Are we crazy to get a second dog?/How do you ever choose to spend money?

[Basenji]

^LOL, yeah brushing...the thing I know we're supposed to do. I need to get tips from YOU how to even get the brush in the dog's mouth.

[Mrs. Pomodoro]

I can view the photos just fine. They look so happy!

It takes two of us to brush our dogs' teeth. I'm in charge or holding their heads still and pull the lips back to expose as much of the back molars as possible; hubby then quickly brushes their teeth. It's not easy for one person to do it (at least we haven't been able to figure that out.) They also seem to be able to sense that you're not sure what to do. Hubby's always worrying about hurting them so they never let him hold them still. I'm the one with tough love. ;)

[Gray Matter]

Such fun!  They look very happy.  Hounds are pack animals--I'm glad you've started heading in the direction of a pack.  :-)

[DeltaBond]

A few months ago, I decided to get a puppy.  We have over half an acre fenced in, and our house has no carpet, etc.  On the way to the Humane Association, we decided to just adopt two, since dogs are very social creatures.  After a month or so, we noticed that they were getting weird.  Two is definitely better than one, but one of the puppies got a LOT bigger than the other one, causing some dominance issues, and some anxiety developed since they were so fixated on each other (training them separately was a problem when one was freaking out missing the other one).

I thought it would be a good idea to get two more, one a little smaller than the small one, to build his confidence, and then a tiny one so no one would feel bad about themselves.  Sounds insane, because it was insane... but it worked!  And what a wonderful hobby to train dogs!... and have them in on the slick floor and throw some superballs around for them to chase, hilarious!

[RyanAtTanagra]

Glad you went ahead with the second dog.  I've always said cats and dogs should be gotten in pairs if possible.  Dogs particularly since they just wait for us to get home when we're not there.

When we brought home our second, she was still a puppy, so Libby was kinder to her than she otherwise might have been.

I think this is so true, too. I've been amazed with how patient and restrained our 11-year-old 50-lb dog has been with our 9-month-old batshit insane puppy... it's like he understood that she was just a puppy, and also that she was part of the pack now. We actually have to encourage him to let her know when she's being a brat.

While I wouldn't assume it, I think this is pretty common behavior, and heartwarming to watch it happen.  I had a family member with a doberman that I dog sat all the time.  It was my favorite dog ever, but when they had a baby there was still some unsurety (is that a word?) over how the dog would behave around it since, you know, doberman.  I've never seen a gentler more patient dog with a kid.  They just seem to understand the concept of baby/puppy/kitten.

I also had a cat that was the biggest asshole I've ever known.  He fought with all other cats to assert dominance, fought over food, etc.  Then my roommate brought a kitten in and my cat immediately adopted it and would stand out of the way while it would eat from his bowl.  Although then it got older and the assholishness started back up, but it was endearing while it lasted.

[Prairie Gal]

I am considering rescuing a pair of female bonded Chihuahuas. I have never had two dogs at the same time before, but by reading through this thread, it sounds like it is good for them to have company. I am still a bit nervous, though.

[icemodeled]

I think it's wonderful to hear someone wanting to rescue another dog and give him or her a good home! So many need it. If your financially secure, sounds like you are and your willing to take on the added possible expenses plus time - I'm sure there will be some adjusting.. Hopefully they will get along great and the new dog will adjust well with everyone and daily life.

We have an amazing 4 year old austrailian Shepard, sweetest dog. He has been healthy his whole life, not one issue. Well 3 months ago he was diagnosed with epilepsy and is on meds now, they're costly every month. He had some major seizures and then just 2 weeks ago needed intestinal surgery which lead to complications and infection (he is still recovering and has a checkup tomorrow so we will see). So besides the overwhelming emotional strain that's it's been for us it also cost us over $3000 in vet bills. Honestly though the emotional part of it has been worse, this little guy has had me worried sick! So yes, definitely always plan ahead for future possible expenses as you never know.

[Mtngrl]

Icemodeled, we had an Aussie with epilepsy once --she was diagnosed about the age yours is. (seems to be something that runs in the breed.) It can be so nerve-wracking and worrying but hang in there. Once we finally got her medication and diet adjusted (read about high-protein diets in canine epilepsy -- we found a diet change really helped) things evened out to 1 or 2 seizures a month -- still more than you'd like, but we had been at multiple seizures a day. Anyway, she lived to be 12 and was a great dog.

For the person who wrote about the expense of having someone care for the dogs while you are on vacation, for the past two years we have been using house sitters from House Sitters America. They come and stay at our house for free for the privilege of vacationing in our area and in return they care for our dogs. It has been great. We are getting ready to have our fourth set of sitters here next month while we are out of the country for 10 days.