getting a 2nd dog

Question
We have a 5 year old female beagle. Is bringing home a rescue dog for companionship a good idea? She whines at the dogs next door through the fence to run with her. But she doesn't have very good social skills. I don't want to make a wrong decision. Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

Answer
Hi, having a companion for your beagle is a good idea mainly because they are what we call "pack" oriented. They do not like to be alone. They will readily adapt to a human pack as well but if you arent home a lot, say because you work or whatever, they can develop destructive habits from boredom and become quite out of hand. Beagles definitely crave companionship! My concern is what you mean by she doesnt have very good social skills? Is she aggressive? Does she not like other dogs? If there is aggression (to humans or other animals) then that needs to be curbed before bringing any other animal into the house with a qualified trainer who provides one one training at your home. Otherwise you are setting up a recipe for disaster. Since I do not know what you mean by this I cannot really answer to it at this point in more detail. I am going out of town for a while and return on 4-20, if you can wait until then and email me back the details maybe I can assist further. In the meantime if there is any aggression whatsoever do NOT bring another animal in until this is fixed.