Do We Need Two Dogs?

Both Adam and I come from large families—he has three siblings and I have four. I’ve always liked the noise that brothers and sisters provide, not to mention all the scapegoating possibilities. There was no question that we’d have a brother or sister for Lucy.

Dogs, though, are a different matter.

One would be enough, I thought. It always had been enough before.

When I was pregnant with Alice, I lost my beloved dog to cancer. It was excruciating. I’ll never forget staying up with her on her last night, stroking her damp fur as she gasped for air and looked at me with pleading eyes. She died the next day in my arms. For weeks afterward, I kept reaching out to scratch her behind the ears, finding only emptiness in the spot where she always lay.

I thought we’d maybe never have another dog. They live such short lives, relatively speaking. And the holes they leave behind are huge. You don’t know quiet in a house until you stop hearing a collar jingle or a tail softly thump the ground as you pass.

But then a friend who breeds golden retrievers called. Would we like a puppy? She gave me the date a new litter would be ready to join a family. It was six months to the day that my dog had died. I took that as a sign, a sign that could not be ignored.

Now, I recognize it was a sign of insanity, because the date was also my due date with Alice.

“How hard could it be having a newborn and a puppy?” I said. “I’ll already be waking up in the middle of the night for Alice. Might as well get it all over with at once.”

For the record, it is very hard, indeed, having a six-week-old puppy when you have a five-week-old baby (Alice arrived a little late).

And, in fact, puppies are even harder than babies. Though newborns of all species eat, sleep and relieve themselves pretty much around the clock. But human newborns keep their dirty bits covered in diapers. Human newborns also do not chew the couch, slip through the fence, and take themselves on adventure walks to the coffee shop down the street.

I have very little recollection of those months of my life. It’s like a gaping hole in time and as much as I look back, I remember nothing of it beyond how cute Alice looked when she smiled, and how cute Rosie looked when she bounded through our just-planted garden, tearing out the new trees and shaking them like weasels. She was like a dandelion puff, only with sharp teeth.

Rosie and Alice are now both five years old. Rosie no longer destroys shoes, plants or furniture. She’s sweet and fun with the kids. But unlike my last dog, who had no interest in others of her species, and really considered herself to be a shorter, hairier human, Rosie loves other dogs. Loves them.

When I take her for walks and she sees other dogs across the street, she leans her whole body toward them. She assumes the play position when we’re lucky enough to pass a potential dog-friend on our sidewalk. She could spend hours wrestling with the dogs at my parents’ house.

I have started to feel an enormous burden of guilt that she spends most of her life separated from her own kind.

Other things counter this, of course. Rosie has been a bit of a disaster dog. She once ate a bee, which stung the inside of her mouth. Her cheek swelled to the size of a large steak. This summer, she ate some crab shells at the beach and needed emergency veterinary care. Shortly after that she was treated for a case of Giardia she picked up somewhere in the neighborhood (apparently a lot of dogs had it).

Without being indelicate, I can reveal I came thisclose to having to replace the carpet in my office in the aftermath. A few weeks later, she did something to the bottom of her foot that resulted in a temporary cast, antibiotics and a plastic cone of shame. (The vet also threw in drops for her Rosie’s bilateral ear infections.)

In short, she is a handful. Only a lunatic would think of adding another dog to the mix, knowing all that we have going on with our jobs and with two kids in school and assorted activities.

And yet. And yet...

When I watch her look out the window and wag her tail at the dogs that pass by, when I think about how happy she would be to have another dog to curl up with at night, I think it’s just a matter of time before I ignore the wise angel sitting on my shoulder and instead listen to the naughtier one in my heart, the one who thinks happiness for everyone in the house—dogs included—is more important than a clean floor and manageable vet bills.

Apparently the bad economy has created a glut of grownup golden retrievers in need of rescue. I think it’s just a matter of time before one finds her way into our home.

Wish me luck.

--Martha Brockenbrough

Comments

[Nancy]

In April I took in a stray as "a friend" for our four year old Lab. In truth, the shelter in our town euthanizes amazing numbers and I was hoping that the owners would show up, but it was not to be. "Ladybug" is here to stay and is destroying our house; Alli (the Lab) likes her okay. My advice is that even if you think your existing dog wants a friend; she may only want some playdates, not sharing her entire life. That said, there are many dogs out there that need homes. Good luck.

[Kim B.]

Do it, Martha!
We got a second dog (a grown lab from Craigslist) when we noticed our dog was getting a little creaky. Our old guy loves other dogs, and I thought it would ease the heartache a little for the kids (and me) when his time came, if there was another dog in the house. Our 2nd dog is no spring chicken, but he helps keep the first one young. Stay away from the puppies, and it's really not that much more trouble.

[Margit Crane]

Martha,
If you have time, space, money and love in your heart, adopting a dog is a wonderful thing - not just for the dog but for the owners that had to give him/her up.

[Nancy]

I love animals and would have a ton if they were not so much darned work. I have found two is good (and no more difficult than 1) and three is too many - exponentially more than 2. When my beloved border collie, Whitey, began to show his age we got a puppy, Bandit. White had no great love for Bandit who followed him around and did what he did - and was so much easier to train. As whitey grew older Bandit would wake him up to go out and when it was time for bed and let him know when guests arrived - Whitey was nearly deaf the last couple years. Bandit kept him active and a part of things. and when Whitey finally passed away there was still a jingle of tags and a friend to keep us company. I waited a few months but we are back to two dogs...

[E Zenobia]

My husband and kids decided we needed a second dog to keep our six year old lab mix company. My rules were 1) at least a year or two old, partially trained 2) female, spayed
3) the kids do all the work.
We wound up with a three month old greyhound/pit bull mix that chewed up everything in sight and I had to take her to training sessions. Almost a year later she still clears six foot fences. I love her, but life was much simpler without her.

[Ginger]

We have a dachshund who is the sweetest, calmest dog ever. Then my daughter brought in a puppy, a pugal who is high energy and a real pill. I feel so sorry for Jack who has to put up with his silliness all day. I would say to be sure their energy levels match.

[BBB]

Hey - good luck - let me know what you decide. georgia is begging for a second dog too. our jack russell would be so ticked!

[Jill Corcoran]

Best thing I ever did was get a lab for my lab. They love each other and keep each other happy and healthy. No more bored-dog syndrome over here.

[missy]

Ditto here............we rescued a lab here in the northeast with www.labs4rescue.com . I am technically a foster flunkie! We now have a lab for our lab and will most likely be a two dog family from here out. LOVE having the two of them interact with one another!