Second dog opportunity -- should I do it?

[ls1smith]

Originally Posted by Britster

I've been wanting another dog for a long time. I think Jackson would be a much happier dog, and I think and hope I'd be a much happier person.

I've searched on petfinder many times with seemingly no luck. They either don't accept out of state adoptions, adoption is already pending, my age (I'm 20) and often times it's 21+, or something always goes wrong.

I've gone the breeder route. I've researched a ton of breeders, got into the Silky Terrier for a while, most breeders won't sell me a male because apparently Silky's are known for same sex dog aggression which I can't have. I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with the puppy phase again... so that was making my decision harder as well.

Well, I found this little guy about 20 minutes away from my house the Penny Savers ad. He will be 1yrs old later this month. He's around 11lbs at last vet visit. He seems well taken care of and groomed. He is neutered, UTD on shots, has vet papers, and akc papers. The owner and I have been texting all morning and I think I'm going to go over later and make a visit to see if he and Jackson get along.

Her description of him:
Marco is a 10 month old Yorkie, he is neutered, shots up to date and comes with papers, I will also suppy all Veterinarian papers. He loves outside, playing with his toys, and he most definitely love other dogs and kids. I am selling him because we are moving and cant take Marco with us. I really want him to go to a nice loving family if thats you I look forward to speaking with you. The price for Marco is 500 but I will negotiate.

He is seemingly a perfect fit. She said the last snow storm, he loved! He just loves being outdoors, period. Hello, perfect for Jackson!

So, I'm gonna go over to this house.... of course you a see a dog, and you usually want to take him home right then and there! But any tips for me? What should I ask? What should I be looking for? Will I just KNOW if he's the right one for Jackson & I? If it doesn't 'click'.... will I know, and be able to walk away? lol.

First off...congrats!! I would definitely take Jackson to meet him.It is very important that they are a good fit. I brought home a sweet 9 month old Biewer this week and I worried about the same things as you did. I took Maggie with me and we spent 2 hours at the breeder's house making sure they liked each other and were compatible. I must say I am SOOO HAPPY with the new little girl in my home. Even my blind 14 yr old YT and my cat like her. Good luck!

[Reese1]

Originally Posted by Britster

So, I just sent her this:

Hi Eboni--thanks for letting me visit Marco--I really think he could be a good match for me and Jackson, and I could give him a really great home (exercise daily, dog parks, etc). In thinking about rehoming fees, I was originally looking at $250. Can we talk about the rehome fee, since that is the only thing holding me back? Or is it non negotiable? Thanks for answering.

Brittany

I guess the worst she can say is no, or counteroffer. Then I can debate more. I don't know! This dog just seems so perfect.



Thank you!

She told me she had one woman come to her and wanted a smaller dog. So, yes, teapots are definitely less wanted, sadly.

I hope you don't feel that I'm putting the teapots down! We have a 17lb Yorkie-Poo and love her to death!
I was just trying to play devils advocate on the issues!

I think contacting her vet for a reference is a good suggestion too!
Hopefully she will respond to your email about the price!

[margaritaville]

I hope this works out for you. As for her not asking you many questions-I'm sure she saw how well Jackson is cared for and know you would take good care of Marco as well.

[xoxJuliexox]

$400 is a fair price expecially if he is neutered, if you fell in love with him, then don't let him go, you don't want to regret it in the long run. You seem like a sweet girl and could give this pup a lot of love, go for it! Btw my baby turns on Aug 15! so close together!

[Vinniedoggy]

I would proceed cautiously. My older Yorkie, Vinnie, has been known to be somewhat dog aggressive/dominant/territorial. When I decided to adopt a second Yorkie, I worked with a rescue group in our area (Rescue Me Yorkie Rescue), as I am a big fan of adopting dogs that are really in need of homes. The people who run the rescue were awesome. I told them about Vinnie, his history, and what we were looking for with regard to a new dog. We did a "meet and greet" on neutral turf before finalizing the adoption, just to make sure it would all work out. Definitely check them out.

Another thing to consider is cost. Two dogs equals twice the cost. I don't know what your financial situation is, but it is just something to consider. I really made sure I was financially ready to provide care to 2 yorkies before proceeding with getting the second.

[Ringo1]

Wow. I missed a lot today! I don't envy you your decision ~ sounds like a tough one. Does Jackson usually hang back when he meets a new friend? Or does he usually start playing right away?

