Everything is harder with three dogs

 

Jackie. There is picture is not bigger because I love her more

 We have two dogs. Jackie and Duke. A nine year old 80lb yellow lab and a seven year old 75lb black lab. We love them like children. And we fight over them like step-children.

Duke

Jake and I have talked many times about adding a third dog to the mix. We even went as far as taking our dogs to meet a potential third dog at the humane society last Spring. He was a beautiful and sweet two year old Great Dane, the type of dog both Jake and I have wanted to own since before we knew each other. We had agreed to build a taller fence and make the other appropriate changes to our lives to accommodate the beautiful beast. We'd even picked out a name. However, when we introduced our labs, Duke, my husband's thick headed, fully intact, alfa-male of the world 75lb black lab felt intimidated by the sheer size of the timid Dane and tried to pick a fight. We believe that they could have worked out their differences, but the worker who was "viewing the interaction" was not impressed and wouldn't give them a second chance. There were other things counted against us as well...we drove up with the dogs in the back of a pick-up truck, for one. They were tied in properly (able to move around and lay down but not on a long enough lead to jump over the side of the truck and hang themselves) but crazy animal people don't like pick ups. Also, Duke's aforementioned intact state was a big no-no in her book.

He looked like this.

Anyways, we haven't ever gotten a third dog. Which, as it turns out, is a good thing.

This week we are watching my parents' Labrador Georgia. She's a very sweet and very gentle three year old 40lb black lab. She gets along great with our dogs and our cat. We've watched her for a weekend here and there over the years and it's never really a huge problem. Duke has the hots for her, but we've been able to diffuse the situation. Except that she is so much younger and in need of way more exercise than our dogs, I wouldn't mind owning her. She's sweat as can be and would be a great dog for someone with lots of time to devote to her. But shhh, don't tell my parents. Life is considerably harder with three dogs.

Isn't she pretty?

It is said that three dogs makes a pack. This is likely true, but isn't an issue with these three dogs. Duke likes to be in charge, and Jackie and Georgia don't really care. Also, Georgia leaves Jackie, who is old and a little grouchy, alone for the most part. The three of them worked out whatever pack order they needed and have stuck with it since. No, the pack syndrome isn't the issue for us. Everything is just...more.

Usually our two dogs fit quite nicely on one large sized dog bed at night. No issues. No pacing. No whining. Simple math would lead one to believe that three dogs and two dog beds would also work. But no. Three dogs and two dog beds equals one insecure lab pacing around the bed all night. *sigh* So now the whole floor in our bedroom is covered in dog beds.

Then there is the fact that I don't have three arms. That means that someone has to wait for a treat. Someone gets antsy waiting for my to put their dinner down. Someone has to wait for me to throw their ball. Someone has to wait...all the time. It's not a big deal. It's really not even much of an inconvenience. It's just annoying. It's probably more annoying to me than it is to the dogs.

In any case, we're reminded once again why we'll wait to get another dog. three is just too many.


I say that now...but who knows who might fall into our lap. ;)