Everything's relative. People who don't have any kids (me) wonder how families with even two or three kids can manage. I think it's the same with dogs.
We have four dogs. I run in dog-people circles - four dogs isn't considered a lot to dog people. But if you don't have a dog, four can seem unlivable.
We've temporarily added a fifth dog. Just for a week. Rocky, the very first service dog we raised, is back for a visit/vacation. It's always wonderful to see him - it's dreadfully hard to give up a dog you've raised for two years, so we love having him back for visits.
Adding one more dog, however, makes more of a difference than you might imagine. It's not just the extra dog - that part's easy. What's one more dog when you already have four?
The hard part is trying to divvy up your attention so each dog gets all the love, attention, training, and playing they need. Two of the dogs are used to going with me every time I leave the house: Talos, the service dog in training, and Rocky, the working service dog.
Believe it or not, it's those little things - deciding who gets to go - that makes five dogs harder than four. I love having them all. And if I thought I could bring more into the house (and still have a husband), I'd do it in an instant. What can I say, I'm a dog-lover...
