Adding a second dog to your household can be a wonderful experience, although it’s not a decision that you can take lightly. Do you have enough time to give love to more than one dog equally? Does your financial situation allow for a second dog, and do you have time to do twice the work?

Here are some of the opinions I heard from (DOG)SPIRED authors and friends:

SB: “I think one dog per family is fine as long as the owner takes the dog to a dog park or makes play dates with other dogs on a regular basis. By having just one dog in the family, he can get all of your attention.”

KD: “The decision to get a second dog should come from the dog that is currently ruling the house. Two can be more fun than one, but not all dogs want or need a furry companion. The first dog should always be introduced to the second dog in a neutral space (like a park), and the guardian needs to be aware of the first dog’s body language. Is he saying, “Wow, this is great,” or is it more of a, “Mom and Dad, what are you doing to me?”

LC: “Foster care is a great way to try out two or more dogs together. Each dog is special to me. I make sure I spend equal time with both dogs and watch carefully for anything that could be a potential fight. Jealousy can be a major problem with two dogs, so if you’re not willing to put in the work, then you should not have another dog. I wish that all people would think about their dogs’ needs before just grabbing another cute puppy.”

LG: “When people think about owning multiple dogs, they might want to consider the environmental impact (dogs aren’t vegetarian, so dog food manufacture plays into factory farming, which harms animals and the environment). I know I would have thought twice about getting a dog if I had considered this issue.”

JR: “I feel that if someone wants to adopt another dog it is very important to think about finances and whether or not, if the case presented itself, you could pay for the needs of both dogs. All too often people get a dog for many reasons, but perhaps do not realize it was going to cost more to have two dogs than one.”

SS: “I have never had more than one dog at a time and I find that it is perfectly fine. My dog and I are close companions, and he gets all of the attention that I have time to give. Of course, it’s tragic when your dog grows old and dies. A second dog never completely replaces the one that was lost, even if it is some years later.”

SG: “What are your current dog’s bad habits? How bad would it be if there were two dogs with the same bad habits? If it’s pretty bad, get your one dog some training before adding a second dog. How much time do you have to spend with your dogs? Although a second dog would be a companion for the first, two dogs will still need exercise. Does your dog enjoy playing with other dogs, or does he/she prefer to spend time with people? If the latter is your answer, then a second dog may be annoying to your current dog.-And are you prepared for two vet bills?”

RP: “I have one dog. She is attached to my hip. Honestly, I think we might both be too obsessed with one another to allow anyone else into our circle.”

KP: “My dogs, similar in age, are attached to each other. Having each other to play with and keep each other company is beneficial for both of them. I’m a big believer in Cesar Milan’s teachings about the pack structure and how humans need to be the pack leader. I trained my dogs to understand that I control the food, treats, and toys so there is no fighting that can cause power struggles between them. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter what the breed or size is of the dog or dogs you take into your home. If you decide to have a multi-dog home, you need to take the time to exercise them daily, train them, and socialize the dogs. Having more than one dog, you have to ask yourself if you can walk two or three big dogs at once, and if you have the time to train multiple dogs.

JJ: “I’m delighted to have two dogs. Both of my dogs are rescues with no prior history together. My favorite time is sitting on the sofa with one dog on each side, watching a nice fire. Even though they are different ages (6 and 15), they play together every day and are company for each other when I’m not around. They look for each other in the morning when they wake, and they want to sleep close to each other most nights. The down side is that having two dogs is really like having three dogs because of the close relationships they form with me and each other.”

RB: “It’s not uncommon for a slightly depressed older dog to regain some of his original spunk and vitality when a younger dog comes into the household. If your current dog is shy or fearful around people or other dogs, getting a second dog may help to socialize him. If your first dog is getting up in years, adding a second dog can be a source of comfort when your first dog eventually passes away. Although nothing except time really alleviates the pain of this sad experience, a second dog can make the house seem less empty.”

TK: “I think it’s worth it to have a multi-dog household because the dogs are never alone. They always have each other for company. Therefore, there is less separation anxiety. The down side is that they can pick up each other’s bad habits. “

MP: “The benefits to having dogs several years apart can be a financial plus. This way, you can spread the costs of each dog. It is also important to consider the implications of caring for two elderly dogs at the same time. Getting dogs that are several years apart will avoid having two older dogs at the same time.”

Thanks to everyone for all of your comments!

What’s my own opinion? I had two dogs when I moved from Los Angeles to Seattle. We were like a team. I didn’t know anyone here at the time, but I never felt alone because of my dogs. The dogs died within two years of each other. Now I have just one dog. When I rescued her, she was starved for affection, and is now so attached to me that it’s sometimes worrisome. I often consider getting another dog because I think she would be better off spreading around her affection. However, I do consider the time and cost, so I delay my decision, still thinking about the two-dog question. What’s your opinion?

To add your opinion about whether or not to have two or more dogs in your household, take a vote in our poll.

Surprisingly, yesterday’s Wall Street Journal dedicated a slice of its weekly Health section to the use of aromatherapy in pets. Though it could have elected a less cheeky tone, the author of "A Scent to De-Stress Pets" actually did the topic some justice, citing literature instead of pointing to the potential silliness of a subject that, on the surface, sounds as if it would treat doggie spa issues more directly than it would pet health itself.

As most of us here already know, olfaction is a far more significant sensory experience for cats and dogs than for any human. Their expanded range and heightened acuity is considered an evolutionary adaptation that somehow skirted humanity’s DNA.

As a result, olfactory medicine, well-known more for the softball-lobbing non-science of “aromatherapy” in humans, is deemed a perfectly reasonable area of hardcore study when it comes to cats and dogs.

Every year we amass more information on the subject, learning what triggers pets’ excitement, relaxation, appetite, etc. Some of this data emerges (or is held privately) via the pet food industry and some from the ivory-towered landscape of academia. But lately, it’s mostly been coming from across the pond through the work of a French company (Ceva) dedicated to the use of pheromones to calm pets and/or aid in their training.

This is what the WSJ article mostly treats. Savvily, it interviews veterinary behaviorists and harps on some products’ lack of science to support their claims. Ceva’s D.A.P. (dog appeasing pheromone) and Feliway, however, received high marks for the well-run, peer reviewed science that underlies their efficacy.

For my part, I’ll echo the behaviorists’ sentiments. D.A.P. and Feliway work. Sourced from the sebaceous glands surrounding the mammary glands and the chin, respectively, these pheromones can effectively relax dogs during training (making training sessions more effective) and chill cats out during travel, after a move, etc. But it doesn’t work for all pets. Not all the time.

Still, I didn’t appreciate the put-down of products like lavender and other unproven therapies that fall into the do-no-harm category. If your dog wears an herbal-pillowed collar or you diffuse lavender oil in your household in an attempt to calm your pets, no harm done. Safety here is presupposed.

Sure, we shouldn’t expect every aroma on the market to have the same effect on pets. And marketers shouldn’t mislabel products as proven effective if they’ve not been. Moreover, as veterinarians, we have a duty to point out what the research indicates.

But just because no one’s gone out of their way to prove the efficacy of X random aroma as a calming agent that doesn’t mean it’s not helpful, either. Try it, I say, offering standard warnings about the direct, topical use of essential oils (verbotten).

Pheromones are always best as a first try to aid in behavior modification and/or as an adjunct to drug therapy. But when they fail, why not keep searching for additional calming approaches via unproven aromatherapies? After all, petting hasn’t been proven to work as an effective relaxation method. But we all know it’s safe and effective anyway.