! actually, i'm moving to roanoke in less than a week. is it true that you can't adopt out to only the county your in or an adjacent county with ALL shelters? i'd love to get a shelter dog (i got mine from the appomattox shelter)!
Yes, It's a quirky law here in VA if you are adopting from a municipally run shelter. If you saw a dog in a non-adjoining countys' facility the way to handle it is to go through the humane society or spca or other rescue that can pull from that shelter. We do that here in Floyd all the time, mostly when other rescues can take a dog in our county but with individuals too.
If you're moving to Roanoke soon check with Angels of Assisi on Campbell Ave. They are a great group, do low cost spay/neuter and (hint, hint) always love to have volunteers to help with the critters, especially dog walking and weekend fostering.
wow, thank you all SO much for your stories & knowledge. i appreciate it so much. i will definite take it to heart/consideration & i'll let you guys know what happens!
make sure the two dogs can meet first (on neutral territory)--you can see a bit how they'll interact then. Generally the best pairings are male/female rather than male/male or female/female (this being the worst generally)
I'm with the above poster ^^^. If you get an older, or shelter, dog make certain the dogs can first check each other out and then play together for awhile in a largish open, grassy (if possible) area and then in a small room before you commit to a specific dog. And, surely do ask about your cats for their sake, too!
Good luck and have fun!! There's a great match out there for both you and your dog, so take your time and don't be tempted to settle for something that just doesn't look or feel right to you.
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