Pet Q: Getting another dog..

[eb777888]

when we have an older one already.

We're going to visit several animal shelters tomorrow and are considering getting a second dog. Freckles is 14, is this a bad idea? I've heard varying opinions and know there's a lot of knowledgable people on the board so thought I'd bring it here. And any advice?

[icedcoffee]

Our dog was 9 when we got a 1 year old rescue. They're best buds now and he has more energy than we've seen in a couple years. I say do it! Two dogs is better than 1.

[Susie]

If you're going to adopt an adult dog I think it could go fine.

We got a puppy last year when our older dog was 10, now they are 1 and 11.  It's a bigger gap than ideal, but if the puppy were more chill, or hadn't been a puppy when he first came to us, that would have made it easier.

We sometimes have to gate them apart because 1 yo can just be a lot sometimes, and also because 11 has a chronic sore on her leg right where he tends to grab to get her to play.  So it's more self preservation for her and her skin.  She's currently in a neoprene sleeve to protect a scab while it heals.

[deadwing]

Personally, I wouldn't add a dog with a resident 14 year old dog. Realistically, the 14 year old doesn't have a ton of time left - at best, a couple of years. Getting a new dog means the old dog gets less attention. I couldn't do that to my dog in her twilight years.

I also have a neighbor who adopted a young, large breed puppy with a resident 14 year old small dog. The older dog suffered a broken leg due to the puppy being large and exuberant. He didn't last much longer after that.

[eb777888]

Susie, Definitely an adult dog. Ideally, five years old or younger.
I guess my main concern is that while Freckles is in fairly good health, she's slowing down quite a bit and I don't want to rock her world. I don't want to further agitate her. H thinks a dog would be good for her, and I can see that too. Either way, I was outnumbered and we're looking this weekend. I mean, I'd LOVE to get a new dog, just worry about Freckles.

[tacokick]

I say go for it. I like having dogs with overlapping ages so we are never without a dog.

We got a young dog (a little under one) when our pug was 18! He adjusted fine. ETA I think it kept him active and involved; he died when he was almost 21!

We got a 10 week old puppy when our current oldest dog was about 9 and it was also fine.

When my older dog wants some alone time she pretends she wants to go outside because she knows the youngest one will want to go out too. Then she lets youngest run out and then she runs back and jumps on the sofa alone lol

But they will sit together and get along fine on walks/vacation/day to day. They always look out for each other in the yard. My older dog started playing with toys a lot more when we got the puppy which is fun. She had never played with toys much but I guess the puppy made it look fun.

I would just recommend letting them have options for their own spaces while they adjust. We kept the puppy on the first floor for a long time (except at bedtime) and my older dog had full run of the house so she’d watch my husband work during the day to get a break.

[dexteroni]

Yes, I think it’s a bad idea in most cases. It’s a lot of upheaval and adjustment for the resident dog, and I would feel terrible doing that to a 14 year old. Just let Freckles enjoy his remaining years and enjoy your time with him. There’s plenty of time for more dogs in the future. The only way I would suggest considering it is if Freckles is extremely youthful and social and playful for his age. And even then I’d do a foster to adopt or go through a rescue that has a trial period to make sure he was cool with it.

Out of curiosity, why are you wanting to add a dog now? If you just want more pets, maybe you can add a different kind like fish or a guinea pig. If we had the right space for it, I would add a bird cage. I had parakeets growing up and I loved them so much.

ETA: Just saw your update that you’re doing it anyway. So maybe you can be the voice of reason in making the transition as easy on Freckles as possible. You can keep the new dog from getting all up in his business too much, make sure Freckles still gets lots of pets and attention and has space to chill out and be alone, etc. Learn about dog stress signals and teach the rest of the family too, so you can recognize when Freckles needs you to step in. Anything you can do to make it a little easier on him will help. And hopefully he will love having another dog around!

[eb777888]

Freckles actually wants less attention lol. David adores her and wants to play with her/love on her, but she often ends up in our gym, which is dark, cool and quiet. I am totally fine separating them when I feel she's had enough. I also will specifically look for a dog that's calmer. My #1 concern would be to find a dog that's compatible with her low energy (and she's been low energy since we got her 13 years ago, it's just how she's been since day 1).

[circa1978]

I was just talking to our vet about adding another dog. He's of the opinion that going from one to two is a major adjustment but two to three is NBD. (He has six.) We almost always have two and added a puppy when our older dog was elderly a few years ago. I think she lived 1 or 2 more years after that. He was a big comfort to us and she found him delightful but that was her worldview in general. She was delighted by all things. What's your current dog's temperament?

ETA: Ah you answered as I was answering. I would proceed with looking but maybe think about a dog that is young but settled - maybe 4 or 5YO?

