A woman called me last week and said, "I have an 8-year-old dog, and I think he's lonely. Don't you think he needs a friend?"
That depends.
If a person is feeling lonely, the holiday season is likely to exacerbate it. But your dog doesn't know Christmas or New Year's from the middle of August. For the most part, dogs don't get lonely, people do.
Read between the lines: Her dog is getting older, and she's anticipating the pain she'll inevitably feel when he passes. It isn't uncommon for people to get a second dog to ease that sadness. And isn't necessarily a bad idea. Necessarily. Read more on Dogs, Cats, and Other People by Matthew Margolis.
