Hi all, my husband and I currently have 2 huskies and have seriously been considering adding a third. Space wise and financially we would be fine, and the two get along really well. One is a male and the other female. My concern is if dogs should out number the people and if one dog will be left out and be a third wheel. Thoughts and advice from those of you who have 2 plus dogs! Thanks!

We own three Huskies and honestly, if I had it to do over again I would. I feel bad saying that, because I love my girl, but three Huskies is A LOT to take care of. Everything was perfect with the two and I thought it will be even more perfect with three and that's not the case. They get along great and all, but I feel like my original female feels left out and jealous. I find it harder to take the dog places with three also. Before, I would take one dog and my fiance would take another, but now I have to take two and he takes the one and we look like a sled team walking down the streets. For us, two would have worked out perfect, but I got caught up in the fluffy cuteness and things happen. I will never get rid of our third Husky, it just makes things a bit more challenging for us.

Kelly, I am kind of glad you said that, because I sometimes feel bad too as I find it harder to take 3 dogs places and would probably prefer to keep it at 2, although now I would never get rid of my 3rd I don't think I will ever have 3 at one time. It doesn't help that one of mine used to get car sick, so going anywhere with them required 2 vehicles.

However, besides the difficultly of taking the 3 dogs places, it really depends on your lifestyle and how your pack reacts. Unfortunately you won't know until you introduce the 3rd one. Nikko and Yukon play together all of the time and are very close. When I got Kodiak I had some aggression issues and fights but now they all 3 get along, however the pack dynamic changed. Kodiak is older and has taken on an alpha role between them. Nikko and Yukon still play, and Kodiak will play with Yukon, but Nikko and Kodiak never played together until just a little bit recently.

We do fine with three huskies. It was an adjustment, but we are happy

I have two. And in all honesty, two is plenty. I thought Ginger 'needed' another but since I work from home, she always has company and we meet up with friends for socialization.

We would easily be able to afford 3 (food, vet bills, emergencies, toys, gear, etc.) but it's already not as easy to find places for extended weekend trips for two vs. just having one. Plus, if you do find somewhere that will accept three, there is usually a considerable deposit.

I met someone that decided to get a third and their reason was because they 'don't really do or go anywhere so that expense isn't there'. But, now they are realizing that it still adds up with the extra food and vet bills. Plus, if there was ever an emergency/accident, they don't have the funds to pay for it, and with 3, pet insurance is just not affordable now.

Also, depending on the age of all the pets in your pack, should you decide to add a third, as they reach 'senior' age, please consider what their vet bills may look like. If you have them close in age, please consider what common ailments they 'could' have and multiply that by 2 or 3. Would you be able to afford that? If you plan to have pet insurance, it increases as they get older.

I know another person with two that are the same age (not siblings), and they were out and just so happen they BOTH tore CCL (cranial crutiate ligament in their knee - the equivalent of a torn ACL for humans)! Each surgery is around $3K, times TWO. Plus after care, times TWO. Freak accident, but it did happen.

I'm not trying to sway your decision because many people do awesome with 3. I just want to give you things to think about that I often see people don't think of when they think of adding a second or third (or fourth....).

I have three dogs currently (my Standard is a foster dog) and I honestly can't wait to go back to two. I'm looking for a place to move to, and if Luna WASN'T a foster dog, I could be paying upwards of a $400 pet deposite along with an extra $100+a month. Not cool. And yeah, it is pretty inconvienent to take three dogs places. With two, they fit in the back seat perfect lol. The expenses also are a pretty big jump. Not too noticeable, but it's definitely there. I do all my fostering out of pocket, so I pay for everything.

Sometimes having the three of them is a lot of fun and I love it. Walking them isn't too big of a deal or anything. But Kennedy and Sheba definitely have a better bond between the two of them without a third wheel. Eventually I will add in a third member, but not until Sheba has had "her" time. Kennedy was with me for almost two years before we got Sheba and our bond is incredible. Shebs has been the biggest pain in my ass her whole life lol, and there has always been a third or fourth dog growing up with her (maybe 2 months where it was two of them). I feel each dog deserves their own bonding time and time to grow into their own personality before adding in another dog, and I've definitely let Sheba down in that aspect. Once Luna is adopted, it will be the two girls for a long time.