Really it all comes down to the 2 dogs and their personailties. In my experience 2 females means more a likelyhood to fight, HOWEVER, I have known many people with 2 females and they have never had a fight. So. Make certain you have a couple of nice walks with you and the other dog, then you, your dog and the other dog off your property so nobody gets territorial and that you have more than just a couple of visits. The more the dogs know each other off home base the better. Most trouble comes when we impatient humans go too fast. The canine world works slower and to get the best results take your time. Good luck and Kudos for rescuing!!

It does come down to their personalities. I have always had two females with no problems, but one time a friend came over and her female immediately tried to pin mine to the ground. It helps if you know if your dog is alpha or submissive, and can find out the same about the dog you're interested in. If she's been fostered, they should know. Then you just have to put them together and see what happens :)

Interesting question since I'm thinking of adopting too. Also interesting that you were approved but were too late. Happened to me too. The mutt I really wanted and put an application in the day after I saw him was adopted . There were five applications for him and it's first come first served. My volunteer was the problem in getting my references a week after I submitted so I lost out. I told the lady I got my dog from two years ago this and she got on my case about it. These rescue groups can be particular. She said it was okay when it worked out for me two years ago, but not now..I'm rethinking whether I want to deal with them. My friend got sick of the runaround and got a standard poodle from want ads.

lily, sorry you had such a bad experience. rescue organizations can be picky, i hear this often. but, keep in mind...they are often this way because many of the dogs they are trying to place have been in numerous homes before they came into rescue and they want to make darn sure when they place a dog, it's forever.

pam, 2 females can work out just fine. it's the initial "honeymoon" period when you have to be diligent about watching body language and interactions between them.

i have 2 female great danes from rescue. they are absolutely the best of friends, eat together, sleep together, play together and even share the couch. :)

as mazer suggests, having them meet a few times on neutral ground is the best way to set them up for success. good luck to you if you decide you can't live without the collie/shep mix.

here are my two girls. as you can see, they are literally joined at the hip. ;)

Thanks everyone .. Nina I always love to see your gorgeous dogs!

lily ... I was concerned I might not get approved by some of the rescue groups since I don't have a fenced "yard". I have a 20 acre farm, so my "yard" is a couple of acres. But I do have a fenced dog run ...

I've found some of the groups respond quickly, and some slowly. I realize they are volunteers, doing this because of their love of animals ... I figure if I'm too late, it wasn't meant to be.

I've been thinking, and my current female Lily, really gets along with every dog she meets ... I've never seen a negative reaction towards a dog from her ... but when Brownie was here, she wanted to be the dominant one, and he wanted to be the dominant one. There were no mean scuffles over it, but just not a settled peace .. if you know what I mean.

I'm scheduled to meet Casey this weekend ... his sad soul speaks to me.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16354804?rvp=1

And I've also told the same group that I'm interested in meeting Sadie too:

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16354729?rvp=1

We'll see how Lily reacts to both of them.

Nina..what gorgeous dogs.I love them....Pam..the groups around here would throw your application in the waste basket. You MUST have a fenced yard, some groups..no kids under 12, no first time pet owners,and other restrictions.Rescue groups DO good work but sometimes carry it a little far. The lady i got my dog from two years ago sent me a potential last night..a poodle/Bichon mix. Didn't "knock me out" but may check it out. What bothers me I have to fill out a huge application just to SEE the dog. I passed and qualify but it's a pain.

thank you, both. :)

pam, wow! you have quite a decision to make unless you figure on taking both of these dogs! :O sadie does look sweet but oh my, casey looks like an absolute love bug!

here's an interesting tidbit for you...when i applied to rescue, it took 2 months for them to get back to me and i had all but given up hope of ever finding a dane. however, when they called to set up my home visit (this, after filling out a 6 page application and having ALL of my references checked) and they told me they thought ashley would be a good fit and would bring her along, i was so excited but so nervous that i would not be approved because i had no fence.

lucky for me, it was steve who came out and spent a few hours with me. after only 15 minutes out here (i, too, live on 20 acres in the middle of nowhere), steve unhooked ashley's leash from her collar and the rest is history...

now, had it been tracey who came instead of steve, i would not have been approved. at a gathering last summer in st. louis, tracy flat out told me that had it been her decision, i would not have qualified because of my lack of fencing. ashley has been here for almost 2 years.

when i contacted them last summer to let them know i was ready for another dane, they didn't hesitate. i have only recently had an underground fence installed just across the front of my "end" of the farm. i'm almost ready to start doing some fostering.

sorry to get so windy but as you can see, sometimes it works out great, other times not so great. hang in there and i can't wait to hear about your meeting with casey!

So here's an update ... I won't be meeting Sadie ... she was in a foster with 3 other dogs and bit one of the dogs last nite. They don't know why, but she's now with a member who trains dogs, to see what she can do with her. She was just neutered and they think she had been licking at her incision during her transport from Ohio to NY ... it was irritated, so maybe she needs some peace and quiet.

