Advise & Tidbits before Bringing a Second Dog Home!
Bean had been a happy single pupparoni for seven years. She enjoyed breakfast in bed (I’m not exaggerating, but just on “special” days), she was the focus of ALL the photos, she got all the toys without a need for sharing. It was a sweet sweet life for her. And then BAM, Yoda entered our universe almost a year ago and our whole dynamic was changed dramatically. While, I will always love our new house dynamic, I do wish we had known a few things before bringing a second pup into our fold so I thought we would share the wealth of knowledge with you.
There will be soooooooo much fur! It doesn’t double, like what you would expect. It somehow multiplies in such a way that is incomprehensible for the human mind to process. We have swept, and vacuumed, and mopped way more than we had with one dog.
For a frightening window of time, you won’t know if they’re fighting or playing. It seemed like they were happy, I saw a flash of tail at some point, but there was also a baring of teeth that I was not accustomed to. They made noises that sounded like they weren’t creatures from earth, and were actually from a different universe. Oh, important note, Yoda came to us after having been a stud, so he also tried to show Bean his mounting ability, so that took a little bit of Bean saying “no means no,” before he stopped trying to sow his oats, so to speak. It honestly took a good three months before we figured out their dynamic. They still make crazy noises and they parcour around the living room as if they’re ninjas from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” but it’s all in good fun. We always supervise, though and recommend that you do too.
Taking them out to go to the bathroom at the same time is like a silent movie of angst and tom foolery. Two leashes, two harnesses (that are different and go on in strange ways, just to spice things up), two poop circles of destiny, and all the school children on buses driving by get a fun show before heading to their institution of learning. Did you ever say this out loud to anyone before “Hey, one of the dogs peed on the other dog’s head...could you hand me a wipe?!”
It’s important, and okay, to have one-on-one time with each of the pups. For a little while, we felt incredibly guilty if we did. I will admit, part of the came from the sad and pleading noises that wafted in from the other room from a certain dog named after a Star Wars character. That being said, it’s incredibly important to bond individually with each of the dogs and to have your own special moments with them.
You will hear yourself saying “this is why we can’t have nice things,” a lot more frequently! One night, I woke from a deep and restful slumber to Yoda standing on the other couch, back leg raised, peeing unabashedly. Between the pee, and drool, and fervent playing that resulted in broken decorative Pier 1 tchotchkes, be forewarned, that more of your precious home items will be destroyed.
This note is specific to Boston Terrier owners. FARTS! There have been evenings where they have farted in tandem in such a way, that the green cloud floating above our heads has actually created it’s own atmosphere and began condensating fart droplets. Okay, it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much! Get your gas masks ready.
On a serious note, it’s not fair to you or the dogs to expect them to become immediate best friends. Bean has always gotten along well with other pups, and so did Yoda (as per his previous owner). In light of that knowledge, we assumed that the two would instantly bond, love each other, and ride off into the sunset together. In reality, it took a long time for them to seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company, and even now there are times when they get on each other’s nerves. Sometimes there were moments of jealousy, other times they simply got annoyed with each other. It’s important to give each dog an opportunity and defined space to separate themselves and seek quiet time.
Lastly, the amount of love, moments of joy, volume of snuggles and licks, and times of laughter is multiplied exponentially when there are multiple dogs in your household. I am so happy that Yoda is now a member of our family.
If you’re considering adding another dog to your fold, I hope this post helped you with preparations. If you have more than one dog, I’d love to hear any of your recommended additions to this post in your comment! If I edit the original post to include your thoughts/comments, I’ll credit you for your additional feedback!