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Britster

I'm psyching myself out, I always do this. I get all excited, thinking I'm absolutely doing the right thing, and then I have doubts. I just don't know. Maybe I'm not ready for a second dog.

Brit, you and I are exactly the same. We get all excited about something, over analyze it, and then chicken out. The exact same thing happened to me when I got Kaji. I had already paid for him, his plane ticket was paid for, and all he needed was to actually get his tail over here. I totally panicked the night before I was suppose to pick him up. Can I really do this? Am I crazy? Have I lost my marbles? I wasn't financially stable at all, just extremely lonely. I went straight into mommy mode when Kaji arrived. Two weeks after he settled in and was neutered, I freaked out again! I couldn't help it.

I hope you find out what you want soon.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

Brit, you and I are exactly the same. We get all excited about something, over analyze it, and then chicken out. The exact same thing happened to me when I got Kaji. I had already paid for him, his plane ticket was paid for, and all he needed was to actually get his tail over here. I totally panicked the night before I was suppose to pick him up. Can I really do this? Am I crazy? Have I lost my marbles? I wasn't financially stable at all, just extremely lonely. I went straight into mommy mode when Kaji arrived. Two weeks after he settled in and was neutered, I freaked out again! I couldn't help it.

I hope you find out what you want soon.

LOL, I'm soooo glad I'm not alone! I don't remember over analyzing THIS much w/ Jackson. haha.

Maybe if I'm THIS apprehensive, I'm trying to tell myself I'm not ready, financially or emotionally.

Oh, and this chick is not budging from her $400. So I guess I just have to decide.

Originally Posted by Reese1

I hope you don't feel that I'm putting the teapots down! We have a 17lb Yorkie-Poo and love her to death!
I was just trying to play devils advocate on the issues!

I think contacting her vet for a reference is a good suggestion too!
Hopefully she will respond to your email about the price!

Oh, no! I didn't take it like that at all

Originally Posted by Ringo1

Wow. I missed a lot today! I don't envy you your decision ~ sounds like a tough one. Does Jackson usually hang back when he meets a new friend? Or does he usually start playing right away?

Ehh, it depends. Since he was on a short leash, in an unknown yard, that's pretty normal. He's so used to meeting new dogs (from me dogsitting), I think it's just not a big deal to him. He probably thought we were just going to walk him, lol. So that reaction is fairly normal.

[PenniesMom]

Brit I think your over thinking this to much I can tell by your post that you really want this dog GO GET HIM! your going to kick yourself in the butt if you dont. If I HAD to rehome my babies ide charge ALOT. Maybe she didnt ask you questions because she was nervous. I really think that since you are already attached and Jackson seems to like him you should go for it. !!
and i'll toss in some J names to spur you along
Jasper
Jamie
Joesph
Jacob
Jimmy
James
Justin
I took Penny along when I went to pick up Sienna and she was like...WTF mom they had Sienna and her brother there together and Penny ignored them for awhile then Sienna came up and nosed Penny and that was it that was Penny's baby she wanted NOTHING to do with the male puppy but started herding Sienna around at one point Sienna wondered off and Penny brought her back giving me this look like gee mom can you keep a better eye on MY sister please I dont want her to get hurt. So sometimes it takes a little bit but Sienna has been with us 2 months now and they LOVE each other and Penny is so much happier with a friend. You know what the best part of having more then one is. When they bound over to welcome you home you get that TIMES TWO!

[furbutt]

Go for it Its a good deal and the dog is a perfect fit. xxx

[lil louis]

I know it's a hard decision to make. I would love to get another yorkie, but I am afraid it will change the bond that Louis and I have. You do so good with Jackson, I am sure that you will be great with two. Plus, Jackson is so smart, he could probably teach the new guy a thing or two. Good luck in whatever decision you make.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by CouversMom

Brit, go with your gut... I know the feelings you are having. When I was searching for a second, I doubted myself and wondered if I would upset Couver... Even though he is great at the dog park with all types of dogs, but wondered if he really would be okay with a sister.

Adding Khloe was the best decision. Couver is completely infatuated with her and I couldn't be happier with my decision.


My only concern with you is are you financially capable of adding a second? What about if you get home and he has a huge health problem?

I know you are a smart girl, but just make sure you are 100% ready for a second... Just know that more puppies will come along!

If she isn't willing to go down on her rehoming fee, I say walk away.

Good luck in your decision!

