Reactive Dog Owners Share the Magic of Adopting an Additional Calming Friend Into the Family

Author image for Ayala Sorotsky
Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Jun 20, 2026 6:45 PM EDT

Friends are an amazing force of good in anyone's life, even dogs.

We already know that a dog is a human's best friend. It's a friendship that goes on for millennia, when wolves and people befriended each other, and fast forward a few thousand years later - we have our beloved BFFs, our doggos. But this next thread from the r/pitbulls community made us think that for a lot of dogs, despite their endless love for their humans (of course), they actually benefit the most from another doggo friend. We already know dogs make amazing friends, but we never seriously considered how good a friend a dog could be for another dog.

Now, it doesn't end only in a strong bond, a flourishing friendship. There's something extra there when it comes to reactive dogs. So what are reactive dogs? A reactive dog is one that overreacts to everyday stimulations and triggers like other dogs, people, or sudden noises. Rather than being inherently aggressive, this behavior is usually a heightened emotional response rooted in fear, frustration, or over-excitement, causing the dog to bark, lunge, or pull intensely on the leash. Basically, what would one call an "unruley dog" - but that's far from the truth, with the right knowledge and dedication.

Adopting a second dog into a family that already has a reactive dog is chance-taking. While many owners hope a second dog will cure their resident dog's reactivity, this approach can often backfire or lead to two reactive dogs. However, a calm and confident "mentor" dog can sometimes help by modeling relaxed behavior and showing your reactive dog that certain triggers are safe. And these dog owners show that with the right mindset, dedication, and love - getting a reactive dog a second doggo friend could be the magical solution to a calm household.

We're so proud, even here from afar, of all those people who took matters into their own hands and helped their reactive dogs achieve inner peace. And they don't just do it for them, because the act of adopting another dog helps another soul find a forever home. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.

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    How the Lonely Reactive Rescue Got a Best Friend
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  • Just by looking at this picture, you see how close these dogs are. Dogs with no trust between them would never be this physically close. And no, the first meetings at the dog park with stranger dogs don't count - the hind-smelling is assessing, not trust. It's an introduction, a greeting. So, having dogs being really physically close is a piece of evidence for a real doggo friendship.

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    We rescued Tele 8 years ago. She was a former street dog with a turn ACL covered in scars who loved all humans and tried to love dogs, but if
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    they did something to startle her she couldn't help but fight. Unfortunately lots of normal dog behaviors startled her, so we couldn't really let get around dogs.
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    This made us all sad because she really really liked to play. It also made it hard to take her places because we live in the mountains where everyone has "friendly" dogs off leash, so she was home alone a lot.
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    But we noticed she was always good with puppies, they felt safe enough to her that she could get to know and trust them without being startled. So
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    Cheezburger Image 10639921920
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    when our friends had a surprise litter of puppies we chose the sweetest, most submissive male of the lot to take home. For the last 3 years Tele and Tyndall have been the best of friends. He
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    intercepts all off leash dogs on walks so she doesn't have to get scared, he wrestles and tugs with her while making pitbull sounds, he cuddles her, whether she wants it or not, and I really feel like he filled a hole in her heart.
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    Has anyone else's reactive babies had the joy of finding a best friend?
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    Intelligent-Algae-89 My dog reactive pibble mix had a best friend for 10 years. She passed away recently and he's been all alone again. I wish I could give him a puppy but he'd probably try to eat it. I'm so happy your baby got a baby!
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    Future_Perfect_Tense Just two dog-reactive dogs who hate everyone else but can't bear to be apart from each other... Please tell your babies that I love them
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    StruggleOdd1643 OP I literally saw your picture and said "awww, I love them!" Before even reading your message. So you can tell your babies I love them too
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    Early_General_5226 We have had a very friendly and slightly crazy pitty mix (boy) who we had from a puppy. We adopted a crazy reactive girl who was having real trouble getting adopted
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    but for some reason was thoroughly charmed by our boy Archie. They have been the absolute best friends over the last five years. Our house is fully of love. Riley still hates anyone that isn't Archie though :/
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    DrinkGoodBeer This is very sweet! My boy is selective but we've had really good luck with a friends new dog. It melts my heart to see him get to play with another dog. I totally understand!
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    H2Ospecialist Yup! BFFs, sisters
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    Meatball_express I have a returned rescue pup. She's now five. She was adopted and surrendered back to the rescue after a year. The adopters had a senior dog that didn't care for the new puppy.
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    I'm not exactly what happened but she was crated a lot and the senior dog would nip at her or more. They are terrible dog people.
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    She went to a trainer the resxur has and then a foster home. I was only supposed to have her for 2 weeks. I went and met her and realized her fosters were overwhelmed slightly.
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    I pick her up for our time together while her fosters were away. They asked me if I'd be interested in continuing to be her foster moving forward. I knew why, she needed more.
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    She was a very reactive hyper girl. She needed a lot, consistency, leadership and a place to grow. She wasn't every supposed to be social or good with people. I didn't buy that. I didn't know about long haul fosters at the time and knowing what she needed to be an adopters dog I kept her.
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    For the next year I'd take her everywhere with me that I could. We took walks and met people and dogs. We sniffed and sniffed some more. We made friends and turned some big corners. The girl that wasn't supposed to be social was in fact a social butterfly, she just needed to find her wings.
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    Now she's part of the dog rescue and foster community. They saw what I did for her and asked if I thought I could do it again. I figured "why not" and so I got my second foster. Rinse and repeat but he was adopted.
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    Strange_Possession52 We had adopted Maggie in 2015 she was loving, playful and enjoyed everyone. In 2017 we adopted scrappy. He had been abused and neglected the first year of his life.
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    This caused his being reactive by fear. Just like your pair very similar story. We lost Maggie's in march. I know scrappy misses her as much as we do..They had a great loving relationship.
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    I would love to get a dog or puppy but we are unsure as to what to do.
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    StruggleOdd1643 OP Sorry you lost your baby and Scrappy lost his bud, but I'm glad you both got to be loved by Maggie
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    brunohedgerow We almost didn't adopt Pepper when we met her at the rescue. She was very reactive and aggressive towards our 'kota bear initially, and after talking about it with my wife and kid, I reluctantly agreed she wasn't a good fit.
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    Thank G.O.B. the staff mentioned we were the 6th family to meet her (all of whom decided against adoption), and I just couldn't justify leaving her there. It's been a bit of tough sledding,
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    but after almost 5 years, these two are thick as thieves. They've even started play fighting, and Kota has rarely been inclined to do that with any dog. I love them so much
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    dignity-usurper
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    Reactive, dog selective pointy eared cranky guy. He had cohabitated with plenty of dogs, but never liked them. Had no idea he was capable of loving another dog until got him a puppy. This was after their first big mountain together.
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    To this day, she can do no wrong in his eyes. He won't even resource guard against her.
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    StruggleOdd1643 OP Now that's a perfect picture of love right there!
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