Can you love two dogs equally?

In My Humble Opinion
1

This summer my husband and I got a dog and a cat. We had moved into a slightly bigger house and felt that we had enough space for pets. I had always wanted a chihuahua, and my husband had always wanted a cat (we had each grown up with these types of pets but not owned any ourselves).

I bought him from a pet store - very bad, I know. I accept all the blame for that as I did not do proper research before hand. Now that I know about PetFinder.com, I’ve occasionally perused the listings for local chihuahuas, wondering which one I might have gotten if I had looked for a rescue dog instead. So I had just been looking casually when I came across a photo of an 18-month-old chihuahua mix (mostly chihuahua but 1/4 daschund) that I thought was absolutely adorable. There was also a video of her and she seemed so sweet and lovable. I almost wished I could adopt her too, but we had always decided to just have 1 dog and 1 cat.

But I started thinking about how it would be nice for my dog to have a playmate. He is 9 months old now, and very energetic, and constantly wants to play. I do have the time/desire to play with him, but can’t seem to satisfy him. I will wave one of his stuffed animals around to get him to wrestle with it, or I’ll run around the room a bit and let him chase me, but he loses interest very quickly. But he will continue to “play bow” and try to get my attention like he wants to play, yet is not satisfied with how I try to play with him. I take him to a small dog play group once a week and he loves it there.

So I started thinking about how this other dog could be a good playmate, as her description says she also likes to play a lot, and frequently tries to engage the larger, older dogs in her foster family.

I talked about it with my husband and we decided that we could afford the additional expense (we don’t have kids) so I put in an adoption application. The Animal Rescue called me yesterday to say I was approved, so we have plans to have my dog meet this one this weekend.

I have not put any money down and if the meeting doesn’t go well, or if I have any reservations about it, we won’t go through with the adoption. I’m excited to meet her, but strangely also having cold feet. This may seem like a strange question, but is it possible to love 2 dogs equally?

I absolutely adore my current chihuahua - I have his photo as my computer wallpaper at work, I think about him a lot, I baby talk to him when I’m home, etc. I was a bit anxious at first when I got him, but now I can’t imagine my life without him. Perhaps I am a bit overly attached to him - to the point where, when I had to leave my dog at the vet for a few hours to have some baby teeth pulled, my husband asked me if I was doing okay with him gone. I’d sort of gotten used to the idea of having a spoiled, adored “only dog” and just taking care of his needs (my husband cares for the cat). I’m just wondering if I will be able to “share myself” with another dog and not feel like I am neglecting the first one. By the same token, I don’t want to get another dog only to find that I am favoring the first one and not giving her the loving home she deserves.

I have googled this a bit and seen comments on other message boards like “Yes you can love two dogs, the same as how a mother can love two children” but not having children, it’s a bit hard to wrap my head around.

Sorry for rambling a bit - just wondering if anyone can comment on having 2 dogs. At this point the extra money and work are not a concern, just the idea of having and loving 2 dogs after being attached to an “only dog.”

2

I would say it’s certainly possible and even likely that you will love the new dog and bond with her, especially if she and your current dog get along well and play happily together. In a few months you may wonder why you worried about loving them equally.

But it’s also possible you will have more or different affection for one or the other. I don’t think that will do the dog any harm though. As long as you take good care of her, she will be better off with you than in a foster home or animal shelter. And she will not suffer at all from not having her picture as your screen saver if it works out that way.

3

:smiley:

4

I have 6 dogs. Do I love them equally? No, I love them differently. Andy loves to play with toys, so I throw his squeaky pig for him and give him big thumping pets. Jake is dying of cancer. He still plays with the other dogs and loves to eat, but sometimes he just comes over and leans all 100 lbs on my and wants to be petted and kissed. Maggie is my standard poodle. When I sit down, she likes to put her paws on my shoulders and lean her head next to mine. And so on for Sophie, Wylie and Pat.

Dogs accept what you give them. Adopt - you’ll love your new dog and she’ll love you.

StG

5

It’s a broader question, really. Can you love two children “equally?” Can you love two of any sort of being equally?

When this question is put in terms of children, most folks say something like “love is not divisible; it is not lost or used up by being shared.”

My wife and I live with two dogs. Conveniently, each is somewhat more bonded to one or the other of us. But we still have loving relationships with “each other’s dog.” Dogs are very distinct personalities and my relationship with Sadie is different from the one I have with Simone.

Edited to add: And good on you for considering adoption!

6

I agree with “most folks”. :slight_smile: When you love someone, human or dog, you don’t give away a piece of your heart, your heart just expands. And I have personally found it can expand to just about any size. And it’s weird, because I have thought I would just burst with love, that I could never love more than that but when “more” shows up it just fits even better.

7

Agree with StGermain. Differently, but not equally. Certainly “as much as each needs and deserves.”

8

The cat and dog don’t like to play together?

Because my 100lb dog and my 10lb cat go at it all the time. (The love each other)

I figured a dog and cat more equal in size would have even a better chance to get along.

9

Yes, you would think. However our cat is extremely laid back, and doesn’t like to play except on rare occasions where she gets a short burst of energy (she is part British Shorthair and they are apparently known for being very mellow). The dog is 5 1/2 pounds and the cat is about 8, so they are fairly close.

What happens is the dog wants to play with her, and will jump on her, try to wrestle with her, or even nip at her ears. She will sometimes tolerate this for about a minute, but then she will either make unhappy noises, or try to scratch the dog, or both. They don’t dislike each other, and will sometimes cuddle next to each other when they are tired - and the cat will sometimes lick the dog, like she’s trying to groom him, when he’s acting calm. But most of the time the dog wants to play with the cat, while the cat wants to be left alone.

10

I remember once when I took my three dogs to the vet and I was talking about one of them, how sweet he was and his quirks. The vet said ‘so you love him the best?’. I was horrified at the thought, I loved all three of my dogs. It varied from day to day which one was on my shit list but the thought of having a favorite was out of the question.
Each had something I loved about them, each had something that plucked my nerves but I loved them all the best.

I had a client once who rated his three dogs and had his favorite.
That really bothered me about him, so I always gave the one he liked the least more of me. She was the sweetest and nicest of the bunch anyway.

Even my clients that have multiple dogs, I never have a favorite among them. I may cuss some of them more than others but I love them all the same.

11

I have a favorite dog of all time, and have had a “favorite” among 2 or 3 dogs we had simultaneously.

However I was fond of all of them and went out of my way to make sure none got disproportionate attention.

12

I have two dogs. Every day I say to each one of them, “I love you with all my heart.” And it is true.

13

I think you gotta love this one more:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/PztO-OvzRyg?rel=0

14

This, a thousand times this.

15

Two doggies here, and I’d say I love them both equally. I’d be devastated if anything happened to either one of them.

But the two are definitely different. I tend to hang more with the girly dog, Mr. Athena hangs more with the boy dog. They play differently. It’s silly to say it, but the girl is more “girly” than the boy, and we treat them slightly different.

But I love them both. Go ahead, get another doggy. It’s really fun having two.

16

Do it! As everyone has said your heart will expand to love both, and there is nothing more fun than watching 2 dogs play together.

I have 4 dogs at this time, 2 big dogs and 2 small, plus 2 cats. I love all of them deeply, but have to say I do have a favorite. None of them care- as far as they can tell I love equally.

17

Thank you everyone for the encouragement! Things did not work out with this particular dog, but I will continue to check with the local rescues/shelters. Assuming we find “the one,” I feel a bit better now about being able to care for both dogs. :slight_smile: