Today we have the pleasure of Nikki from The Fashionable Wife writing for the PAWSH blog. She’s here to tell us all about her experiences bringing a second puppy into her family.
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My husband Charlie and I knew we wanted to get a second dog sometime in the future, but we had no idea it would happen so soon. Charlie found our first dog, Buddy, in the newspaper; a funny, slightly nervous and somewhat socially awkward blue heeler. Our newest edition, Scout, found us.
A coworker of mine accidentally hit a collarless puppy with her car and through a series of random events (or as we believe, fate), I ended up taking him in so he wouldn’t be sent to a shelter. I had every intention of finding the little six-week-old guy a nice home, but my husband fell in love with him and that was that.
I worried that our first “born” Buddy would not be pleased, because he typically prefers not to socialize with other dogs. Yet to our surprise Buddy quickly grew fond of our newest addition and for Scout it was love at first sight.
Adding a second pup to the family has most certainly been an adventure, especially since we were unprepared. I have likened the experience to an unplanned pregnancy; although even then you do get nine months to prepare. One morning I went to work with one dog and I came home with two.
To be honest, Buddy can be a handful on his own. And now with Scout, our lives have become a three ring circus. Scout quickly reacquainted me with the delight of house training and teething. I had also forgotten the adorable way that puppies run around like the Energizer Bunny and the adorable way they pass out after a good hard play.
I had a small fear that Scout would bring out the worst in Buddy – that the puppy’s wild behaviour would somehow revert Buddy back to his untrained boyhood antics. The result, however, has been quite positive. Scout has brought out in Buddy is his puppy side, but in all the right ways. Buddy’s playful soul has found a best mate and the two of them run around together all the time in game.
Although we fondly call Scout “Trouble,” he has definitely been a wonderful and unexpected change for us. He isn’t potty trained yet, but we are working on it. He likes to chew on electrical cords (especially phone chargers and my computer charger) so he has to be constantly monitored. Sometimes Scout irritates Buddy, but for the most part they get along well. We are about to move out of our apartment and into a house at the end of the month to accommodate our two boys. Life is definitely different than it was a little over a month ago, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
What have your experiences bringing a second puppy into the family been?
Wow, what a cute story! It sounds like he’s a handful but good for your family none the less. Bringing a second dog into my family was a great decision as well. I had a very shy little dog and when my husband decided he wanted a dog as well (we were dating and not living together at the time) he adopted a medium-sized Spaniel mix. We moved in together shortly after that and since that day my shy little dog has completely come out of her shell. She loves her big brother and feels so much more confident when he is around. It was definitely a good decision all around!
When we added our beautiful baby girl Daisy to our family that already included our handsome little guy Rex (both Miniature Goldedoodles), we thought Rex would be happy that he had a friend to play with …but things didn’t turn out the way we had expected.
The first day we brought her home Rex was so happy, but that quickly wore off and he started thinking “ok when is this little thing going home”. The next morning Rex decided he wasn’t ‘talking’ to me. I was his mommy for the last year and a half and now he had to share me, and that simply wouldn’t do.
I was heartbroken. I thought about giving Daisy away, but I just couldn’t do that. So I did some research and came across an article about children and new siblings. It said that if Mom has special one on one time with the older kids then it prevents the whole jealousy issue. So that’s what I did.
I made sure we had special “Rex & Mommy” time everyday. Whether we tossed a ball, played tug-a-war, or simply cuddled …it was our special time that Daisy didn’t have any part in, and that made Rex very happy.
He eventually warmed up to Daisy, and believe it or not, the day Daisy spent away from home (getting spayed) was the day Rex decided he never wanted Daisy to leave again! They have been inseparable since!