XP (sort of): Anyone have 2 dogs?

LetsHikeToday

Hey girls,

As you all know, we have a sweet shepherd dog named Geno. He is a little over a year and a half and has severe separation anxiety. It was A LOT worse and has gotten better but he is a very social dog.

H and I have always been for getting another dog but H didn't think it was the right time. I totally understand that and don't want to pressure him; however, it is hard for me because I am basically the only one around to take care of Geno. H works late so I'm the one to come home to him when he is crazy because of the anxiety, the one to feed, walk, etc.

So this week we are dog sitting a 75+ lb dog named Atticus and he and Geno love each other. Geno has been so happy and it's been much easier to leave him because he isn't alone. Geno used to crave my attention and honestly, has played the past few days without really even caring if I'm in the room or not. He usually follows me around the house and freaks if we aren't in the same room and now he and Atticus explore the house together.

I think it might be time to seriously consider getting Geno a sibling. H is warming up to the idea and I definitely will continue NOT to pressure him.

I guess I'm asking what made you get 2 dogs? Do you regret it? I want Geno to be as happy as possible and although he loves us SO MUCH, I think he would definitely be happier with a dog friend.

I'm not necessarly worried about the work load or cost. I walked the two dogs together today so it was fine.

We are PCSing in January so that is another factor. I know some would worry about the extra work when H deploys but I really believe it could be less work for me. The past two days, I haven't had to base all decisions around Geno. I don't want that to sound like I want NO work but until you have a dog with anxiety, you really have no idea how much they need to be next to you.

Wow, I rambled. Sorry. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

calindi

The main concern I'd think of is renting - if you plan to rent, a lot of places allow only one pet and only under a certain weight.

SamiJoeB

And there's always the pet deposit and pet rent.  Our Apartment in NC has a pet rent of $15 per month for a cat and $35 for a dog.  Plus breed restrictions, and a 2 pet max. HTH!!

Sammy0709

We don't have 2 but we had thought about it and I can tell you why we decided against it. 1. We are both partial to large breed dogs. We have a German shepherd. We also live on base where the yards are small. We take a walk to the dog park every evening but DH didn't think I should walk 2 large dogs. I didnt really see that as a good idea either. 2. The next logical move for DH career wise is to a school in San Diego. We would be stationed there because it is an 18 month school. To have a large yard in that are any rental would likely be out of our price range. Other than the space related issues, nothing else was on our con list but that was a big con for us. Granted you may not have the same issue but I hope this helps in some way.

LetsHikeToday

I'm not worried about pet rent or anything like that. We will be living on base until we decide to buy a house so I don't know how it is on base.

We would definitely get something smaller than Geno. Maybe a 40 lb dog. Right now Geno is 75 lbs. We would have a hard time finding a place to rent anyway because most apartments have Shepherds on their no rent list.

I guess I should see how Geno does when I go back to work.

prettyirishgirl

We have been battling with the same question. Especially since Sara is like your Geno. She has sever separation issues and is a mess every time FI deploys or w/e. I even was fostering another dog that would have been a perfect fit. However I also didnt want to pressure FI into another dog.

Id say everything PP said. It was all very strong argument for not, but I knew regardless of it all we both wanted one. We decided not for the rental reasons, or money or even walking issues. But we made the choice because we knew I would have to move one more time and FI wanted to keep the dog(s). But If I let him keep the dogs I knew they would both end up for at least a month with his family in Cali while we moved and I wasn't willing to send them 2 dogs even for 2 weeks. We talked about it and after Flt and the wedding we probably will get another dog.

But for now I'm going to sound like a walking advertisement. I'd recommend a thundershirt. If you haven't heard of them Hike they are great. it has helped sara so much. it keeps her relaxed and you can leave it on for a few days (deployment time) or put it on for 5-10 minutes to chill her out when I have to do something uninterrupted or run errands. The affects also dont wear off immediately on her so putting it on at night lasts to abotu noon the next day. and its just a coat. It isnt drugs or fermions or w/e so it was a good option since I didn't want to use anything that could harm her.

