Meet and Greet - Ozzie and Roxy

We had our second meeting last night with Roxy and her owners. It was still sweltering at 7:30 last night which did not go over big with the Oz. We met again at a local park which seemed like a nice setting and a neutral territory. The two dogs did there obligatory sniffing of one another and than Ozzie just sat there like as if to say, " I'm good, lets go home!" Roxy is an energetic pup the polar opposite of the Oz. Her owner Dave said that he walks her three times a day. Yikes we barely walk Ozzie three times a month! Will came with us to give his opinion, and no, Roxy did not feel the need to attack him. We left the park saying we would get in touch with them and let them know if we would do a meeting at our house.
When we arrived home there was an informal meeting in our kitchen with my husband, Will and my father. They all seem to come up with a laundry list of why we shouldn't take on another dog while I weakly could only come up with a couple of reasons why we should have her. Their main concern is that Ozzie seems to care little about her or any other dogs for the most part. That he would be more content as the lone dog in the house. Of course the care issues and the extra work and double the vet bills etc. I was looking to give Ozzie some canine companionship and motivation to play. I guess being out numbered on this would make it a less than popular decision if I decided to go ahead and adopt Roxy. My only alternative is to let Roxy's family know today that they should go to one of the bulldog rescues and have them find her a suitable forever home.
I guess Ozzie seems content as an only child. Especially as I observe him snoring peacefully away enjoying his undisturbed morning nap! Sigh!

Finally Friday and Room for One More?

Roxy

As I type away I am listening to the sounds of Ozzie contently snoring. His breakfast and morning pottie behind him he is drifting off into his morning nap. I am not sure if the new medication has kicked in but there has been no adverse side effects ...yet!

A situation has presented itself to me. When I was at the veterinarians the other day I was talking with vet technician Tara. She has a female bully of her own and loves Ozzie dearly! Tara told me about a bulldog who is up for "adoption". It's a patient of the animal hospital. Her name is Roxy and the owners want to give her up to a home that has another bulldog or to someone that is familiar with the breed. The reason they have to part with her is that she has developed an aggression to their 19 year old daughter. A very similar situation that has occurred with Ozzie and my son Will. By the way we seem to have conquered that for the time being. If Will announces himself coming through the door and gives Ozzie a treat he has no problem with him. I feel it all boils down to the entrance to the home. If startled or surprised by someone coming into their domain they get defensive. Just my amateur opinion. Any way they have a trust issue with the dog now and feel its best she lives somewhere else. Tara approached me and asked if I was interested. She would take her but her female is a bit of a bitch (pardon the pun) and 2 females rarely work out.

I presented this idea to my husband who naturally had his misgivings. Not only for double the expense and work but for Ozzie's sake. Would Ozzie welcome a another dog, would he be jealous? Ozzie grew up with 2 other dogs in his previous home but he has been top dog for two years now. Roxy they believe is just under 2 years old. She is currently in her second home and has two other dog companions. She is an active pup and likes to go for walks. Direct opposite of Ozzie who prefers power naping to exercise. Would this encourage Ozzie to be more active or just annoy him?! Dogs are social animals and live in packs. Would Roxy allow Ozzie to be top dog and take her place in rank second to Ozzie? If we don't take her they will go to a bulldog rescue to adopt her out. Sounds like this bully deserves her forever home now.

Tonight we are going to meet Roxy and her owner at the park ( a neutral territory) and see if the two bullies get along. I just don't know if this is good thing to do. Another big unknown looms in front of us! Then again adopting Ozzie was a big unknown and we took a leap of faith to add him to our lives and look at the result! Many folks have multiple dogs and it works out just fine! They have each other for company and are perfectly content. This could be a good thing for both dogs....maybe.
To be continued..............................