I will admit that I was a little hesitant to get a second dog (for about five seconds, until Latke climbed into my lap, then I was smitten.) After all, having one (high maintenance) dog is quite a bit of work, so I naturally assumed that the second one would also be high maintenance and double the work. A year into being a two dog household, I can confidently say that I was wrong.
So here you go… five reasons why two dogs are better than one:
Babka was rescued from a kill shelter by the
wonderful folks at Paws 2 Care Coalition, after having been abused, then dumped and left to die,. In addition to adoption fees, we support them frequently, and have liked their Facebook page. Consequently, I see photos of every dog they rescue and have up for adoption. When I saw Latke’s photo, I immediately wanted to go get her. She was three months old and weighed in at four pounds. The reality of two pups quickly set in and we realized that we were better off with one, so I left it alone. Four months later, when she was still there (and now weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds) I couldn’t take it anymore. I went over with some things for their yard sale and left with a second dog.
- We made room for Paws 2 Care to rescue another dog.
What would happen when we went away? Would our friends take two dogs instead of just one? I sold it as a “dog and a half” because Latke is so small.
- As it turns out, our pro-dog friends are delighted to have both girls at their homes while we are away. I am always grateful for their generosity. They are walking, feeding and playing with one anyway, so the second one is just a happy add-on.
- There is always a dog that wants to sit in my lap. If one is not feeling particularly cuddly, the other one generally is, and the adorable cuddle factor is off the charts. (Plus, I am sure to always have a stash of lint rollers on hand.)
- Our floors are always food free. If ever one dog misses a single crumb, the other one is there to snatch it right up. Always.
- Having two dogs means that they play together, sun themselves together on the patio, protest baths together, and each try to blame the other one for causing trouble.
The truth is that Babka came to live with us nearly four years ago and Latke has been with us for a year, and we love them both dearly. I can live with Latke chewing corners of pillows (she has mostly stopped), Babka protesting sleeping in her own bed (when she wants to sleep in ours) and always needing to be home at a certain time to walk the girls, especially if it means when I open the door they are there to greet me, tails wagging, excited jumping and all.
