#based on the canon - alex and rusty have at least seen some of that complex history together

[not-poignant]

would alex ever get another pet?

Possibly!

At the moment it's not really on the cards. They're a lot of responsibility, and this story is arcing towards dumping less responsibility on Alex and not more. Being a sole owner of a pet (or at least most pets) while working night-shift/s and having PTSD and clinical depression etc. is not always a great experience for either the owner or the pet, at least in terms of trying to be diligent to get not just food needs met, but particularly stimulation needs met. Alex definitely couldn't afford a pet, right now. He might be able to in two months or so. He can't afford to feed himself three times a day right now.

I also think Alex is fairly aware that he doesn't want to just have another dog live in a kennel outside all the time (Rusty is a relic of his father's way of doing things, and not Alex's preferred way of doing things, a kid who wants to feed his dog a steak is not generally a kid who wants a dog to live outside all its life imho). His experience/s with Rusty are complicated for him, and so he's not like...looking to replace that bond, or rush into anything, and it's definitely tabled in his mind.

That doesn't mean a pet is out of the question, it's just complicated and it's a 'definitely not going to happen right now' situation.

What is more likely, is that Sebastian might think about a pet, and through osmosis, Alex might get to spend more time with it because he works there. :)