For almost a year, my husband and I talked about getting another dog. Our golden retriever, Riley, was 3 years old and we thought she'd like a playmate.

We weighed the cost of more dog food and vet visits, more fur on the floor and the replacement of trim that would get chewed on at some point despite putting bitter spray on it.

Then we thought about all the joy a pet brings and the tail wagging and licks. It was a done deal. We got our second golden retriever, Bailey, in May.

Despite being less than half of Riley's size, Bailey loved wrestling with Riley and often won at tug of war. Each morning when we'd let him out of his cage, the first thing he would do is jump on top of Riley and give her what I'd like to think was a hug.

When I'd separate the two of them for a little bit, Riley would often lay next to Bailey's puppy gate waiting for us to free him so they could play some more.