As with most things in my life, I get an idea in my head and just run with it. Even though I work from home and can, in theory, give a dog lots of attention, it doesn’t always work out that way. And when you have a dog that is always ready to play, mayhem usually ensues if you do not stop everything and play. So, I was thinking about rescuing another dog for some time. Should I adopt a second dog?
Yes, the time was right to add to the pack.
Well, getting a second dog to keep the first company seemed like a great idea. And it would allow me to have some peace and quiet—what a fool I am sometimes. Was I really prepared to adopt a second dog? Probably not, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
The day Dylan came bounding into the house so proud of himself and all muddy from digging up some holes—the search was on for rescue dog number 2.
This is Rainey and as soon as I saw these pictures, I wanted to meet her. She spent the first 9 months of her life in horrible conditions and thankfully BISePaws agreed to foster her. She was just skin and bones and had mange and other infections. Over 5 months, with their love and care, she not only survived but thrived.
Even their family dog took care of her.
After speaking at length with the foster family, we agreed that they could be a great match and a meet-and-greet was arranged. They did warn me that Rainey does bark a lot when she wants to play. But, I didn’t care as I live in a house…how bad can it be?!
We were approved to adopt Rainey!! And so, Dylan and I took the almost 2-hour drive down to meet Rainey. They hit it off immediately, much to my relief. After an hour or so, we all agreed to a 2-week trial. I think that Rainey already decided that we were her new family because she jumped into the car and was ready to start her new adventure.
Day 1 down on to Day 2…it didn’t go so well…was it a mistake to adopt a second dog?!
This is why having a good relationship with the foster family is so important. On day 2, Dylan attacked Rainey. Some food fell on the floor and when Rainey went to smell it, Dylan pounced on her. Rainey was a little bloody and I was in shock.
I didn’t want to return Rainey but I didn’t want her getting hurt. Also, I also didn’t want her to become afraid of Dylan. I called the foster to talk to her about what happened. She was so wonderful and let me know that it wasn’t my fault. These things happen and now we know to be mindful around food. So, the trial continued and after 2 weeks, Rainey wasn’t going anywhere.
We can all learn a thing or two from dogs. The most important—don’t hold a grudge.
Rainey didn’t get scared of Dylan. In fact, they quickly became inseparable. She lived a very sheltered life and wasn’t exposed to many things. So she was scared of everything. It took almost 2 weeks to get her to walk in front of a storm drain. She clung to her older brother and copied his every move.
They have a lot of patience for one another. Rainey is a barker. It is a very loud and somewhat high-pitched bark. Thankfully, she mainly only barks when she wants to play (which is a lot). But, poor Dylan will be trying to go to the bathroom, and she will be in his face barking at him, and he just puts up with it.
Dylan, for his part, seems really protective of her. They are always touching. And I think when he uses Rainey as a pillow, it is payback for the barking.
When you adopt a second dog, they can help teach each other valuable lessons.
Rainey is certainly not the same dog that I adopted and that’s not a bad thing. When I first brought her home, almost 4 years ago, she was very timid and really submissive. She was scared of the world. But over time, and I think because of Dylan’s bullying and his “attack first ask questions later” attitude, she is now pretty fearless. New things still scare her, but she doesn’t let that stop her and she wants to learn and explore everything.
I used to have to monitor them constantly to make sure that Dylan wasn’t being too rough with her. But now I have nothing to worry about. She is no longer submissive during play and stands up for herself when Dylan gets too rough.
She is the sweetest dog and loves people. It amazes me that she never lost her faith in people even though she was let down early in life. But she is quite bossy and always has to get her way. Whenever she sees someone on our walks, she will throw a tantrum if she can’t say hello. And when we have visitors, as soon as they sit down, she’s in their lap forcing them to cuddle her. She becomes a 50 lb lapdog. And no one has a choice, she is very adamant about cuddles.
I think because of Rainey, Dylan is learning to trust people more quickly now. He sees that she’s getting lots of attention from strangers and nothing bad is happening. And in turn, he is more open to new people and lets them pet him.
Is my life easier when you adopt a second dog?!
Oh boy, no!! Dylan is still my shadow. Rainey is Dylan’s shadow. So now I have 2 dogs following me around everywhere. Rainey loves to play and has a lot of energy. So whenever Dylan refuses to play with her, usually when I’m on the phone, she will start trying to chase me around the house with a squeaky toy in her mouth.
Rainey is the smallest thing in the house but takes up the most space. She will come on the bed at night and plop herself right in the middle and sprawl out. She’s the only who can move at night.
It turns out that Rainey is quite good at catching things. Well, she can’t catch a ball or a treat or anything that you throw at her. But, she’s great at catching things with 4 legs especially chipmunks and little lizards. She did catch a butterfly once but it flew right into her mouth. It’s like a scene out of Trials of Life documentary series when you look outside. She’s outside flinging whatever she catches in the air quite contentedly and happily entertaining herself. We now have a section of the property that serves as a little cemetery.
I wouldn’t change a thing though, life became complete when she came home. I am so glad I decided to adopt a second dog.
Here is Rainey’s Story! And a great example of how fostering a dog helps to save a life.