Casey is supposed to come in this weekend, I'm going to make sure they have him for a couple of days and get more familiar with him before I take Lily to meet him. So we won't meet him until next week sometime.

And the Golden Retreiver group just called and set up a home visit for Monday ... when it rains it pours! LOL!

So we'll see what happens.

aww, poor sadie. she's going through a lot right now. hopefully, a trainer can help her through the rough spots.

how far away is casey? can you go ahead and see him this weekend and leave lily home? can you tell i'm pushing for casey? LOL

i've been doing home visits for the great dane rescue for the past couple of months. i usually take one of the dane girls with me. i like for people to be able to see just HOW big these dogs are so that they will be prepared. i remember how shocked i was at ashley's size when she walked into my living room, backed up, and plopped her butt on my sofa. :O

Sweet sad Casey stole my heart.

I know weed!

nina .. I spoke to the woman at the rescue, Casey will be coming in late Sunday, so I'm arranging a meeting after work on Tuesday or Wedsnesday. I would at least like them to have him for a few days to rule out any obvious issues.

The Golden Retreiver people are also bringing a dog with them I think she said. I'm not concerned about the size or hair of them.

Lily is 85 lbs, and has long hair. As soon as the weather gets a little warmer, it's been cold!, my friend (a vet tech) will come and shave her for the summer. She loved it when I did that last year. She loves to swim in the pond in the summer and her think undercoat took so long to dry when not clipped. She just looks so different, it's funny.

There are pictures in the attached album, can no longer post pictures from work ..

Here is a link that might be useful: My Pets

great pictures! lily looks so cute shaved!! are those mini donks? they're adorable.

is that cat **gasp** potty trained or just sitting on the toilet?? :O

can't wait to hear about your meetings and the home visit. :)

Nina .. yes my mini donkeys ... the only pets that are not rescue animals.

Not potty trained, just sitting on the toilet ... I'm not that good at training! LOL!

The people picking up Casey called as they were on their way to OH to get him. He was concerned that Lily, as a shepherd mix, was agressive or protective ... interesting that he has that view of shepherds .. but no, she just wants to play with any dog she meets.

And the usual questions about a fenced yard ... he really has no idea what Casey is like, so sounds like I won't meet Casey until later this week. It was his family pet that the other dog Sadie took a bite out of. I told him I was perfectly fine with meeting Casey later, and if Casey is not cat & dog friendly, I'm not interested in meeting him anyway. They don't know that yet.

And the Golden Retreiver group is now coming Tuesday ...

Who knows ... LOL!

Remember to introduce Casey to your female on *neutral ground* - someplace your dog doesn't normally go so that she won't feel so territorial about the spot right off the bat. Females can be a tad territorial (heck, any dog can for that matter if they love their home). We chose the drive-way, since they don't have free run of the front yard.

I started with one dog introduced to an entire kennel of dogs at the shelter I worked at. He chose a female for his companion (they were like MAGNETS in the dog-yard - and he picked the one dog there I NEVER would have).

Mocha picked Ginger at 6 months old (so was she). Instant magnets. She was the contrariest dog in the whole shelter - an utter pain to deal with. Loved other dogs but hated people. But it was his buddy right? So home she came. A year later, we added a 3 year old male (Rusty) who was also dumped at the shelter.

It truly hasn't been an issue. A few years ago (Mocha and Ginger were 3 or 4, and Rusty was almost 6), we added my dad-in-law and his little female (8 year old) to the household/pack.

Mocha is now 9, and I don't even like to think about how old Rusty and my DIL's little Gypsy is. But they all get along wonderfully. And Ginger has evolved out of her human-hating ways into a total "mamma's girl".

You can make this work. I can't wait to hear the outcome for you :) I could not be happier with my 4-dog pack (2 males and 2 females), but never ever planned on having more than 1.

Here is a key thing to remember, don't try to pick your pack's order. You can only establish yourself as the alpha, and then let them work the rest of it out. That is what a pack does. Don't worry so much about who is bossing who, just make sure they know that YOU are the top dog. All their cues will come from that.

Keep us posted!

Been a few days ... the rescue group who has Casey called Monday nite ... Casey is not 5 or 6, he's more like 10 or 11 ... and he's very laid back, and not really interested in playing with other dogs. At this point, he's not a good fit for me or Lily ... the guy said they think Casey's elderly owner died, and he's been mourning ... he tries to escape occasionally, and they think he's trying to get back home to his deceased owner ... makes me sad!!

The Golden Retreiver group came Tuesday nite, they certainly are thorough. 2 women came and spent 45 minutes talking to me and filling out forms. Lily was on her best behavior in the house, and quickly won them over. My big cat Bailey came down and crawled all over them .. he was a hit too.

So then we went outside and the one woman had her gorgeous Golden in the car ... she opened the door to let her dog out and Lily lunged at them barking like crazy. I forgot how excited she gets when she meets other dogs, she doesn't meet strange dogs very often, so it's not something we've ever worked on. The woman turned her dog right around and put her back in the car. Can't say I blame her, 85 lbs of Lily coming at you is a sight to see.