[eb777888]

Aug 16, 2024 12:13:57 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Yes, I think it’s a bad idea in most cases. It’s a lot of upheaval and adjustment for the resident dog, and I would feel terrible doing that to a 14 year old. Just let Freckles enjoy his remaining years and enjoy your time with him. There’s plenty of time for more dogs in the future. The only way I would suggest considering it is if Freckles is extremely youthful and social and playful for his age. And even then I’d do a foster to adopt or go through a rescue that has a trial period to make sure he was cool with it.

Out of curiosity, why are you wanting to add a dog now? If you just want more pets, maybe you can add a different kind like fish or a guinea pig. If we had the right space for it, I would add a bird cage. I had parakeets growing up and I loved them so much.

Hmmmm, fostering first is a good idea. And no specific reason, we've been wanting a second dog for a long time and just never got around to it until now.

[eb777888]

Aug 16, 2024 12:19:28 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

I was just talking to our vet about adding another dog. He's of the opinion that going from one to two is a major adjustment but two to three is NBD. (He has six.) We almost always have two and added a puppy when our older dog was elderly a few years ago. I think she lived 1 or 2 more years after that. He was a big comfort to us and she found him delightful but that was her worldview in general. She was delighted by all things. What's your current dog's temperament?

ETA: Ah you answered as I was answering. I would proceed with looking but maybe think about a dog that is young but settled - maybe 4 or 5YO?

Yeah, I definitely don't want a puppy or a young, rambunctious dog. I know she wouldn't like that. 4 or 5 y/o would be perfect.

One thing, Freckles does love being around other dogs. She always cheers up and is friendly and happy. I think it's the humans that bug her, lol. 

[dexteroni]

eb777888 our updates keep overlapping, but based on your last few comments, it sounds like you know what to look for. So I think you’re probably on a good position to do this. Good luck!

[followyourarrow]

We had a 1 year old puppy then added a 2 year old dog and an 8 year old dog (big dog, so she's very much a senior dog). We were very worried about the old lady dog with the puppies, but honestly she does great with them. She rules our home and keeps the puppies in line. She's not afraid to tell them when she's had enough and there are times I'll send the young ones outside to burn off energy while she chills inside. The one issue we've had is that she sometimes overdoes it and will get stiff and sore, but the vet gave us the dog equivalent of advil, so we'll give her that when it happens now.

[lessel]

We did not get a dog when ours was 14, but our lady had several health issues, including being completely blind and increasing hearing loss. She would have been totally fine with a buddy... she loved when we had visitors who brought their dogs. But vet visits and meds were $$$ and she needed a lot of extra day-to-day attention... like she couldn't do stairs anymore so we carried her up and down sets of stairs a dozen times a day. So really it was a decision about what *I* could handle vs. would she be ok with it.

When she passed earlier this year I realized I'd been missing having a dog for awhile. We really had sort of become a hospice house for her and she just wasn't part of the family like she used to be, sleeping all the time, etc. I had previously thought I would need a lot of time before we got our next dog, but we found ourselves at the county animal shelter the following weekend.

[mofongo]

Maybe they will let you do a trial period, to see how she does?

[eb777888]

Aug 16, 2024 12:13:57 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

ETA: Just saw your update that you’re doing it anyway. So maybe you can be the voice of reason in making the transition as easy on Freckles as possible. You can keep the new dog from getting all up in his business too much, make sure Freckles still gets lots of pets and attention and has space to chill out and be alone, etc. Learn about dog stress signals and teach the rest of the family too, so you can recognize when Freckles needs you to step in. Anything you can do to make it a little easier on him will help. And hopefully he will love having another dog around!

Oh, we're not for sure getting one. I'm outnumbered in that I agreed TO LOOK and consider it if we possibly find the right fit. I'm the Debbie Downer when I keep reminding them not to assume we're coming home with a new dog!! Trust me, finding the right dog for our family is #1 and making sure that Freckles is comfortable. Me and my H just come from different points of view. He's very laid back and "everything will work out" and was like, why wouldn't we get another dog right now? Where I'm with the posters who are worried about how this will impact her. I just want her to be comfortable. And yes, I am the voice of reason right now!

[eb777888]

I appreciate everyone's advice and experiences. I'll update.

[dexteroni]

eb777888 I just realized I misgendered Freckles! Please extend my apologies to her. lol.

[tamarindy]

Thank you for considering saving a life from the shelter and creating space for another homeless animal. Best of luck!

[eb777888]

Aug 16, 2024 13:03:35 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

eb777888 I just realized I misgendered Freckles! Please extend my apologies to her. lol.

lol, it happens all the time! We went to one of those painting and wine places last week because it was "paint your pet" day and everyone kept calling her "him". Freckles must be a masculine name!

[So_Fetch]

When my daisy was 10ish we got whiskey (a 9 week old puppy) He played pretty rough with her, but I think got her moving again. I probably wouldn't do a puppy with a 14 year old, but an older dog that won't climb all over her might be good for her. Good luck!