I loved your post! You are totally absolutely right.
I've thought about so much all day and night. I've taken everyone's ideas into consideration. I've put my heart aside for a minute, and decided to use my brain.

After e-mailing her, she is not budging from the price. She claims she paid $600 for him, and is giving me a great deal by asking $400.

I do not feel good about the situation looking in hindsight. I remember her saying something like her uncle was the breeder, or something. Which strikes me as odd that she's so quick to sell a dog... but she was telling me little details about him in the house, etc and little things he does. She had photos of him in the blizzard earlier this year. He truly seems like a happy dog so he couldn't have that bad of a life.

But I almost get the feeling she is almost on the scale of BYBish. She told me her house was a total wreck from construction so we never even went her house, and I was like "well, can we just go in the backyard and let them off leash, I see it's fenced in?" and she was quick to say there was big dogs on the other side of fence that were mean, and again construction was going on. She said she had 3 kids and a husband but she was there by herself with a broken down old car. Mind you, this is not in the greatest little city. It's called Bowie, MD and it's become pretty run down in the past ten-15 years. The neighborhood was a little... 'trashy' if I can say that without sound judgmental.

I guess I already feel guilty enough for contributing $550 of my hard earned money to purchase Jackson from a BYB before I knew better, and I'd like to learn from my mistake and not make the same one twice. Of course I would never trade Jackson for the world.

Bottom line is I LOVE the dog. I really do. I wish I could take him. But I am starting to not feel right about the situation.

I'm thinking if I'm this apprehensive, maybe it wasn't meant to be.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by lil louis

I know it's a hard decision to make. I would love to get another yorkie, but I am afraid it will change the bond that Louis and I have. You do so good with Jackson, I am sure that you will be great with two. Plus, Jackson is so smart, he could probably teach the new guy a thing or two. Good luck in whatever decision you make.

Ya know, I think that may be scaring the most.

This morning, for example, I have nothing to do today until 1pm so I slept in... Jackson slept in with me until 10:20am. I had let him out at midnight last night. It's so nice having a dog that will just sleep in with you 'til whenever, and I started thinking if I had brought a second dog home last night, it definitely would not be like that anymore. When we sleep at my dads house with their dogs, he's ready and up at 7am. I know that's a little different, because those dogs wake up early so he hears them, etc. I'm sure I could condition another dog to sleep when I sleep, etc (Jackson wasn't always like this!) but I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

I guess I have to keep telling myself that maybe this just means there is another dog out there who's even more awesome waiting for me.

[Reese1]

It sounds to me like your gut is really speaking to you, sometimes it's really hard to get our hearts to listen to that!
You may never regret it if you got him, but wouldn't it be great to feel really good about it from the beginning?

She said her uncle is the breeder. Did you get the feeling like she might be brokering his puppies or older dogs for him?

[yorkie_mama22]

Originally Posted by Britster

Ya know, I think that may be scaring the most.

This morning, for example, I have nothing to do today until 1pm so I slept in... Jackson slept in with me until 10:20am. I had let him out at midnight last night. It's so nice having a dog that will just sleep in with you 'til whenever, and I started thinking if I had brought a second dog home last night, it definitely would not be like that anymore. When we sleep at my dads house with their dogs, he's ready and up at 7am. I know that's a little different, because those dogs wake up early so he hears them, etc. I'm sure I could condition another dog to sleep when I sleep, etc (Jackson wasn't always like this!) but I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

I guess I have to keep telling myself that maybe this just means there is another dog out there who's even more awesome waiting for me.

Maybe it's not so much the dog isn't right but maybe this time in your life isn't right for a second dog? I'm not trying to be mean or anything but if I didn't have my own place theres no way in heck I could have two dogs. It sounds like you go to your dads house often and he already has two dogs. that's 4 dogs in the house. Maybe he won't really like having two dogs coming over to his house. I know my mom won't let me bring all 3 of my dogs over. She will babysit my two little ones but no way will she watch my 3rd dog because she already has a big dog.

I think you should just enjoy Jackson and when you have your own place get a second dog. It's so hard being under someone elses roof, I just don't see getting a second dog a good idea. I know it's so tempting being on YT! Everyone is getting a second, third, or 4th dog. I know at times I want to get another yorkie but then I think and say that is just crazy for ME! lol I think some people go overboard. I've been hearing alot lately about "animal hoarding" and I think I have enough pets already. lol