When’s A Good Time To Add A Second Dog To Our Household?
January 3, 2020
Maybe some of you got a new puppy over the holidays or perhaps you’re thinking of adopting an adult dog from a shelter to keep your other dog company. Adding a second dog to your family is a big decision and one that needs careful thinking before plunging ahead.
Let’s review your reasons and considerations for adding a second dog to your household.
Make Sure You Budget For A Second Dog
Getting a new puppy comes with extra expense, especially with regularly required vaccinations and puppy inoculations in the first year, so make sure you budget for that. Additionally, your dog food bill (and likely your laundry bill too!) will increase. Feeding a second dog means twice as many trips to the pet store for kibble, and we all know how expensive that can be. Ask yourself honestly before you find yourself face-to-face with a new puppy looking for a new home, do I have the finances to make this commitment?
Two Dogs: Double The Pleasure, Double The Fun
Getting back to your laundry bill, when you commit to the demands of owning two dogs, you’re going to have twice as much mess, eight muddy feet instead of four, not to mention twice as much hair. Yes, we love dogs as much as you do, but we’re being practical here. Two dogs means twice as much work, and that means more time spent vacuuming and doing the laundry.
Puppies Need Exercise
When you decide on adding your second dog to the household, you’ll want to consider booking time off work to help your new addition settle in and get used to their new surroundings. Puppies and dogs need regular exercise, but young ones need constant potty breaks – or so it seems. When you return to work, you might need to hire a dog walker to make sure your pup gets the exercise he or she needs.
If you have a mature dog who’s fast-approaching his senior years, this is often a good time to add a second dog to your home. As long as the rest of the family are on board and you have the time, space and money to take proper care of both, getting a second dog is a great idea.