Need advice (unbiased if possible) - taking on second bully

[RazrRila99]

Ok, heres the scoop - I adopted Colossus in March of this year, my first bulldog, and my first dog since my German Shepard that I raised from a pup crossed the bridge in 99 (cant help but think he had a hand in Colossus taking me in). I check the bulldogs needing rescue occasionally on here and came across Bubba (St Louis bulldog rescue, turned in due to owner not having enough time). I am away from the house for approximately 10-11 hours a day depending on commute times, Colossus does awesome during the day and I make up for the time away with good play together time in the evenings.

I ask for unbiased (if possible) because come on, can we really be unbiased when talking about Bullys?

My questions are:
1) Is getting a second bully equivalent to having a second kid, where its not just double trouble but more like 10x more trouble?

2) Would it be possible that my evenings spent with the boys would be enough time?

3) How would I go about introducing them together when I will have to be at work no more than two days after getting the second?

4) Would having a buddy help Colossus during the day?

Also any other feedback/advice you can provide would greatly be appreciated.

 

[MeekosMummy]

Iv never had more than 1 bully at a time so really cant help with answers - just an opinion.
Its a long time for colossus to be alone and think its a nice idea to get company for them long hours.
However...
The only true way to know if it will help keep Colossus company for the days would be to speak to the rescue centre. Make an enquiry and ask to meet Bubba 1:1 and then if you are more encouraged about having the 2 bullys together ask to arrange if possible Colossus meeting bubba and see how they get along.
Just suggestin this so you dont end up with 2 bullys that dont get along and ur plan for long term company for each other backfires. You wont know if Bubba is the right bully to join your family unless you make an enquiry and visit to help make your mind up - you can still say no afterwards x

 

[Casper]

I'm truly going through the same thing. I have had Rocky, and Father's Day, I aquired Rambo. One week I work 4-12 hr days, the next week I work 3-12 hr days. Although my daughter is with the boys while I'm at work, and rarely will neither of us be there beyond 8 hrs, even with her part time job. Now, food, vet, maintenance etc doubled, but I always come back to this one question, and go ahead and ask yourself this, when you can honestly answer this question, you'll have your answer, and be non dependant to a poll. "Do I trust anyone else to take care of my pet as I do?" "If I died, and reincarnation was possible, would I want to be my pet?" Please don't get me wrong, because I don't feel I'm a full time dad sometimes, but my pets are cared for before I am. So there's my first answer, and when I'm not home, and my daughters watching them, those two boys play together non stop. As a matter of fact, I think they are inseperatable. One is always seeking the other, and their best friends. When I'm not playing with them, their either asleep like babies, or running, jumping, hopping and skipping throughout the house. The price I pay for their happiness and their health are negligible compared to what they give me, and for the happiness and excitement they create. I've further discovered, anything you train one to do, the other will follow, the flip side of the coin, if one has a bad habit, the other will join in. I think in my thought process having two bullies is like having two children, I wouldn't want to be an only child, and the good part to all of this, is their 6 months difference in age, Rambo being a year old the 28th of this month. I hope this helps with your question, and feel free to contact me with anymore. But having 2 is twice the fun as having one, and your going to take of the one, so what's one more. I don't find it any more difficult. Do you really think your second bully will find anyone to treat him/her as well as you, more experienced than you, do you think he/she will be happier with someone else? I doubt it.

 

[Opie CHL]

Im sure people with multiple bullies will chime in here shortly to give you advice. I'm also contemplating getting another but wondering if it would be better for Cum having a playmate or if it would upset the chemistry. Good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[Marine91]

I agree with what @Casper has said. No amount of polling can make the decision for you. I apologize in advance if this sound harsh. It is not my intentions. If you are in a place in your life where you have the means, mind set and ability to take on another bully especially a rescue then by all means consider it. If you don't then hold off until you are in a better position.

 

[Scueva]

Well, I recently got my 2nd bully- duchess is 17 months and duke is currently 5 months- got duchess at 8 weeks and duke at 12 weeks. I'm usually gone from the house from 10-8 6 days a week. I wake up early and play with the hooligans and we stay up late- I do have dog walkers come in 2-3 times a day. My crew does good. Even on my days off ill try to spend more time than normal with them but the problem is they can go hard for about an hour then they wanna go in their crates and sleep! I would think if you had someone that can let them out in the middle of the day you would be ok.

 

[Shannon Cascioli]

I have two so they keep each other company. They always want to be together, but are also double trouble!!

 

[JennieS]

Me and my husband are going through the same thing and weighing our pros and cons. We spend a TON of time with Ruthie and are with her a lot, so adding one wouldn't be a time problem...it's just the fact of adding another to the mix. Good Luck on deciding. It's a very hard decision...at least for us.

