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Why do i have 4 dogs.....??? I get asked that a lot. ( along with why 2 cats and 1 bunny)
Honestly?
I couldnt have a baby and i told my husband, i want a dog or a baby and we got the dog. I did get preg but lost the baby and that dog was with me through it. Of course you cant have just 1 so we got #2.
Ok so we have 2 girls, we need a boy. Then we have 3.
That was fine for quite awhile. Then we got another boy and he and the other boy didnt get along- like they literally could have killed each other ( despite being PERFECT for YEARS prior). So then back to 3.
After awhile, we got #4, a girl. The smallest, a chihuahua.
Now we are DONE. 4 dogs until they pass.
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I cant imagine having less. I can imagine less cats but thats another topic.
I would say that it's very good to have a second dog, but you have to be careful about who you add to the pack. I've had good luck with my dogs, but when I got a kitten to be a friend to my current cat, it was one of the biggest mistakes I could have made. I had to rehome the kitten 4 years later after many attempts to get him to co-exist peacefully with my older cat. The older cat HATED him and was miserable until I rehomed him. See, I had thought when the older cat's "boyfriend" passed away, she would be lonely, as cats are more social than you'd think. However, I didn't realize she had already bonded to my male border collie (the feelings were not reciprocated, incidentally). She would follow him around and sleep next to him and rub up against him. He was mystified. But he filled the hole left when the first cat died. The new kitten was just an obnoxious interloper in my old girl's opinion.
Just noticed that this nice post was yours, Cleosmom! Sorry to hear you lost your oldest dog. What a heartbreak. But it's good to know your young dog has a new companion. It does make life better for everyone in the household! And good luck with the house purchase!
Thanks CFF. Losing Carly was so sudden it took me not only by shock, but took more time to process it than others in the past. They all hurt, but it's the unexpected ones that can sting a little harder.
I have a Westie and a yorkie. The Westie, I think, would have been perfectly fine being the only dog. The Yorkie seems to like companionship.
Pros: You don't feel as guilty when you have to leave for work, etc.
Cons: Two dogs don't get to go and do as much as one. Sometimes it's just hard to manage two dogs at a street fair, ice cream day, things like that.
It was harder to take two dogs to events but I never had the heart to leave one at home even when one had to go to the vet. They even had their own positions in the car and a routine for getting in. Sometimes I'd stop somewhere for fast food and would go in the drive through and then park and share my food with them. They were really well behaved and waited their turn patiently for a morsel. But you're right, it's more work with two but looking back, it was also more fun.
Five dogs.
Not really something I chose, it just happened but I have had multiple dogs most of my adult life.
I had the dog that came with the house. My older pitt passed and I had always wanted a German Shep. so I got one, two dogs. Then my nephew joined the military and I ended up taking in his dog, three dogs. Six months ago my adult son found two pups in a ditch and brought them home to me.. So now I have five.
I work full time so they have each other during the day while I'm gone. Thats about the only real advantage I see, the companionship.
Disadvantages aside from the obvious, there is some jealousy. Its harder to train with multiple dogs, well I guess that's obvious but I didnt realize it was so frustrating because I had never raised two pups at the same time.
More of them to trip over, more stuff knocked over, less room on the bed.
We take 4 dogs places just fine and they are much bigger than yours. Camping, park, store, walks , etc.
Yours must be better behaved. The Westie DESPISES strange dogs and is a complete a$$hole when they get too close especially if they are bigger than him.
I walk them together with no problem and put them in a cart to go to the pet store. I guess I was thinking of crowded events like street fairs, free concerts, etc - other places where people and (sometimes) dogs are jam packed together. I would have to take Lucy (the Yorkie) to stuff like that and leave Ringo home and he would be sooo jealous if I did that!
It was harder to take two dogs to events but I never had the heart to leave one at home even when one had to go to the vet. They even had their own positions in the car and a routine for getting in. Sometimes I'd stop somewhere for fast food and would go in the drive through and then park and share my food with them. They were really well behaved and waited their turn patiently for a morsel. But you're right, it's more work with two but looking back, it was also more fun.
I never have the heart either ~ except the Vet. They hate the Vet and are not jealous if they miss out on that.
Ringo loves car rides so he rides with me to get coffee on week-end mornings and he gets a donut hole for his trouble! Lucy hates car rides and I can't even beg her to go with us.
That's about the only time one goes without the other.
I never have the heart either ~ except the Vet. They hate the Vet and are not jealous if they miss out on that.
Ringo loves car rides so he rides with me to get coffee on week-end mornings and he gets a donut hole for his trouble! Lucy hates car rides and I can't even beg her to go with us.
That's about the only time one goes without the other.
I don't regret having two at all.
The vet thing is funny because of course they are both happy and excited because they know they are going somewhere. Then when we get to the vet they aren't so happy anymore, LOL.
One time I brought both to the vet to have their nails trimmed because I hate doing it. My little female went to the back had her nails done and came out very happy and so proud of herself.
She didn't realize I had changed seats while she was having her nails done. So when she came out, she looked over to where I was previously sitting and her look of happiness quickly turned into a look of worry and despair because she thought I was gone. Of course I went right over to her and she was so happy again.
I miss her terribly. She passed away a few months ago. She was my precious little girl.
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. So now I have five.
Camping, park, store, walks , etc.