I also got her toys for her anxiaty and it has helped a lot too. It takes her about an hour to figure out the puzzles and get the toy(s) empty  we just swap out which ones she gets so she doesn't get board.

I hope yo make the right choice for you too. Good luck!

crownsuperstar

We were sort of made a two dog house.  When we got married I had a dog and the H had one was well so that made us a two dog house.  I will say that according to the H that the male dog had lots of issues being left alone however that has changed a lot when H and I started dating (and then later marrying).  Now the two dogs sleep together and play together.  I will say that I had to take the male to the vet and left the female at home and you could tell they missed each other.

H wants another one however, I said "I don't want to look like a crazy dog lady" so we are not getting a third. 

DaKelliAB09

I have 2 dogs and they're like 2 peas in a pod.  I really wanted two dogs so they have companions.  I'm not ALWAYS around so it's nice to know they have each other when I'm not here.  They love each other and hate being away from each other.  Before I had 2, Yuki, My siberian, would get so mad when I left and she would tear the house apart so I started having to Kennel apart and now that she has Kiba she doesn't do that anymore.  I don't know I guess she could've been bored.  I also have a REALLY large yard so I can let them go outside and run around. 

Growing up we always had more then 1 dog around.  At one time we had a little poodle mix that weighed 4 lbs and a mastiff that weighed 120 and they LOVED eachother.  They played together.  It was the funniest thing!! 

Anyways, I know it's a hard decision and the others have made good points.  I really like having 2 dogs and I don't feel like it's that much work.  I love my dogs like they are my kids and seeing them with eachother I couldn't imagine them without eachother. 

Hope this helps! 

LetsHikeToday

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm going to talk to H about it tonight. Not necessarily to get another one but to start an open conversation about it.

shan87

I do not have 2 dogs, however my Aunt recently got another dog to accompany her other dog.

I would recommend if you get another dog to get one soon or around the same age. Hers are drastically different ages (12 and 1) and they drive each other crazy. The older one doesn't want to play while the younger one is all energy and wants to play so he is consistently harrassing the older dog.

It was hard to find dog friendly housing around H current base, and we have a small dog. I would look at your options at your next base and see if having 2 large dogs is an option.

HTH!

iluvmytxrgr

Ugh!  I wish y'all were moving sooner.  I have such a sweet little girl here that would be perfect for y'all.  She's a brindle boxer mix who weighs 35 pounds.  She's a bit shy but loves to snuggle when she warms up. 
In all seriousness, I would wait until after your PCS to adopt another dog.  You don't want to have the dog get used to new surroundings only to change them just after that.  There are a ton of rescues around here, including the one I foster for .  Talk to me when you decide you want to start looking.  You can put me down for a reference. 

LetsHikeToday

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_xp-sort-of-anyone-2-dogs?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:13Discussion:da38f112-19f6-4bfe-aaf3-920f4e621a83Post:8178cd69-956b-4baf-a3ef-ec932e20fb91">Re: XP (sort of): Anyone have 2 dogs?</a>:
[QUOTE]Ugh!  I wish y'all were moving sooner.  I have such a sweet little girl here that would be perfect for y'all.  She's a brindle boxer mix who weighs 35 pounds.  She's a bit shy but loves to snuggle when she warms up.  In all seriousness, I would wait until after your PCS to adopt another dog.  You don't want to have the dog get used to new surroundings only to change them just after that.  There are a ton of rescues around here, including the one I foster for :) .  Talk to me when you decide you want to start looking.  You can put me down for a reference. 
Posted by iluvmytxrgr[/QUOTE]

Thank you! We will probably wait. You're right. I will definitely get in touch with you. We'd love a dog that was fostered so they could give us some more information on the pup.

I wish we were there now. I'm in love with boxers!!!