Expert: Delores Beck - 5/8/2008

Question
JoJo has been our dog for 4 years now and he lost his sight to glaucoma last year.  He's about 8 yrs old and we would love to have another dog.  Will JoJo do ok if we bring another animal into our house.  We adopted Bonz 2 yrs ago and he was so meek but JoJo asserted his dominance right away.  Unfortunately Bonz had a stroke and passed on a month ago.  We just want to be sure we won't put JoJo or another dog in jeopardy by adopting again.

Can you also maybe recommend a breed?  We were thinking of a Basset Hound or a Brittany.

Thank you for all replies.
Pamela

Answer
At 8 years of age JoJo is a senior and older dogs often are really annoyed by puppies.  What I'd suggest is adopting an adult dog whose temperment is readily apparent and you'll know if it's a good match for JoJo.  Shelters and Rescues are full of wonderful dogs and you could actually take JoJo with you to "meet and greet" and see who he's compatible with.  I wouldn't worry too much about "breed" but would choose a dog of similar size, the right personality and energy level that's over the manic puppy phase.  But a Basset wouldn't be a bad choice since they're not overly energetic.  JoJo needs a companion not a dog who's going to drive him crazy.
Best of luck,
Delores