By Katherine Moseley

We recently welcomed a new dog into our home. A young pup that we named Tilly. According to her DNA test she is 21.1% Supermutt, 21% Australian Cattle Dog, 18.1% Labrador Retriever, 12.7% Alaskan Malemute, 9.3% Poodle (small), 7.5% German Shepherd Dog, 6.8% Cocker Spaniel and 3.5% American Pit Bull Terrier.  We joke that she is our first doodle.

After many years of having multiple dogs and sometimes an extra foster dog, we had decided that we were content with the ease of having just 2 dogs. All summer, the millions of homeless pets without millions of good homes waiting for them, has really been tugging at my heart strings. So, I started pondering if we had room for one more. We haven’t had any dogs at our local animal shelter, Paws & Claws, for a while.  So, I found myself scrolling through other animal shelter’s Facebook pages.

When I saw pictures of Tilly wearing a hat and sleeping next to a cat, I was hooked.  We have four cats so having a cat friendly dog is important to us.

We adopted Tilly through the Mutt Mansion Sanctuary in Tagish. She was being fostered in Whitehorse by a young lady who took her to Farmer’s Markets, introduced her to cats and did an excellent job teaching her leash skills.

We are still getting to know Tilly. Dogs are born with a temperament unique to them, but their personalities are shaped through environment and experiences. Thus far, she is fitting in nicely and our other dogs have been patient teachers.

My top tip for having harmony in a multiple dog home is to make sure that you spend some one-on-one time with each dog. Doing this every day may not be possible, but even a few times a week helps. Every dog has individual needs and spending solo time with them helps those needs to be met. Focusing on one dog at a time during a training session can help make training more successful. I admit that I sometimes feel guilty leaving a dog behind, but then I remember each dog will get their turn. Separate leash walks or taking one dog on a car ride to run errands are just a couple examples of how to do this. Taking time with each one of your dogs individually will deepen the connection and emotional bond that you share with your them.

Adopting Tilly may seem like a small thing when animal rescue is like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. But little things can and do add up.