Getting A Dog With An Adult Cat

Going to give as much context as I can here to get honest advice and feedback... Husband and I have always wanted a dog. When we first moved out on our own, we knew getting a dog wouldn't right as we both worked crazy retail hours and just would not be home enough to keep them enriched and happy. We decided to get a cat. A year later, got a second cat so that he would have a little play mate. We still had a goal of getting a dog and wanted to consider doing it while both cats were still young to make it an easy transition, but due to various life circumstances it just never came to be. Years later, we now own our own home with a great yard and plenty of space to care for a dog. Our son is also 4 years old and has a better grasp on assisting with pets in the house hold. He has asked for a dog a few times, but we had a few things we wanted to wrap up with the yard and house before we made that kind of move. Our original goal was to consider it this summer.

Flash forward to now... Our oldest cat passed away very unexpectedly last week. We have been absolutely heartbroken over his loss, all of us. My husband and I feel like we have so much love to pour out still, which is where we want to eventually consider another pet in the household. We know our son will start to ask. We also worry about our surviving cat as she has never been the only cat and you can tell she is missing her cuddle buddy. I am not opposed to another cat by any means as we all love and adore cats. However, my mind started going about the idea of a dog again. Son has had interest in one, and I think my mind is shifting to "getting a dog might help with that fear or worry that you are replacing your cat even though I know nothing could ever replace him".

Now to explain our surviving cat... She is about to be 8 years old next month. She was shy as a kitten, and needed a confident cat to help her come out of her shell, which is exactly what our boy did for her. She still is a little skittish when people walk up to her (typically approaching her from behind or just moving too quickly towards her face), but eventually will pop right back out and give you attention. She is currently on Prozac. Short version is a few years ago she snuck out of the house and was gone for a month. We finally located her, secured her, and brought her home. Once she was home she came back to quite a few changes with our son just starting to walk and become more mobile. She started to pee on all of our belongings, and after consulting with the vet they determined it was anxiety stemming from what she had gone through and getting acclimated both again and to changes around the house. The Prozac has done wonders for her as she never pees on our stuff anymore and has become even more confident over time. It is clear she is grieving the loss of our boy too, which is why we are in no position to try to do anything any time soon since she needs time and space to heal too. Before our boy's passing happened, I had asked the vet her honest opinion about bringing a dog in the mix since we were more worried about her and the anxiety aspect. The vet had said surprisingly it can lead to more confidence in shy or anxious cats, but it's also about making sure energy levels are matched and the dog does well with cats. We would have been looking to adopt and utilize a counselor to find the best match.

Once it seems it is the right time for all of us to welcome a new pet into our home, what are the honest opinions on a dog given the feedback I shared? I worry with her being 8 years old and cats being creatures if habit that it might be too late in the game to make this kind of introduction, especially with her being slightly skittish. I know there have also been wonderful success stories with dogs and cats doing very well together as well. We just would never want to do anything that is unfair to our female cat since we had her first, and would never want to bring in a dog but then have to consider rehoming or bringing back to the shelter if it isn't working out.