I have 2 Basset hounds, Harry & Sally. I love my doggies so much! Lately, I've been getting the itching (?) to get another dog. Part of it is due to looking at the website of the rescue group we adopted them from and seeing that they can no longer take anymore dogs in because they need more foster homes (they don't use a kennel- they use foster homes); I know that I'd be a "bad" foster parent of a dog- I'd want to adopt the dog! I get attached easily. Part of it also is that Sally will occassionally play with Harry, but not as much as he'd like; my friend brought her Husky-mix puppy last week to my house, and Harry & the puppy played a LOT! Sally went out and ran with them for a little, but then she was done. I think that it'd be great if Harry had someone to play with more often. My dogs grew up together, so I mean, they're used to each other and all, but I wonder if they'd like having another dog living with them. I'd probably contact their foster mom and ask her how they liked living with other dogs; I know that they get along with other dogs, from having them around my friends' dogs and around the other dogs at the dog park, but living with another dog might be different.
Our first choice would be another Basset hound, since they seem to really like their own kind, and also they wouldn't be intimidated by the size of other dogs (since Bassets have little legs...they're long, but they're short!), and we know how to properly care for Bassets (like cleaning their ears, etc.). But, I wouldn't be opposed to another shorter dog. In my mind, I'd probably get a boy between the ages of 4 and 7, so he'd still want to play sometimes but will also wear out (like Harry eventually does!). My dogs are both 5, by the way.
Yesterday was my orientation for volunteering at the SPCA, and I bonded with a hound named Oliver. He's not a Basset- I asked the lady what kind he is, and I don't think that she's sure. He was a really sweet dog. I came home and told Bobby about him, and I said that maybe it's a sign, that I've been thinking about getting another dog, and not only is Oliver a hound, he's in the age group that I was thinking of. He said that it's not a sign.
My first thought after thinking about adopting another dog was that I couldn't have another food hog or another patting hog, since Harry loves food more than anything and Sally loves being patted more than anything. I'd need to get another dog that has his or her own thing. Also, Bobby said that we couldn't afford another dog who needs $200 nail trimmings (Harry hates, Hates, HATES getting his nails cut, so we have him sedated and the vet gives him a "show cut", which means that they cut the nails super short so he has to get them cut less often). Sally's nail trims are, I think, $12, so we could handle another dog who gets normal nail trims.
At first, Bobby seemed to be open to the idea, saying what I just said about the nails. But yesterday he said how he doesn't know if we could handle 3 dogs. I don't walk the dogs myself- I *could*, as long as there are no cats; one time, Bobby was being slow and doing something inside when I had the dogs outside for their walk, and there was a cat; I'm surprised that my arms didn't fall out of their sockets. Both dogs together weigh more than I do, so it took all my strength to not let go of them. If there was no risk of them seeing a cat, I'd walk them myself. But, Bobby walks one (he almost always walks Sally, since she LOVES me (
) and is slow sometimes during walks, so she will catch up to me and not be as slow if Bobby walks her), and I walk the other (usually Harry), and Bobby could just walk 2 dogs and I could walk one if we had another dog.
I know that we can't get another dog unless we're both all in and agree about everything...we'll both occassionally check the website of the Basset rescue group and see the available dogs, and now that I'm volunteering at the SPCA, I might find a dog (like Oliver) who might be a perfect fit.
We'll see...
)
I'll be 22. 
