Dual dogs

Last night after work I met Ali and Nicki at the Humane Society.  There is another dog there that we have hold on.  Diva, the other dog we looked at is still at the shelter as well.  The dog we have a hold on is named Sadie although that is not what her original name is.  We could tell because she makes no acknowledgement at all if you call her this.  Sadie is a lab mix.  Whatever she is mixed with is on the small side, she is a little over a year old and is considerably smaller than Nicki.  She was just spayed on Wednesday.  It was obvious she already had a litter of puppies based on her protruded nipples.

Like Diva, Sadie has a bare spot on her back towards her tail.  We were told she was basically flea infested when they got her and as a result has dermatitis in that area.  Supposedly that should clear up.  So we took both dogs out into a fenced area and let them interact.  Sadie seemed more interested in checking Nicki out than Nicki was in her.  Once again the millions of smells from other dogs had Nicki’s attention, she basically roamed the area just sniffing away.

Sadie seemed like she was mild mannered and happy.  Ali and I both took turns walking her around to see if Nicki would get jealous.  Again it hardly got a rise out of her, she was all about smelling. Ali and I took turns polling each other’s feeling about Sadie.  I think what we really want is for Nicki to meet a dog and they immediately start running around and play.  Unfortunately, I think there is zero chance of that happening with any dog on Humane Society property.  Nicki is much too distracted from being on foreign turf. 

I would say her interaction with Sadie was very similar to her interaction with Diva.  Diva definitely came off as slightly more assertive.  I think having a dog slightly smaller than Nicki would be a good thing as far as Nicki not being dominated. Her nature is to be rather submissive.  Hell when we went into the shelter there were 2 cats roaming loose, Nicki immediately ran between my legs for protection.

We told the shelter volunteer that we would let them know either way today.  When we got home we talked off and on about the prospects of a second dog through out the night.  It’s a bigger decision than some might think, at least in our situation.  Nicki is six years old now.  She is very established in both her daily routines as well as ours. We have meshed our lives in a way that is working relatively well for all parties involved.  Unfortunately Nicki can’t talk and let us know if she would welcome giving up her role as the sole queen of the house in order to gain the companionship of another dog. 

Adopting an adult dog is a different ballgame than adopting a puppy.  When you adopt a puppy a bond is formed right from the get go.  Your interactions during that first year helps shape the dogs personality.  With an adult dog that personality is more or less formed already.  You don’t have the same closeness, at least initially.  On the plus side, with adult dogs you hopefully don’t have to go through the headaches of house training and teething/chewing.

I think our biggest concern is we somehow wind up messing with the chemistry we have with Nicki.  After that the added expense, work and logistics of caring for a second dog follows in the concerns list.  On the plus side we would hope that a second dog would give Nicki a full time companion and playmate to add some excitement to her life.  So often I see Nicki giving me a mopey, “I’m bored” look.  Another dog would hopefully remedy that.

I don’t know, I can go back and forth with pros and cons, paralysis by analysis.  My track record in life has always sided primarily on the “don’t rock the boat” area.  It has not always served me well.  Maybe this can be a step away from that mindset.