Pros and cons of having more than one dog

[ZSP]

We had five...now four.

Dog 1, a female Lab X rescue puppy, 2001, still living.

Dog 2, a female Boston Terrier puppy, 2004, still living.

Dog 3, another female Boston Terrier pup, 2005...I wanted another same breed, still living.

Dog 4, a male French Bulldog pup, 2009, still with us.

Dog 5, a 9 year old male Boston Terrier, 2012. He was our foster and with no adoption applications after one year with us, we adopted him. He died in April 2015.

Cons...more expense. All of a sudden, we had five senior dogs. All have been relatively healthy.

Pros...lots of fun. They traveled with us, everyone got along with each other.

[Ringo1]

Originally Posted by marino760

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.

I'm so very sorry for your loss.

[Threerun]

We have usually had 3-4 at a time, but we've lived in the country on acreage, so we have room. Currently have 3- all German shorthair pointers. 2 are approaching 5 years of age and the other a new puppy in training.

If you need to board a pet- it will get expensive. We are fortunate in that we have ample Scout 'kidpower' always willing to come by and care for our dogs if we go on a 'dogless' adventure.

We keep them active- always try to do something with them daily. Tracking games, retriever practice, water work, cooperative training (healing, whoa, whistle drills).. That keeps an active breed happy. But my passion is bird hunting, so this is part of my routine as well.

The notion of getting another 'pet' as a companion never really crossed my mind in our decisions, but I can tell you it has been generally a great experience. Especially true with GSP's- they like to play a lot. A LOT. Having that other dog takes a lot of their steam out, lol.

[jrsydevil82]

I love having 2 dogs. For about a year we just had our border collie and then we took in a yorkie who wasn't wanted by her family. They got along very well and were practically joined at the hip. They kept each other busy while we were at work and were inseparable. Our collie died a few years ago and we went about a year with no other dogs. The yorkie just wasn't the same...2 years ago we rescued an aussie and they get along pretty well. They play and don't really fight (in the beginning there were some snips over food but we've worked it out). Aside from the higher vet bills and expense of more food, our downfall is that the yorkie is 9 with arthritis and can't walk as far anymore, while the aussie can go for miles....so it's kind of a pain to get them the right walks since they can't go the same distance.


My recommendation is...in fact it's usually a requirement...make sure you bring your dog to the shelter to meet any new dogs before making your decision. The last thing you want to do is bring home a dog that will stress out your fur baby.

[Rowan123]

I think 2 dogs is the perfect number IF the owner can afford appropriate care for more than one.

I had one dog for a couple of years before I got my second. I was totally surprised how much enjoyment he got out of having another dog in the house. From then on, I've always had at least 2 (I had 3 for a several years but am back down to 2 now). IMO the majority of dogs are much happier with a canine companion. It's also better for the owner because they keep each other entertained.

However there are some dogs that don't like sharing their humans. In that case, they're better as an only dog (and maybe having a feline companion if they like cats).

[cheesenugget]

I have 2 dogs.

I also have 2 cats, a blue tongue skink, a golden hamster and a bunny. Before the skink, I had a bearded dragon. And my husband has his cichlid fish, ranging from a large Oscar to the baby blood parrots.

This is my advice for those who wants to add a second dog or other pet:

Money. Always expect that you will be taking your new pet to the vet for something within the first 6 months. It could be diarrhea, colds, injuries, etc. My first dog tore her ACL after 3 months we got her. Then my second dog's back grew a mass. This happened about a month or so after her adoption. The other pets except the hamster and 1 of my cats had health issues or concerns too within the first 6 months.

Everything else is easy in comparison to the vet bills.

Just because your dog appears to play well with others at a local park do not guarantee he will when meeting his new addition. That is his home, his turf, his things.

With that said, dogs, cats and bunnies are social animals, even if they don't play with each other. The loss of my cat deeply affected my surviving cat, and they were never friends. Hence, I adopted a second one. If I had the space and time, I would do the same for my bunny, although she is quite the spoiled diva and territorial over what belongs to her (She is spayed. It's a bunny thing).