How do you know two dogs will be friends?

Long story short, my 10-year-old Corgi was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and is scheduled to be put down on Thursday. Thanks in advance for any condolences.

Prior to this decision, we were deciding on whether or not to get our other dog, Browser, a companion. Callie, the Corgi, and Browser have never been friends. They've never been enemies, but they don't really play together. Browser spent the summer with my partner's family, being best playmates with one of their dogs and I can definitely tell she misses her buddy.

We're going to the shelter this weekend, like we had intended before scheduling Callie's appointment, and there are a few dogs there that have caught our attention. Our plan is to meet the dogs on Friday, and then bring Browser back to meet the dogs we liked on Saturday.

But, my experience with matching up two shelters dogs is limited. Is there a way to tell that they'll be friends/playmates, as opposed to just tolerating each other (which I already know how to determine)?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

For the record, the dogs we've chosen to meet are a Cairn Terrir mix, a Bichon Frise/Poodle Mix, and two Daschund/Terrier mixes, all of them at least 2 years old and all of them heartworm positive (which we already decided we are more than willing to take on and treat).

And is it a good idea to do two meetings, one with Browser and one without? My partner thinks maybe if we see the dog a second time, they'll remember us and be a little calmer?

Personally, I know I'm going to fall in love with one of these dogs and won't want to leave them in the shelter another second.

2013-08-27T12:07:17Z

Our interest in going to this shelter to pick our a dog is because they're a high-kill shelter and all of these dogs are heartworm positive and older, putting them more in danger than other dogs in the shelter or at a rescue.

And our plan was to go meet these dogs anyway, before Callie's situation turned more serious. We were going to have 3 dogs temporarily until Callie was ready to go, but those dogs still need us and my heart is big enough for a hundred dogs. Pouring myself into another dog to train and love and in some cases rehabilitate also helps me grieve.

?2013-08-27T12:02:15Z

Favorite Answer

Hi,

Too bad for your Callie. I hope everything's going to be OK, with the two of you and hopefully she doesn't suffer too much.

It seems great that you're going to get a play mate for your other dog, but are you sure you don't want to wait a little longer? If Callie's going to be put to sleep on Thursday, are you sure you're going to be able to get another dog in 2 days?

That plan seems pretty good (the plan to do 2 meetings). That way, you can see how the shelter dogs react with you and your partner, and with Browser.

If you really want to make sure that Browser and the other dog get along, how about you adopt from a rescue instead of a shelter? You'd still be saving a dog, the only difference is that the rescue dog has been living in a foster family, and that family can tell you all about the dog and how it interacts with other dogs. That might be a better idea than going to the shelter.

Good luck! Hope I helped.