Time to Add to the Pack?

I’m a very conflicted dog mom.

As I wrote about a while back, our beloved Reilly, our beagle of 14 years, passed away on May 31 of this year. He was wonderful dog and I miss him to pieces. He had cancer and his little body was ready to go, so I know in my heart he is in a better place.

 

Since he’s passed, I haven’t been ready to get another dog.

 

We have our dog Oreo- a stray terrier mix that we found six years ago. He adored Reilly and they were quite the pair.

We also have two cats that we got from the shelter about eight years ago. Our little family seems fine just the way it is.

The cats are cats. They are perfectly fine with the status quo.

As cats go, they are more on the social side. So they don’t mind interacting with Oreo. In fact Chloe, the female cat, has even been known to snuggle Oreo on occasion.

The male cat, Blake, is pretty uninterested with Oreo, despite Oreo’s repeated attempts to play with him.

 

So the only thing make me consider getting another dog is my little Oreo. He is clearly a pack animal.

 

He hates to be alone and he’s co-dependent to the core.

 

 

When my husband and I go to work, he is left home alone. I’ll check on him throughout the day through our security video camera. And I see him going between sleeping on the couch and looking through the large stained glass front door.

 

I know his days are lonely now without Reilly, and I feel bad.

 

He’s also started to do little things like bring my socks or a shoe downstairs when we’re gone. He doesn’t tear anything up. It’s more like he wants someone close.

This past week, he started dragging his bed to the middle of the living room so he has a better view of the front door.

I’m not trying to be an egomaniac, but I think it’s so he can watch to see if we’re walking up the front steps.

My evidence- he doesn’t do any of these things when we’re home, and he never did them when we had Reilly.

 

When the bed thing happened, I started to break. Maybe it is time to start looking for another dog?

 

It’s just my husband and I at home now that the kids are in college, so space and time aren’t an issue.

It’s just fear.

What if the new dog isn’t as easy as Oreo? What if he or she tears things up, or has to go out all the time, or the absolute worst- doesn’t get along with Oreo and the cats?

I put these fears aside this weekend and finally agreed to go look at the local shelter with my husband. We saw countless cute dogs in the size range we are going for. That was Sunday and I’m still thinking about two adorable terrier mixes we saw sharing a cage that day.

So maybe it is time? Maybe Oreo, Rob, and I are ready for another dog in the house? I’m not sold yet, but maybe it’s time to let go of some of these fears and be open to a little dog looking for a forever home.