Should I ?

[quanjig]

Well, it's been a year since I've had a dog in the house. Had to put both dogs to sleep last year and find myself a bit lost and a little un motivated since then. I've been looking at shelters and rescues for the past month and told my wife about it and she wasn't 100% on board with the idea as she was still mourning the loss of our other dogs. I said she would have to be alright with it for us to do it again and she was warming up to the possibility!

So on a whim went to the local Petsmart and they had a German Shepard rescue group there so we looked at some of the dogs they had for adoption. One of the dogs available caught our attention so we spent a little time with him. We got the story on his and his litter mates.

My theory is two dogs are not much more to take care of than one and they are happier as a pack together! The dogs are about a year old and believe me, they will need some TLC and a good deal of work but, I'm up for it!

The dogs are brother and sister sheppard/hound mix, about 35lbs and will get to about 50lbs. If the home visit goes well and we are approved, we are seriously thinking of adopting the two!!

Anyone else have a similar experience, I'd love to hear some feedback

Thanks

[BrianinMD]

Go for it, you will never be 100% ready after losing a pet. But to me that is part of what a new one helps with.

 

When my wife and I started with Italian Greyhounds we only adopted one and kept hearing that it is better for them with two. So we decided to adopt another and there was a noticeable difference in the dog. Having a companion is good for them. 

[Sam]

Best dog I ever had was a pound dog.

 

Got her after our Irish Setter got lose and killed by a car.

 

I still have her ashes after 25-years. They are in a Chinese glass jar in my man cave.

 

I guess one day I will have to spread them somewhere.

[CravinMorehead]

Found my dog in the front yard eating my trash, I guess his mom left him to fend for himself. Thirteen years later he's still my lil Buddy. Best dog I ever owned. I say go for it and see how it works out..

[rockchalk06]

Its all in if you can handle it. My dog was hit and killed in my driveway (along with me getting hit too) 2 Christmas's ago. I still can't bring myself to get another one. I should have had her on a leash but we were taking a walk down the drive to get the mail. She never left my side but about 2 feet. Driver was drunk and jumped the curb taking her and myself out. If I hadn't been hit I would probably have given him 15+1 pain pills, but I was out cold. They found him 2 weeks later.

 

I blame myself for her death so I really can't bring myself to get another one. People say that if you are morning the loss of one, go drop down in the middle of a bunch of puppies and you will be cured.

[rockchalk06]

Best dog I ever had was a pound dog.

 

Got her after our Irish Setter got lose and killed by a car.

 

I still have her ashes after 25-years. They are in a Chinese glass jar in my man cave.

 

I guess one day I will have to spread them somewhere.

 

 

I've got 2 Brits 1 Weimer and 1 Mutt's ashes saved in those urns the Vet gives me. I spread part of the ashes on our favorite CRP field and the rest I saved. The Mutt's I'll be buried with, the others I will keep for ever.

 

I found it easier to keep them displayed. I look at them every night before I head to work!

[A-Jay]

I think we both know if you're asking - it means Yes.

 

Where you at ?  We are fostering this guy right now.

 

We rescued him from a "bad situation" - but he is a Great Dog !

 

"RD" is a 3 yr pure bred Malamute who's Full of Life.

 

Our kennel is full otherwise he'd already be part of our pack.

 

btw - We Always get our dogs Two at a time - the power of the pack can not be denied.

 

A-Jay

 

https://www.facebook.com/ThePAWZ/media_set?set=a.650240984988981.1073741830.100000092564585&type=1

[quanjig]

AJ, I'm in northern Virginia. I appreciate everyone's input. My wife and I are going to have a visit with 3 dogs from the same litter that was rescued together. I will take some pics and post them later this evening! Honestly, I'm a little excited to spend some time with them all together. I wish I had a big yard with lots of space, I would take all of them!

[ROCbass]

Its all in if you can handle it. My dog was hit and killed in my driveway (along with me getting hit too) 2 Christmas's ago. I still can't bring myself to get another one. I should have had her on a leash but we were taking a walk down the drive to get the mail. She never left my side but about 2 feet. Driver was drunk and jumped the curb taking her and myself out. If I hadn't been hit I would probably have given him 15+1 pain pills, but I was out cold. They found him 2 weeks later.

 

I blame myself for her death so I really can't bring myself to get another one. People say that if you are morning the loss of one, go drop down in the middle of a bunch of puppies and you will be cured.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I know it can be tough not to blame yourself in situations like this, but try not to beat yourself up, you did nothing wrong and there was likely nothing you could have done that would have prevented it. If she had been on a leash it would be just as easy to second guess yourself by saying that if you weren't holding on to her, maybe she could have gotten out of the way.

[Bladesmith,]

I have 7 dogs. All rescues. All different breeds. I only wanted 1 dog as a yard dog and to warn me of night time visitors. They range from a Great Pyrenees to a dachshund. They all came to me at different times and were in need of a loving home. I cannot now envision my life without any of these dogs as they have become part of my family. Each and every one has a unique personality and each and every one offers a degree of devotion of which no human is capable. I should also mention that I also have 40 acres of mountain woodland for them to roam. If you have the opportunity to rescue a dog from being put to death in a shelter, I recommend you give serious consideration to a rescue animal. Be reasonable about it. If you live in a city apartment, you have no business with an animal that needs space (such as a Great Pyrenees, or German Shepard, or any other large breed). If you have young children, a pit bull or doberman is likely not the best choice. The shelters are full of dogs that people chose unwisely, and the dog suffers death for this irresponsible choice. Be a responsible pet owner. My .02.   

[Jigfishn10]

My daughter has been wearing us down for a dog for many years now. This past school year she had a tough time at school from peeps bullying her. She felt lost and alone with no friends to be had. We finally broke down and brought her to a shelter where she and a shepherd/beagle mix loved each other at first sight. I'm so happy that Abby has become a part of the family last June. She's only 1, but she is house broken, so we couldn't ask for anything more. She's progressing very well and appears to have settled in nicely in our home.

 

I wish you and your wife all the best Quanjig, I'm sure you'll do very well with your new pets, should you adopt.

 

Good luck.

[Bluebasser86]

I've always had dogs growing up in the country but never have I been so attached to one as I am to our little Golden we have now. She's the first indoor dog I've ever had and with our small house she's always right next to us. She's not even a year old yet but already a seasoned vet when it comes to being in the boat and going fishing. She makes our lives happier every day just by being around.

[quanjig]

My wife and I got a chance to hang out and play with the dogs yesterday and tried to get a feeling for which ones would be the right for us. Here are some pics of the three that are available.

This is Cruse, he is the one that I saw at the adoption.

This is my wife with Daisy.

This is Steve.

Steve has some serious issues but has a really sweet personality. He will not go thru doorways leading outside, but once outside is alright. He's very skittish and takes a long time to approach.

Cruse is incredibly ball motivated when outside and playing and only partially potty trained.

Daisy is perfect!

We want to adopt 2. I don't think we have the time to really get Steve past all of his issues.

Saturday we have the home visit with Daisy and Cruse, if they get along with the cats, we will have 2 new additions to our house!

Thanks for all the responses guys, I really appreciate all the input and success stories!