I think my boy needs a girlfriend, good idea?

by Kristi
(Canada)

Hi there,
about 9 months ago I rescued a 5 month old male Rottie from a home where he was living in a small garage all day and an even smaller crate all night, he had never been socialized with any other people or animals aside from the woman he lived with and the other dog they owned which was a large golden lab.

Upon first look at him I almost left as he was snarly and very aggressive toward me but as soon as the woman informed me how she'd been caring for him I knew I had no choice but to take him, anger or not. When I first brought him home he was a mixture of nervous aggression and very hyper. Within 2 hours of bringing him home he became attached to my hip and as soon as I'm home from work that's where he can be found to this day.

He is now very social and tries to be a guard dog by barking when people come to the door but as soon as it opens he's all wiggles and love. He does well with my friends two Australian shepherd girls when I take them all out to play. My question is I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to bring a female rottie into our home?

Our local spca has a 1-3 yr old girl who needs a home and I think they could enjoy days in our large yard together and afternoons/evenings with me and my family. Is this a good idea? My boy is kind of protective of me and I'm wondering if bringing in a girl who is about his age or older is a good plan?

I would really appreciate some input thank you so much!









Hi Kristi
This is a difficult one to answer as so much depends upon the temperament of the individual dogs! You know your boy best, so even with input from others you probably will be in the best position to figure out whether or not you think this will work.

On the positive side...

• Your boy would have a companion and playmate when you're not home.


• It's a female dog, and normally two dogs of the opposite sex will get along fairly well.


• You would be giving another Rottie a chance at a loving home, with people who know and understand the breed

• With rescues, there is often a lot of unknowns in their background and it's hard to predict how they may react to a new situation


• Your boy could get jealous as he is very attached to you, and it may cause him to regress a bit in behavior


• Two dogs is more than twice the work of one!