Can I love another dog?

[Lescoop77]

Ok - this may be a dumb question but I have been considering getting another dog. Panace is my pride & joy and is so overly spoiled, but I think she needs a playmate to keep her company. My husband thinks that Pandy would be very jelous and wouldn't like it. Any thoughts from those who own more than one dog?

[Glacier]

Love multiplies when it is shared. It's not divided and made smaller. Pandy might be a bit jealous at first, but in all likelihood, she'll adjust and love having a playmate. You have plenty of room in your heart for another dog. I have 22 dogs here. I adore them all, for different reasons and maybe I show it to them in different ways, but they are all loved.

[jesse_3]

There are two dogs in my house, and they absolutely love eachother. When Jesse first came in to our house, Sammy didn't like her, but now, they lay by eachother and sleep and play with eachother. I am sure that it would be wonderful for you to get another puppy. As said before, love only grows!

Steph and Jes

[ParNone]

I thought I'd never love another dog like my lil' Cairn, Maddie and I had some small doubts whether she'd accept another dog into the family. She just tolerated my other lil' Cairn, Murph.

I took the risk when she and Murph were around 11+ years old though. Thinking that if I got another dog while she was still here, it wouldn't seem so much like a replacement. She and Murph would be apart of the memories of that lil' puppy.

In came Oz into our lives and low and behold we all liked him, even Maddie. I loved him every bit as much as my other 2, but made sure that their spots and attention level were not threatened by the lil' puppy. In fact, they loved to see him coming, cuz it usually meant treats were coming their way too. :)

I think it was a really good decision. Maddie passed away about a year after getting Oz and he has never felt like a replacement for her. The memories of the two are entwined, like I had envisioned. Gully, the Collie puppy I got many months after Maddie died though, was a bit more of an adjustment. I had more of a mental struggle to not compare him to Maddie. He eventually wheedled his way into all of our hearts too, even Murph.

Anywho, that was a long way of saying, that it can work out, as long as you make sure your current dog, does not feel he's losing out on something because of the new dog. It's a bit of a juggling act at the beginning, but I found that each had a different need and thing that they loved and I'd cater to that, to bond with each one.

Par...

[chocolatepuppy]

Of course you can! The first night I brought Mandy home, I cried because I thought maybe Lacey would feel like we didn't love her anymore. :o Those thoughts were forgotten quickly as the two of them became fast friends! It seems you can never really play with a dog the way they can play with each other! :)

[Smilla]

How old is Pandy? If she's a puppy, she'll probably bounce back pretty easily. If you've had her as an only dog for years, well...

We considered getting Lefty a playmate, but I honestly think he'd be miserable. He's too old, anxious and needy. No, I think we'll just spoil him rotten for the rest of his life...

[k9krazee]

Shadow was an only child for 7 years and when we decided to get another dog we got both Micki and Mini!! Shadow handled it all really well, still does with 4 younguns running around!

Our 5 are totally loved and spoiled but it really helps that we have a large house, yard and 6 people to love them! The love definately multiplied and each of our dogs attached themselves to their own people, Shadow has my sister, Mini adores my dad, Kyra is definately my moms dog, Jack is mine through and through, he can't stand it if I leave him to go in the bathroom, and you can tell I'm Micki's favorite but he is more independent and he doesn't spaz if I'm out of sight.

But a playmate I think would be a good idea for Pandy, my dogs play together for hours on end, it tires them out and they all really enjoy a good squirrell chasing together or a wrestling match on the couch!

[beeniesmom]

Originally posted by Glacier
Love multiplies when it is shared. It's not divided and made smaller. Pandy might be a bit jealous at first, but in all likelihood, she'll adjust and love having a playmate. You have plenty of room in your heart for another dog. I have 22 dogs here. I adore them all, for different reasons and maybe I show it to them in different ways, but they are all loved.

I agree 100%.

[cyber-sibes]

Star was an only furchild till she was 4. Then my skin-child left our home and she was miserable. poor dog used to stand up on the bench and look over the fence to watch the kids playing across the street. So we got Rosie, a round cuddly ball of fur 3 months old. I did have to watch them at first because Star can be pretty bossy and was for a while. But she grew to love Rosie & they were best buds till Rosie was hit & killed a year and a half ago. Star was devastated, she got so depressed . we began another search, tried out 2 other dogs that didn't work out, and finally found our beloved Sherman. From day one they were like 2 peas in a pod! And I love him just as much as I did Rosie, which I never thought could happen. I don't think of him as a "replacement" dog at all. He's our answer to a prayer!

P.S. I wish we could have tons more dogs. But it was important that whoever came to stay got along well with Star, and apparently she can be hard to get along with.

[lute]

oh gosh! i know i thought i would have a hard time loving both my dogs when Gracie came along, but i soon learned that my love just doubled!:D

[Dixieland Dancer]

I'll never have just one dog again in my life! Having two gives them companionship when I'm not home but also gives me double to love when I am with them. It is sometimes easier when they are closer to the same age (perhaps only a couple years apart) so that they have more of the same physical needs.

I personally think once you have two, you will question what took you so long!

[cocker_luva]

i know i could love another canine, but not as much as my baby girl