get a dog

I had SIX labrador retrievers (house dogs, of course) at one time in my 40s. It wasn't that I kept going out and adopting them (I did have two that I adopted), but that they just sort of came to me -- one of them I found freezing in the road in southern NM, one of them came to me from a neighbor who had died and left the dog on her own, and one came to me from someone who had adopted her but couldn't keep her, and another was found, injured, by a friend. SO I ended up with six of them. They all got along well and I kept and cared for all of them until they passed. That was a lotta labs in one house, for sure, but I loved every minute of it. My vet's office said I deserved a brass plaque on their counter I was in there so much.

Then I went back to just two dogs, and now I just have one.
 
Butterfly said:
I had SIX labrador retrievers (house dogs, of course) at one time in my 40s. It wasn't that I kept going out and adopting them (I did have two that I adopted), but that they just sort of came to me -- one of them I found freezing in the road in southern NM, one of them came to me from a neighbor who had died and left the dog on her own, and one came to me from someone who had adopted her but couldn't keep her, and another was found, injured, by a friend. SO I ended up with six of them. They all got along well and I kept and cared for all of them until they passed. That was a lotta labs in one house, for sure, but I loved every minute of it. My vet's office said I deserved a brass plaque on their counter I was in there so much.

Then I went back to just two dogs, and now I just have one.
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I love all breeds, but admit I'm partial to Labs. We had two in succession. They're even-tempered and good natured. I still miss them, every day.
 
Pappy said:
I would love to have another Shih Tzu, but it cost a small fortune in vet bills to keep her as healthy as possible. Our budget doesn’t allow for any large pet bills anymore. :notfair:
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Pappy, I don't know if this is true where you live, but here the Humane Association has a low cost veterinary clinic which offers good care (AND required vaccinations) at a much reduced rate to help out with vet costs. Also, many of the private and breed-specific rescues have a thing called permanent fostering, where you can take in an older dog who may or may not be a special needs doggie (such dogs are many times hard to place in forever homes) and take care of the dog as your own, but the rescue will cover the doggie's medical expenses. I know a person who did this with great success, as it allowed her to have a doggie companion -- whom she loves dearly -- without the worry of vet bills. The dog she has has a medical condition which requires medication for life, but doesn't really interfere with the dog's everyday life as a beloved pet. So it's a win-win for both the doggie (who probably would have ended up euthanized and who now has a loving home) and the person (who now has a loving furry companion).

You might want to check this out. In some locations there are also "pets for seniors" programs that help out.
 
Pinky said:
I love all breeds, but admit I'm partial to Labs. We had two in succession. They're even-tempered and good natured. I still miss them, every day.
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Labs can sure be rambunctious -- coming home was quite an experience with six of them rushing to say "MOM'S HOME!" all at once! I do love labs, too; all six of them were black ones, and they were all different personalities. I had to feed them in shifts, to be sure everybody got their fair share; one of them, the one I had found on the street starving and freezing, never got over her sort of food aggression and food guarding (understandable considering her earlier experiences) and she had to be fed separately. But it was all fun.

The neighborhood kids called me "the dog lady" and once in a while I even got to sit on my own couch -- if I got there first.
 
Pinky said:
We are in a "no pets" condo.
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Now that would be my idea of heaven. I lived next door to someone that had 7 dogs and it was Hell. They barked all the time. I finally sold the house at below market just to get out of there as fast as I could.
 

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