Hard to say how the dog will react. Mine did not like it at all. He was 6 at the time. He was so insecure thinking we no longer loved him (would not get out of my lap!), that we were replacing him, that he would be cast off that he would have nothing to do with the puppy. It was sad to watch him ignore the new dog and he continued to treat him that way for the next 12 years. He remained alpha which was good, at least he didn't have to fight for that title because the new dog was by nature very passive. It's best to know from whoever has the dog you plan on adopting if they think the dog has an aggressive or passive personality. Our dogs never fought but if the new dog was aggressive then they may have. When my older dog got to the age where he could no longer keep up on walks it became increasingly more difficult for us because we didn't want the older dog to feel the sadness of being slower. It wasn't fair to the younger dog who needed longer walks. As the disparity grew we were forced to take them on separate walks. That took up more time. When our first dog got to be really old we weren't able to go places anymore because he needed to be looked after 24 hrs a day. That went on for a couple years which meant the younger one stayed at home a lot too. I would never have two dogs again so far apart in age. I have to say though, when it was time for our dog to leave us I did find a lot of comfort having another dog...an heir and a spare. ;-) He made the pain a little less severe. Now he's elderly and slowing down. After taking the back seat all those years to a more dominant dog I want him to live out his remaining time feeling like he is finally the most important dog in the world to us. And he's is loving the attention. The difference between my situation and yours is that you have young children and I don't have any. I would be concerned that a 4 yr old would still be too young not to pester your first dog as he ages. Dogs don't like to be bothered when they're older and children might be nipped at if they aren't taught by the parents to respect the elderly dog's space. So maybe having a younger dog to romp around with would be a good idea for your children. They can focus their high energy on the young dog, allowing the other dog to watch but not be expected to participate. But I wouldn't wait any longer.

I was wondering about this myself. I also have an island where there are 3 fake panels and one working cabinet door. I think it's going to look strange to have just one pull on that cabinet, but I also don't want people to bang themselves on the handles or try and pull on them as mentioned above. My DH is a function over form kinda guy and I am definitely a form over function kind of gal...have a feeling there will be pulls just for symmetry. I also am weird about seeing things symmetrical!

Considering that your table is extra heavy and not likely to be moved, I would offer this to think about: Depending upon the type of leg on your table, keep in mind if you do not move the table off the rug occasionally, you run the risk of moth infestation under the legs. The worst damage I see from my customer's rugs are in areas just like you are describing, where heavy furniture is rarely moved. conanc: you might find the link below helpful. I put together a diagram on how to choose a DR rug. I think you have chosen the most popular size. amy: I'd love to hear more about your Flor tiles...especially in use under a DR table with chairs scooting back and forth. I am wondering with the number of 'seams' where the tiles butt up to another if those are showing signs of wear? Here is a link that might be useful: how to choose a DR rug

Eggplants are used as immature fruit, so like cucumbers or summer squash you can use them at any time they are large enough for your use. A ripe eggplant is good only for saving seed. Quality rapidly deteriorates as they lose thier gloss. You either don't have have pure Black Beauties or maybe a disease problem. My bet is impure seed. Black Beauty is black from the gitgo. The shape is also off.