A Three-Dog Life?

I've volunteered at the animal shelter for two and a half years, and only adopted one shelter dog--Jenny. We weren't supposed to have more than one pet (Hana) at our first Colorado house, a rental, although we did add Buzz to the family when we knew that we would be moving to our own home. Hana and Buzz co-existed peacefully, and Jenny learned to be a Gillette dog from both of them, although some of the psychological effects of the abuse she suffered in her former life remain. Life with three dogs could be tiring, particularly since our dogs have always gotten two walks a day.

Now Hana is a box of ashes sitting on the mantel beside her picture. Life with the "Odd Couple" (a Papillon and a Pit Bull mix) is calm, and affection flows among all parties. (Jenny is still not fully comfortable with Jim, but we can literally see her pushing herself to get over her fear, which is rooted in the five years of her life before she came to us. She will deliberately choose to go and sit next to Jim sometimes, shaking all the while.)

So why am I looking for a third dog? And why, when I went to look at a dog at another shelter this afternoon, did I even let myself hold her when I found out that she had been removed from a puppy mill less than three weeks ago?

The view from my desk chair:

Buzz has his own bed nearby,
but often chooses to sleep near Jenny.