What are some good reasons to get a second dog?

I would recommend saying that you will pay for a lot of it, and be specific. In my house, kids pay for toys, treats, beds, and brushes for their pets, and my parents pay for food and vet bills. If you can afford it, it sounds really appealing to the parent. Saying that you have or will get a job (you'd be surprised at what you can do) will help.

Another thing is that your German Shepherd Dog is really friendly towards other dogs, and you'll take care of any issues.

And of course, you'll be training the dog basic manners, right? There are a lot of helpful books in the library on how to do this if you need help.

Basically, I think you want to focus more on what will happen after you get the dog, not why you should get it, although that is important. Ask your mom what worries her and fight it with all your might. Good luck!

Great that you want to adopt another dog :-)

Maybe you could take a picture of the dog you want from the shelter and show it to her, he'll be really cute and hopefully she'll fall in love and say you can get him :-)

Another idea (I don't know if you have it where you live - we have it here in Israel), people adopt abused dogs until they can find a permanent loving home for them. Its just a temporary arrangement, since it is better for these dogs if they are in a loving house (after they have been abused by monsters), rather than sending them to a shelter (where they will be even more scared). Then every weekend, there's an adoption day, where you take the dogs to see if someone will adopt them. If not, they come back home with you until the following week, and so forth. So maybe if you did that, your mom would fall in love with the dog and agree that you keep him.

My sister found 2 tiny kittens thrown in a cardboard box a while ago and asked my dad if she could keep them. They already have 2 cats. So he said she could keep them temporarily but she needs to take them to the adoption day on the weekend (because he thought 4 cats would be too much). Anyway, needless to say, he also fell in love with them, and my sister never even made it to the adoption day... they were adopted by her and my dad!

So if you have that kind of thing in your area, I think thats the best bet... your mom will fall in love with the adorable dog... and he will remain yours forever :-)

I wish you the best of luck!

Think hard about the benefits of having a second dog and write it all down. Then, think about what your mom could say to go against it, and then think of what could be done to solve those points. For example, your mom could say that having a second dog could equal double the trouble- BUT! If you get a dog who is a month or two younger than your current dog, and your current dog is very obedient and balanced, the younger dog will follow your older dog's lead and not be troublesome. This depends on the younger dog's personality though, so be aware of that. Also, try to listen to your mom's arguments and take them to heart. Remember that your age is a huge impact on the dogs' and your mom's life! If you're in your teens, your mom's going to be left with two dogs when you're in college, and when you move, you'll need to bring those two dogs with you to the new place, and some places require fees to have dogs (literally $300+ nonrefundable for just ONE dog, and sometimes even $30+ fees EVERY month on top of that!). Flea and tick medicine spending will be doubles, vet check-ups will cost more, even if they offer discounts on a second dog, and treats and food will be consumed faster. Also, consider walking two dogs at once yourself; personally, I use two hands to walk my dog: the end of the leash in my right hand, and the middle of the leash in my left. This is for when I want my dog close to me when people and stranger dogs pass by, or before crossing the street in the neighborhood; with two dogs, you will have NO control if anything happens, and dogs can run in different directions or trip you. Consider whether your dog is good enough on the leash for you to be able to handle two of that. Think hard WHY you feel the need to have a second dog and decide if it outweighs any arguments your mom has about it. Thinking your dog needs a friend isn't an excuse because he has you, by the way. You can take him to the park, or attend training class, or meet neighborhood dogs if you want him to socialize.

I convinced my mum to let me get a puppy just a week ago and we're bringing him home in two months, so it can be done!

I told her that since I make my own money I'd pay for it's food, toys, collar & leash etc.

I've always been the one to train the dogs anyway so of course I'd be the one to train the new pup.

I've always been a responsible pet owner and actually follow through with what I say I'm going to do for my animals, so my parents trust me. It really depends on how you follow through on what you say.

one dog is work two is no more work.

company from another dog is good for Communication and social. they wont be as easily distracted by other dogs on walks to.

plus when you aren't there to comfort that other dog will be there.

getting it from a shelter is amazing and thank you for doing so. you're helping a dog someone didn't even want.

Another reason to get another dog would be so the other one has someone to play with which can also spare your furniture if your one dog is a chewer

I assume that you enjoy cleaning up feces and urine all over your house, yard, and neighbor's yard twice as much as a single dog owner.

Getting a 2nd dog would be a good reason to test your superior cleaning skills.

the number one reason is that you want to get it from a shelter. good for you.

and, although dogs are fine alone, a playmate is good for them.