Quote: annhishmen

LOL I haven't slept well thinking about it and worrying about every little thing. One thing for sure I want to give the little dog a good furever home and no way do I want it to ever leave if it comes here. I take adopting very seriously, as I have in the past but the older I get the more cautious I am and think about all the pros and cons. I also am dedicated to helping homeless dogs but as I mentioned I don't want my dog to suffer in order to do so. Ideally he would probably love a pup or a youngster to race around with but thats not what we want. Thanks for your help, its appreciated

Ann, I think you are right to think carefully and weigh the pros and cons.

That said, it seems like they are two very nice dogs who will most likely get along just fine. The important piece of the puzzle here is YOU - the human pack leader. You just need to make sure to get things off on the right foot. In my pack of rescue dogs, this means that new dogs are kept separate for a while so that my existing dog(s) get used to the fact that there is a new dog coming in but I WILL NOT allow the new dog to bother them, take their toys or food nor expect them to "put up" with each other until they are comfortable with it. My dogs trust me to be fair.

For me this means each dog has a dog crate and uses it.

The dogs take turns being out and eventually when they are together(supervised), there are still going to be times where one dog is out and the other dog is not. Then the dog that is out can have one on one time with me.

Eventually you may no longer need to use crates, once they are used to each other, but do not rush things and you will most likely have success.