how many dogs it too many?

[mopinko]

right now i have 3 rat terriers. i also had a boxer, up until a year ago. so, for a year, i had 4 dogs. i try to never have only one dog. it was not a big deal to me to have 4, but then the boxer was more like a person. and she was old, so she wasn't getting in trouble, or acting like a nut.
i love my little girls, but i feel naked without a big dog. i would dearly love to have another boxer.
i have a big yard by city standards, although by most standards it is not that much. vet bills, etc are not really too much of a problem. got a big family, and a big house. lots of love, lots of room.
but, there is no way i have the time for a pup right now. if an adult boxer came along, there is no way i could say no. (my vet knows this, i know i will get a call one of these days.)
i wouldn't mind rescuing one. but i have a real, real sour taste in my mouth about rescue. i tried to rescue a terrier when i got #2 and #3, and man, there are some nuts out there.
so, am i crazy? how many is too many?

[bvar22]

1. How many dogs is too many?

Two more than almost enough!

[Longhorn]

2. I have four dogs

but we also have 1.5 acres, though not all of it is fenced for the dogs. Our recent "pack" problems are due to intermittent visits from our daughter's dog. I believe we could integrate another dog into the mix if we wanted to without too much trouble, though so much depends on how well they get along.

Of course, we also have four kids so what do we know? ;)

[mopinko]

3. i have 5 kids, so...

one is grown and gone, but, yeah, what do i know.

[Longhorn]

4. Didn't you get tired of those comments:

"Haven't you figured out where babies come from?" etc?

The fact that we had twins might have been a good defense if we hadn't chosen to have one more after the twins! ;)

[mopinko]

5. seems like mostly

people are so aghast that they don't know what to say. just kinda shake their heads at me.

[hobbit709]

6. We live

in Austin and we have eight dogs. Never get into rescue. Once they come into our house, they never leave. But they're our kids and we love them all, including the fox terror.

[ernstbass]

7. I have 4 large dogs

(all rescues) and 1/2 acre fenced in yard, but they stay inside most of the time. I could handle 2 more but the vet bills and food are cost prohibitive. Have you considered going to the local dog pound and rescuing a good old mutt?

[mopinko]

8. have had a lot of mutts.

and loved them all. but i love boxers. i'd take a boxer mix, tho, as long as it had the boxer personality. will probably adopt an older dog. a couple of the techs at my vet do rescue. the only problem i have with rescue is dealing with the nutcases that you bump into so often. i swear you can adopt a brown child easier.

[luzdeluna]

9. not all rescues are equal

There aren't any regulations or rules in rescue so you have to do lots of research on who you are adopting from.

I think it's a good idea to contact a few reputable breeders in your area and explain the problems you want to avoid and ask if they can refer you to a rescue. Maybe that will help. I hope.

ldl

[mopinko]

10. i went through all that a while ago.

i wanted a terrier, and contacted a lot of them. ALL the ones i talked to were wacked, imo. i understand how they feel, and would probably end up the same way if i had to deal with what they have to deal with. after all, they also have to deal with the people they are getting these dogs FROM.
but too many of them are just not in the real world. i had people who acted like i was trying to buy a child prostitute because i wanted a mouser.
there is a boxer rescue about an hour away from here. they insist that you bring every member of your family, human and canine, to meet the dogs. sorry. too crazy. i get it. it is just not worth it.
i guess i am still po'ed that i went through the whole, come to your house, check you out thing with a terrier group, and then never heard another word from them. not even a sorry, we would rather give them the needle than give them to people like you.
whatever.
either my vet will find me one, or i will break down and get a pup. i just can't do that right now.
can't resist them, tho.

[ernstbass]

11. Yep - alot of those rescue people are nuts

that's why I go to the local pound to get a good mutt (or purebred)

[mopinko]

12. i actually even ran into that at a suburban pound.

the city pound is a pretty long drive from here. they list the dogs on petfinders, but they will not tell you anything about the dogs over the phome or in e-mail. if i had the kind of time that it takes to find the dog i want there, i would just get a pup.

i know a dog that needs me will find me, tho. it is the best way.

[Willy Lee]

13. Try rescue again...

I know there are some wingnuts out there- they can be found in any group of people. If not Boxer rescue, let your local shelters know what you are looking for. Try petfinder.

I myself did mastiff rescue for a few years as welll as volunteer work at the humane society. Our "throwaway" attitude with out pets is nauseating. I don't think I could ever buy a puppy with all of those homeless fellows out there, staring up at each passerby with hope in their eyes.

That said, I think 4 dogs- with 3 being lil guys- is manageable.

Good luck!

[mopinko]

14. if i get a pup

it will likely be from a guy i know that raises them for security work. so he always has a few 'wash outs' that are just too sweet for the job. so, at least it is not some puppy mill. people also know him, and let him know when a boxer is in trouble.

really, the chicago pound is no help. they are just overwhelmed. and i really didn't have much luck with the dogs i tried to track down through petfinders, either.
but i can stop at the evanston pound, and see if they can be on the lookout. they are a little more focused on placement.

it is just sad- who knows me better than my vet? he gave me a glowing recommendation. he would give me a dog in a heartbeat. but i got SSSOOOO much grief. just too stupid.

[LibertyLover]

15. When you can't remember all their names

My husband and I have 5, all adopted. 2 greys, 2 whippets and a Siberian Husky. I actually am happy with 5, and we cannot have any more because of county regulations, so that's a good thing. But sometimes I get the whippets' names confused and sometimes we can't remember how many dogs are out in the yard and how many are up in our bedroom destroying the quilt. So, I think once nature reduces our brood to 4, we'll keep it at 4.

[InvisibleTouch]

16. There's no arbitrary cut-off number.

"Too many" is the number that you can't provide for, physically and emotionally. For some people, that's 2. For some, it's 20. Depends entirely on your circumstances.

[Rhiannon12866]

17. It's up to you and what you can handle

I have two. I lost my beloved cocker, Barney, two years ago, and thought that my other cocker, Sheena, missed him, so I adopted a tiny Brussels Griffon, Meneken. She was wonderful with him, and they bonded immediately, but I, unfortunately, also lost her six months later, despite fighting the good fight.

So I finally adopted my Sara, as another "sister" for him. He needed another leader, and she is a very sweet dog, who tolerates him, and is also from rescue. I am sorry if you've had a bad experience with adopting dogs from rescue. I haven't, and all my pets have come from rescue. They just seem to have found me, and I couldn't have found better pets.

My friend had three dogs, but lost her beloved beagle. She said that two dogs were much easier, no matter how much she missed the one she lost, but she is on the board of our local SPCA shelter, and fell for a tiny miniature poodle from a very bad rescue situation, so she again has three dogs. And three cats. It's worked out fine for her. It just depends on what you can handle and if they can get along. It sounds like this can work for you. Good luck and Godspeed!:D