 

[traceylynn172]

Well they are more trouble the more you get lol.
Only you can decide if your ready for another one.
My only worry with more then one (and I have seen it happen unfortnatley)
If you get a young puppy that's alot of time away from home to train them.
If you get a older dog can you be certain they will always get along.
If you leave them out together so thet have company what would happen if they got mad at
Each other and proceeded to fight? Without supervision they could seriousley hurt each other.
After alll it only takes one of them to have a bad day and then you have a problem.I know not everyone cratesthere dogs and that's fine but it is a situation to think about .
When ever I leave for longer then 30 min my girls get crated . Don't get me wrong they are the sweetest things under the sun but they are girls (hormones says it all lol) and they do like to play so I am always afraid they will play to rough and either get hurt or hurt one another. Just something else to consider

 

[gunnyboy]

I have two babies, Sarge a male 2 years old and my lil Loulou a female who is 5 years old. I got them about 5 months apart. At first Loulou wanted to be the boss and would put Sarge in his place but that only lasted a week or so. Now they truly love each other and respect each other. Its easy for me, Im home all day and we are never away from each other .Sometimes they eat out of the same bowl together.You get double the love and I dont know what I would do without them, Their the reason I get up in the morning.I dont think its easier to have one instead of two. It needs to be harmony and respect. for me having two is a blessing but everyone is different. Maybe one is enough for some and thats ok. As long as you give them lots of love and attention their is no problem.

 

[sheshistory]

I've almost always had two bullies...I believe they do much, much better in pairs and all of mine have been best buddies BUT, as others have said, you need to gauge your own situation and make sure you have the resources and time to devote to 2 bullies. The only person who can answer that one is you - but my very biased opinion is they do great in pairs.

 

[2BullyMama]

I have always had two.... and alwasy will. As with anything in life... there are ups and downs. Just be sure to introduce them on neutral grounds before bringing them into the home together

 

[LuluMommaTonya]

Please keep in mind that even if you make the decision to rescue, your first dog may make a different decision for you. When I had Lulu in her first round of training classes, our trainer came to be in possession of another female bully that the owner surrendered, also due to lack of time and commitment. We had toyed with the idea of getting another, and the trainer thought Lulu would make an excellent sister for this one so we gave it a try. Lulu is extremely submissive, calm, sweet, and not the least bit aggressive, so we didn't anticipate any problems. The breeder we got her from owned several dogs and also ran a boarding and grooming business, so Lulu spent her first 9 months happily playing with other dogs, so we figured she would love having a playmate. The other bully was bigger, but very sweet, too. We had them meet at the training facility, and they got along well, so I brought the other girl home with me. As soon as we were home, Lulu instantly morphed into another creature! She was starting snapping at the other dog when they started to play, and she wouldn't let the other girl anywhere near me! Lulu made sure new girl knew she owned me, the couch, the toys, everything! It was so strange to see my sweet 30 lb baby being so nasty to a big 60 lb bully. We tried to give it a few days to see if Lulu would chill out, but she didn't and then the other bully remembered she was twice Lulu's size and started fighting back. I felt so bad that I couldn't keep her, but both dogs were so unhappy. Our trainer assumed that since Lulu had spent her first year sharing everything, that she went into full "resource guarding" mode" and wanted to be the only one to "own" me. It all ended up being a journey I think God wanted us to make, though, because a man that worked with my husband fell in love with the other bully! Since he had previous bully experience, he was able to be fast tracked through the home visits and adoption process so that sweet girl was able to be transferred to a great home quickly! I guess we were just meant to be a stepping stone in the process. Lulu returned to being my sweet little submissive angel as soon as she was the only dog in the house again. The trainer said we might have been able to work through the issues if I was a stay at home mom, but it would have been a long hard process on me and the dogs with me working full time. I don't mean to be a downer...just a warning to not get too attached until you know everyone can live happily together. I thought it would be fun to have 2 bullies, but Lulu Mae was here first, and she is my best friend and baby! So...spoiled only child for us it is! Good luck in decision making!

 

[kazzy220]

You've got a huge amount of input and information on here, and so I won't just repeat what everybody else seems to have said.

All I will add, is that from my experience of being part of Rescue Ohio English Bulldogs, that your first step should be to get an adoption application in to the rescue so that they can do a vet check and also a home visit for you. That way you are an approved adopter. I can only say from OUR experience, which is that by the time somebody sees a pic of an adoptable bully and decides to apply, that the bulldog has already got a Meet & Greet with an APPROVED adopter that we already know. So to have an application on file will speed up any process immensely!!!