So then they left, and I said to Lily, "You blew it!" But she didn't, we got notified last night that our application was approved and would be forwarded on to the "Adoption Coordinator" for review. So on to the next step.

I was thinking about when I took her to meet Brownie at the SPCA ... and she was fine ... maybe because it was a totally different environment and there were all new smells to distract her?

So we'll see what happens next ...

if i understand correctly, she let her golden out at your house. even though it was outside, lily might have been exhibiting a little bit of "hey, this place is mine, who do you think you are??"

if lily is usually always friendly to other dogs when you are out and about, it probably won't take long for her to warm up to a companion.

keep us posted and congrats on passing inspection!

nina ... that's what the woman thought ... but I've seen Lily meet other dogs before (not many) and after that initial rush (excitement) to meet them, she just wants them to play with her.

It took her no time at all to warm up to Brownie, the dog I had to take back to the SPCA. In fact, she missed him after he left. The first day or so, she'd squeeze the squeaky toy, which used to make him come running ... and then look around for him.

But neutral territory would definitely be better for a successful meeting.

she'd squeeze the squeaky toy, which used to make him come running ... and then look around for him.

Awww...that is so sweet and sad :)

nina it will work out. The golden rescue likely understood just what I was talking about - it was lily's territory. Remember, I said females might be slightly more territorial about this.

My driveway is neutral because they never get to go "out front" -- just the back yard. So the drive-way is neutral ground for my pack.

For you, Lily had other ideas. But even if she never goes there often, she is still a female -- and again -- they have their own mind about this sort of thing (think "mamma mode" -- they protect their young on a wider berth -- they have to in the wild).

I still can't wait to see what you get!

I need all of you to keep your fingers crossed for me ... think good thoughts about Elmer joining my family.

I applied to adopt him yesterday afternoon, that was the 1st day he appeared on PetFinder. I received an email acknowledging my application, and they did not say he was already adopted, so maybe he's the one for us!!!

I'm going to walk over to this shelter at lunch, it's very close to my office.

Here is a link that might be useful: Meet Elmer

awwww!!! fingers, toes, eyes and paws crossed for you and elmer and lily to be together!! update as soon as you can. he looks SO sweet!

Now I'm angry!

I went to meet Elmer at lunch ... he was in the lobby with a volunteer who was about to take him for a walk. We went into a meeting room instead and got to spend some time with him. He was a wonderful dog ... sweet, calm, loving, just wanted to be petted.

So I went out to speak to the person at the window and told him I had put in an application for Elmer yesterday, and had come to meet him today. Another woman farther down asked my name, and when I told her she said she had just left me 2 messages and they had approved my application, and wanted me to adopt Elmer. I was thrilled.

We talked about when they were open and how Saturday was a zoo, so i told her I would take the rest of the afternoon off of work and go home and get Lily and bring her back. That it would take me a couple of hours, but I would be back. She said great, he would be there for me.

So I go back to work, tell them I'm taking the afternoon off, drive 40 minutes home ... get changed, take Lily out, get back in the truck with Lily and head back into the city. Arrive at the Buffalo City Animal Shelter 1.5 hours after I had first left.

I walk to the counter and the same guy that was there and listening to our conversation earlier was at the counter. I said I'm back to do a meet and greet with Elmer, I brought my Lily to meet him. He says, he's gone. I said, excuse me? I told her, the woman at the other window I would be back and she said he was mine.

That woman said, Oh good, you're back for Elmer ... they guy told her, he's gone ... she said, no, he can't be gone ... they all then disappear into the "Directors" office. Turns out, the Director wanted me to adopt him but didn't know I had shown up or responded to their phone call. So she went and adopted him out, within that 1.5 hours, to someone else. The other woman was flabergasted and I was pissed. Still am ... amazing amount of non-communication. And the guy at the counter was there during all the discussions, but obviously didn't say anything.

The Director wouldn't even come out of the office and apologize ... I got a lame "sorry" from the guy.

Can you tell I am still so angry? He was such a great dog, exactly the big furry, calm, mushy dog I'd been looking for.

I'm giving up for a while ... too many other things going on in my life to keep dealing with these emotional ups and downs at the moment.

You have every right to be angry. That's outrageous. The man is an idiot. He should have spoken up.

OH NO!!!! oh this is just awful, i would be beyond angry! normally, i would say it just "wasn't meant to be" but obviously you lost out because of their lack of communication and that is inexcusable. *sigh* :(

oh honey I am so sorry (*and sorry Nina for thinking this was you the other night). I can tell if I had to work with that guy I would want him fired or would have fired him. I can't stand people I work with who DO NOT THINK. JEEZ.

Pam, the right thing will happen. All of this happened for a reason. The perfect dog is coming to you, and fate prevented a mistake from happening. Just hang in there.