Yes... you have to adjust your social life, in a lot of ways, to have time for your dogs or to include them in outings. It's a matter of priorities, really. My dogs are a MUCH higher priority than my friends... and they know and accept that. My social life and hobbies are basically built around my dogs, because they are a huge responsibility, to me. I find that I've "narrowed down" my friends to the dog-loving people. That sounds BAD, but it's true. If you don't absolutely adore my dogs and want to do things with them and are completely entertained by just hanging out at the park with them, well, I might hang out with you once in a while but you are not BFF material. hehe
One of my best friend's, Grace, who owns Saderzzz the Border Collie, was NOT a dog person before we started hanging out. She only loved her cat, and her family never had dogs. Now she does dog stuff with my every day... and her family is completely in love with Sadie.
In a way, I miss having one dog. I miss him being my one and only. But, I honestly feel he is much happier with a companion, and I cannot imagine my life without Fozzie in it. The biggest issue for me, personally, is having time to spend one-on-one with each of them. I walk/run each of them individually as often as possible, and it doesn't help that they are complete individuals. Fozzie does great at the dog park, but will not play fetch at the park, while Gonzo cannot go to the dog park, but loves playing fetch at the park. It's kind of a juggling act, but it is completely worth it, if you have time to treat them as individuals and you make sure the dogs are a good match for one another.
One of my best friend's, Grace, who owns Saderzzz the Border Collie, was NOT a dog person before we started hanging out. She only loved her cat, and her family never had dogs. Now she does dog stuff with my every day... and her family is completely in love with Sadie.
In a way, I miss having one dog. I miss him being my one and only. But, I honestly feel he is much happier with a companion, and I cannot imagine my life without Fozzie in it. The biggest issue for me, personally, is having time to spend one-on-one with each of them. I walk/run each of them individually as often as possible, and it doesn't help that they are complete individuals. Fozzie does great at the dog park, but will not play fetch at the park, while Gonzo cannot go to the dog park, but loves playing fetch at the park. It's kind of a juggling act, but it is completely worth it, if you have time to treat them as individuals and you make sure the dogs are a good match for one another.