Hello, We have a beautiful 11 month old pup called Alma. After all the hard work at the beginning we are now completely blessed with a happy, peaceful, playful pup. We are thinking of welcoming a new puppy as a companion for Alma, she has always been so excited to socialise with other dogs but then becomes overly submissive and a little frightened or other dogs are not too keen to play with her because of her initial excitement. Alma has has a few play dates with our friends dog at our home and Alma was more than happy to share her things and really enjoyed the company of aother dog (I understand that a visit and living with another dog are 2 completely different things, but it has been a real positive experience for Alma). I am concerned though as Alma has been diagnosed with occult elbow displaysia and is currently on a restricted exercise program. There are no fissures or fractures and she is being treated with medication and the hope that we can return her to normal activity in the next 6 weeks. My questions are: If Alma has to be restricted for longer, would a companion make her happier if she has someone to socialise with at home or could it make the displaysia worse through playing? Will it make Alma sad if we have one dog that can go off lead and she may not be able too? Will bringing another dog in to our house make her sad in general as she has our undivided attention or would she benefit from love and companionship from one of her own kind (and all the love and attention from us too)? Sorry for the long post! Just want our girl to live the happiest life possible. We would absolutely love to welcome another little bundle of energy to the house but want to make sure it's the right thing to do for both. Carrie x
