The family pack

Thanks for all the nice comments on the last post. It's been a busy week and I've had very little time for blogging over the last few days. When I posted those puppy pictures neither of us had met her in person, but we have now and oh my goodness! What a sweet little baby! She has the softest fur, and she already shows signs of being a very smart dog. We've decided we want her, but there's a problem. George.

George has never been around any other dogs except Ginger. Of course, he adored her and they had a tight bond, but he was a youngster and she was a steady, responsible adult dog when he came to live with us. This situation is different. George can't see an unleashed dog or a cat approaching him without going nuts--barking and growling and lunging at them. He's very excitable and has a high prey drive, and this puppy is little. We'll have to be very careful about introducing them and I hope we can navigate it successfully. Honestly, I have my doubts.

We're going to try to have them meet up this Sunday at the park (neutral ground) and walk them together to see if we can help him make friends with her. I really think that if George can get over the initial meeting and can calm down enough to sniff her and get to know her that she'll be the ideal second dog for us.  I'm afraid to get my hopes up though. I don't want to be disappointed, and when I picked the puppy up for the first time and felt her soft, soft fur (so much like Ginger's!) and saw her serious little face, I was on the verge of falling in love with her. That would be a mistake at this point so I'm trying not to think about it too much just in case it doesn't work out. 

The good thing is that everyone who sees the puppy immediately wants her. She has no shortage of offers to take her if we decide we can't, so I'm confident she'll get a good home either way. The manager of the pet store is keeping her at the moment and takes her to work every day. She's getting well socialized to other animals, other dogs, strange people, and new experiences. After Sunday we should know whether or not we can keep her, so please wish us luck! It's all up to Prince George at the moment. Of course, he comes first and I won't make him miserable for the sake of a new puppy. So, we'll see........please wish us luck!

If you've had any experience introducing new dogs or puppies to a resident adult dog (especially a difficult adult dog) I'd be very grateful for any tips or ideas. 

"How dare you?!" -George

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!