Talk to pet lovers and you’ll find many of them just can’t help themselves; they keep bringing more animals home. This happened in my house. When mommy got me (Riley), it was just me and our cat, Jinx. Then before I was a year old, we got Roxie and when she passed away after only three months with us, Ripley joined our home. Prestley is now the latest addition and he makes the third dog under the age of three at home.
There are times where we like to have space from each other, but I love having two other dogs and a sister cat to play with. Having three dogs in our house works, but it might not be right for everyone. Here are a few things mommy says you can expect if you decide to have a dog family like ours:
- Know the costs – having a second or third dog costs more money. Owners need to be able to give us the help and care we need, and usually, that involves finances. What mommy did every time she thought about getting a new dog, was look at the costs. She calculated all of the basics; food, routine medical care, toys, grooming and boarding to see if a third dog would fit our budget. Each time we got another dog, it did and she hasn’t even given me less treats or food because of it!
- Understand the pack mentality – there is one main pack in our house, but with three dogs, we rely on each other a lot instead of mom and dad all the time. Mommy says introducing a second dog was a lot more work (when compared to having one), but having a third wasn’t very different. But, having a third dog has changed our pack dynamic. I used to be the second dog, with Ripley being the pack leader. Now both of my little brother are above me. Ripley bullies me a lot less now, too, but spends more time playing with Prestley. When thinking about getting a second or third dog, understand how a dog pack works and know that some things might change.
- Make sure you can handle the dogs physically – mommy walks us all at once and keeps us all under control. Every owner should make sure that for our safety and that of other people and dogs, they are always in control. If two or three big or small dogs can’t be handled by one person, it might be too many.
- Have time for everyone – we want as much of your attention as you can give us. If you already find you don’t have enough time to walk with the dogs you have, play with them and pet them, then getting another dog isn’t a good idea.
If you decide you want another dog there are lots of good things that come from it too. In our house, we entertain each other a lot while mommy is busy working. We give lots of love to mom and dad, too and have also taught each other a lot of things!
If you want to know more about how our dog packs work, here’s an article mommy really liked on Buzzle
Bart
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At some point I think there can be way too many pets in a home. I hate seeing these stories on the news about people with 50 cats or dogs living in deplorable conditions.
One or Two dogs i the house would be fine for me. Having so much dogs to take care would not be necessary. Thanks a lot for posting this information.