Tldr: should I get a companion dog for my 12 yo lab/pit mix? She's been the only dog for over 2 years, after being part of a small pack once. I wanted her to have time to get All the attention and be used to being number one.

First, I'll say that even though my dog is 12, she looks and generally acts much younger. Until very recently she occasionally will play with a toy and likes to keep them around. I used to, and still feel like this one will live to be 16 . People that we run into on our long walks cannot believe she's 12.

Socially, she's always been a little different. When she first came to me as a stray she became the youngest in a pack of three. She's actually the most loving dog I've ever had but after hanging around a little bit and getting/giving her love, she would often retire for hours to some nook or cranny where she could be alone. She's very much always been a loner most hours of the day.

About 5 years ago our oldest dog passed, but the remaining two were extremely close. When my male died at 14, 2.5 years ago, I was devastated. I asked my dog Nightingale to step up, as she was the only dog now and I needed her to be closer to me and not spend so much time alone. We actually did bond much more and she went on several long trips with me. She seemed to thrive more on being the only dog, more than she ever did when she was number 3 or 2.

Last summer I got married and my husband brought three teenage kids into the house. I thought Night would be the perfect family dog and enjoy the expanded family. Now I'm afraid she's withdrawing from the family, not even wanting to come inside unless I'm here alone.

This week was rough for her, and my neighbor is having some trees removed and it's been very noisy. I feel like this noise is the source of my dog's obviously increased anxiety this week, but there is still an underlying trend that concerns me. This brings us to my actual question.

I wonder if bringing in another dog, even an adult rescue, would bring some more joy and life into my aging, precious girl dog? I'd always planned to get her a small dog as a companion when my second dog died, but I don't want to risk bringing in another animal who will get more attention than my generally shy dog. If getting another dog might invigorate my current dog I'm all for it, but I fear it might make her withdraw even more. What do you think?