Anyone who knows me knows that I am a dog lover of epic proportions. My five year old black lab Nina and I are the bestest of BFFs. She meets me at the door every night when I come home and she stares after me longingly when I leave for work in the morning. We play, we swim, we take long walks every night and I come home from every trip away loaded down with new toys and treats. Lately, my husband and I have been talking a lot about getting a second dog. And by “lately” I mean for the last year or so. And by “a lot” I mean nearly daily. Last week we found out about some golden retriever pups, one of whom has a minor “defect” and was having a little trouble finding a good home. (The defect being a birth mark of sorts leaving here with a small patch of black fur on one of her hind legs.) We decided to go visit. I fell in love. She’s nine weeks old and about 15lbs right now. Oh, and it should be noted, she’s hopelessly adorable. See for yourself…
Now begins the great doggie debate in earnest. Should we add a second dog to our family? Nina loves dogs and I think she’d genuinely grow to love a companion. But it’s a lot of extra work, a lot of extra hair to clean up, and potentially a lot of extra money if any health issues should arise. Plus, I don’t want Nina to feel like we needed a replacement doggie because she wasn’t good enough. And who am I kidding? I also worry that Nina will love the new pup more than me and my little buddy will be preoccupied. Does anyone have any experience with adding a second dog to the family? I’d love to hear your advice!
Do it. Dogs need non human companions and it is much easier to train a puppy with an older dog around. Cute puppy, good luck.
Twitter: @rashellchoo
How can you say no to that adorable little face? :)
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I don’t have any experience with two dogs, but I do have a golden and they are awesome. How can you possibly resist that furry little face? They are also high energy (like labs) so having a buddy to play with all the time would be great for burning off all that energy. I say do it! :)
Oh she is precious! Our lab has a birth mark too and I think it is what makes her special and what brought her to us as she was less expensive than her brothers and sisters. We are contemplating another dog as well (another lab) but have the same reservations as you. The major determining factor for us was new carpet. We should have got a second dog before we installed brand new carpet. I think we will wait until we move to a new house. But oh what fun puppies are! I am jealous if you get her – she is SO cute!
Twitter: @bloggernextdoor
We have two dogs. It’s actually nice for them to have a companion. Also, the puppy tends to be easier to train because it wants to mimic what the older dog is doing. I say go for it!
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It sounds like a perfect match to me. The puppy will get a great home, Nina will get a friend, and you will get another little person to make you smile!
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Twitter: @honeysucklelife
We have a ten year old lab mix, and impulsively picked up a second dog almost three years ago. To be honest, as much as I love Jesse, I sometimes regret having him. We travel a lot, which requires a lot of money in kennels or having family watch him. We also lived in apartment for the first year of Jesse’s life, and having two 70 lb dogs in a 2 bedroom (without a yard) was horrible. If you’re planning on traveling, moving internationally, or don’t have a house or a lot of time for the first six months to train, I would wait. Jesse destroyed our apartment with his energy. Also, goldens are known for having hip dysplasia which is undetectable in puppies. So make sure the breeders are registered and reviewed and don’t have a history of breeding dogs with the disease.
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First off-that puppy is adorable!!! So cute!!! We have 2 dogs now (one I got 10 years ago when I was in college, the other we got 4 years ago) and honestly, 2 is way easier than 1! They have a built in playmate and my 2 pups are the sweetest buddies ever. I will always suggest 2 dogs vs 1. It is more expensive (twice as much food, vet bill, ect) but it is worth every penny!!
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I know I am asserting my opinion here ad it is completely unsolicited but i feel so strongly about this! Why are you BUYING a dog? Do you buy your children or bffs? NO! Please go to a shelter or rescue and find a dog that would otherwise be killed! You can always find puppies and they are thoroughly checked out by vets. Please go save a life. A second dog sounds great, they are pack animals and naturally like having company, it will be some extra work if you get a puppy but they are so worth it.
Twitter: @cydconverse
Hi Thalla-Marie. I actually completely agree with you! Our black lab is a rescue dog and I have in the past fostered several rescue dogs. My passion for helping dogs find good homes is the entire reason I found out about this puppy because people who are interested in buying the siblings in the litter refuse to consider her because of the birthmark. (According to them a “defect”.) She has so far been unable to find a good home, as noted above, and my mother knows the breeders and contacted me to let me know about her in case we were interested. No where do I mention buying her because we AREN’T buying her if she comes to live with us. We’ll be giving her a home no one else wants to give her, just the same as getting her through a rescue or a shelter. She’s not being purchased and she’s not coming with papers or any of that other stuff one thinks of when dealing with a breeder.
Thanks for your thoughts! Seems like the consensus is that dogs are often happiest with other dogs around so at this point we’re leaning toward moving forward and bringing her home with us this weekend. I’ll keep everyone posted.
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Twitter: @EmilySeptember
Oh she is so so cute! Looks just like my Tilly when we brought her home in April! Enjoy her :) Goldens are the sweetest! (So are labs, you are lucky!)
I had a two year old Lab, Kosar, when I rescued a 2 year old Lab mix, Bernie. Points to anyone who knows where my husband picked those names from! At first they didn’t play and it was a rocky start. Bernie was scared of everything, including the noise of Kosar’s nails on the floor and the fridge when it kicks on. I would say it took a year, but now they are great friends. Would Kosar rather be an only child, yes. But is Bernie better off with Kosar, oh my goodness yes. She needs him much more than he needs her. They now run through the house chasing and wrestling. It is great. But two is twice the work. Twice the dog hair too! But soooo worth it because it is twice the love and devotion.
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[...] we’re going to bring home the puppy I mentioned last week! (You can read more about the puppy here.) The extra day off will be a nice chance to try and get ahead on some fall organization projects I [...]
Twitter: @duolynoted
I say do it! We have two dogs and its nice to watch them grow us friends, or more correctly put “a pack” However, 2 dogs is DEFINITELY more work then 1 dog. I think I thought it wouldn’t be because we would be walking them at the same time, feeding them at the same time, etc. but its also double the mess. Yikes.
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