[lostrn]

Aug 16, 2024 12:21:54 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

Aug 16, 2024 12:19:28 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

I was just talking to our vet about adding another dog. He's of the opinion that going from one to two is a major adjustment but two to three is NBD. (He has six.) We almost always have two and added a puppy when our older dog was elderly a few years ago. I think she lived 1 or 2 more years after that. He was a big comfort to us and she found him delightful but that was her worldview in general. She was delighted by all things. What's your current dog's temperament?

ETA: Ah you answered as I was answering. I would proceed with looking but maybe think about a dog that is young but settled - maybe 4 or 5YO?

Yeah, I definitely don't want a puppy or a young, rambunctious dog. I know she wouldn't like that. 4 or 5 y/o would be perfect.

One thing, Freckles does love being around other dogs. She always cheers up and is friendly and happy. I think it's the humans that bug her, lol. 

I'm a bit behind in posting, but if she likes other dogs, I would seriously consider it. Especially if the other human household members are helpful with pet care lol.

Another thing to look into is fostering another dog, some shelters will do that, and usually rescues also look for foster homes. That way you can work on finding the right dog for Freckles and your family, and help other dogs find homes.

[cuadrado]

At 14, I wouldn’t. Even if she likes other dogs, the dynamic with your dog changes so much when you add a 2nd.

[stemmie]

I'll share my BIL's experience.

He normally has 2-3-4 dogs, often rescue goldens and doodles. He started with a pair of rescue goldens who were littermates and that was great until one died and he got a puppy. Puppy harassed the grumpy older dog so he got a second younger dog to distract the puppy which was great. The old dog eventually crossed the rainbow bridge and he was a 2-dog family until the one adopted as a younger pup eventually died. He got another younger dog and that went sideways the same way it did the first time so he brought in another older puppy. Those dogs are old men now. He has promised his wife that when they go, he'll only get a senior dog.

[eb777888]

We went to three animal shelters and the Dallas SPCA yesterday and didn't make any connections, but went to the FW animal shelter today and found the sweetest girl. She's an adult dog, super calm but also has great energy. The weird thing is she looks exactly like a little mini Freckles. We're doing a meet and greet tomorrow and if all goes well, we'll pick her up at the end of the week!

[underwaterrhymes]

Aug 18, 2024 16:24:19 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

We went to three animal shelters and the Dallas SPCA yesterday and didn't make any connections, but went to the FW animal shelter today and found the sweetest girl. She's an adult dog, super calm but also has great energy. The weird thing is she looks exactly like a little mini Freckles. We're doing a meet and greet tomorrow and if all goes well, we'll pick her up at the end of the week!

Aw, yay! We have two dogs and they are so great together. Now, our situation is different because they are close in age (we estimate the boy is around 6 and the girl is around 3), but they are such good friends. The girl is definitely the boss, but we introduced her to our household second, and our boy dog is so sweet with her even when she’s acting like a total brat.

I hope everything goes well with the intros! (Be prepared for the pet hair to multiply more than you can fathom, though. 😬)

[arehopsveggies]

Our senior dog enjoyed play dates with my parents puppy, but would be absolutely exhausted by them.
The right choice for us was to hold off on the puppy till the elderly dog passed. Not the right choice for everyone!

Now we have one puppy that’s lonely all day and probably will need a friend. I am hoping that playdates with my parents dog can be enough but I don’t think it will be

[eb777888]

Aug 18, 2024 18:53:26 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Aug 18, 2024 16:24:19 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

We went to three animal shelters and the Dallas SPCA yesterday and didn't make any connections, but went to the FW animal shelter today and found the sweetest girl. She's an adult dog, super calm but also has great energy. The weird thing is she looks exactly like a little mini Freckles. We're doing a meet and greet tomorrow and if all goes well, we'll pick her up at the end of the week!

Aw, yay! We have two dogs and they are so great together. Now, our situation is different because they are close in age (we estimate the boy is around 6 and the girl is around 3), but they are such good friends. The girl is definitely the boss, but we introduced her to our household second, and our boy dog is so sweet with her even when she’s acting like a total brat.

I hope everything goes well with the intros! (Be prepared for the pet hair to multiply more than you can fathom, though. 😬)

Thank you! We'll see how it goes. I'm crossing my fingers because I love her so much. And we have robot vacuums that vacuum every day at noon and it's been so helpful. I absolutely hate dog hair! 

[wambam]

We got a puppy when our older dog was 10 and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. She was a lot for him sometimes and had puppy energy. But when she calmed down, they would lay together and snuggle and just be the best of friends. We made sure to have quiet time for just Kappy sometimes too.

Kappy died in May and having Phoebe SAVED me. I would be a *wreck* without her. Truly, I don’t know how I would be making it without her sweet face.

[eb777888]

TW: Dog Death

I have the worst update, obviously. We did the meet and greet, it went fantastic and everything was set for us to pick her up tonight after she was spayed, and I just got a call from the animal shelter that she died during surgery. Apparently she had a blood clot disorder that they didn't know about. Guys, I am so sad. And we have to tell David and I know he will be heartbroken.