Multiple dog owners--I need advice!

My dog Ginger is a 6 year old sweetheart, and my husband and I love her dearly. She is always happy, always sweet, and 99% of the time will behave perfectly and do exactly what you tell her to do, on or off the leash. We take very good care of her (long daily walks, total vet care, high quality food, lots of love and attention) and would never want to jeopardize our relationship with her.

The best dog in the world.

 

All that being said, we've discussed getting another dog multiple times. Not only would we love to have another one, but we wonder if it wouldn't be good for Ginger to have a friend. When we first got her we lived out in the country and our neighbor's Boykin Spaniel pretty much moved in with us. He was Ginger's best friend and partner in crime. They roamed the 14 acres we lived on every day, and Charlie (the spaniel) loved the 2 small ponds on the property. They loved each other. We hated leaving Charlie when we moved, but he didn't belong to us (and he wouldn't have been suited to neighborhood life.....he is a country dog if ever there was one).

Since then, it's just been Ginger. We've become more bonded with her since we moved here and don't want to spoil our great relationship with her. But. We wonder if (after some initial jealousy) she wouldn't be happy with a new dog to hang out and play with. Or would she be miserable with losing our exclusive attention? And what if she hated the new dog? Sometimes she gets along with strange dogs, but sometimes she really doesn't. She loved Charlie, but got in fights with another friend's unspayed Boxer female. She does ok with Gus, although she's jealous if I pet him and will sometimes growl if he gets too close to her food bowls (or the giant hole she's been digging in the back yard).

 I think that if we are going to get another dog, we should do it soon, before she gets any older. I follow our local animal shelter's Facebook page and I've seen a dog I may be interested in. What do all of you dog owners think about the situation? Do you think Ginger will be less happy in the long run? Will it change our great bond with her to introduce a new pack mate?

Thoughts and/or advice would be greatly appreciated!