Should Seniors Get New Pets?

Della

Della

Well-known Member
Location
Ohio
This is something we pet lovers have to consider as our fur babies get old and pass on and we wonder if we will be healthy enough or live long enough to start over with a new dog or cat. My own precious dog is 14, almost blind and losing hearing.

My vote is "Yes," we shouldn't spend our final years without the comfort and companionship of a dog or cat. I just looked it up and the dire statistic is that 90% of unclaimed dogs in pounds are euthanized. So if we get a dog from the pound and then find, a few years later, that we have to go into assisted living we have, at least, given the dog a reprieve from death row. I wouldn't hesitate to get one.

My father got a young Corgi from the pound when he was 80. He had dementia starting up during those years and the two of them lived a disorganized life of sharing bowls of ice cream in bed while watching old westerns on TV. When My father died six years later, neither my brothers nor I were able to take the dog and it went back to the pound, destiny unknown, but she had that six years, so I try not to feel too bad about it.
 

I really would like another dog.. if I stay in this house with it's big lawns.. but I want to make sure my travelling days are over first. If I do get a dog, I'm thinking given my age that I might be better off fostering...DD says I wouldn't be able to give them back..lol... but I think I would rather do that than risk, having a dog be left if I die first.. or find myself older and incapable of paying medical fees etc...
 

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A good subject Della, and a sensitive one too. There has always been a cat in our lives, but in our later years rather than a rescue cat we have pedigree Birmans. We have also had Cocker Spaniels, and always a pair. We buried the body of our last dog about ten years ago, dried our eyes and decided that we might pop our mortal coil before that happens to another Spaniel, so we stayed with our cats.

Our love of Birmans came about when the couple next door had one name of: China Doll. That cat visited us often, she was so regal, so snooty and how she put our spaniels in their place. When the couple next door went through an embattled divorce they couldn't agree who would keep China Doll, so to settle their differences she came to live the rest of her life with us.

China was fourteen by then, she lived another seven years, expiring a natural death and, mercifully, not one from the end of the vet's syringe. The love of China Doll was enough to welcome Lulabelle, Khandi and Ruby-Mae. Up and until last Christmas Ruby was our last household pet.

Nowadays we have three cats and that is the central point of this thread. We adopted two older cats that lived with my wife's sister. My sister-in-law passed away suddenly last January. She lived alone but had some sort of arrangement so that if she should die her body would be found. And so it was, but her two cats were not discovered at that time. They were found by us when we went to clear the house and belongings. The bereavement from losing my wife's sister was painful, made worse by her two beloved cats left alone. It has made us think long and hard about sharing our twilight years with another pet. But we do so miss those spaniels.
 
My dog is coming upto 14 next year , shes now deaf but responds to hand signals , she barks more now to get me to go to her ,.
When she goes I wont have another , and if i go before her I would prefer her to be PTS, shes a dog thats needs a companion , shes set in her ways that others would not put up with .
Personaly I think its tragic that a dog which has had a close relationship with its owner for several years should then be sent back to a compound , what must its thinking be , so rejected .
 
Yes definitely keep adopting. It was our best decision. We lost Dexter, our Shepherd/Husky at 13.5. It devastated us, but after a bit more than 13 months we decided that we needed to save another. We know our girl will live a long life, but when that time comes we -after recovering from the loss of her- we will continue providing a home for another beautiful creature! If the time comes when we get to a point where we are just too old-say 100 or so, lol,-we will make sure we have a fall back for any future dog.

Both our kids have 2 dogs each, and one also has 2 cats. So we are sure there will be a home for whatever dog we have.
 
Della said:
This is something we pet lovers have to consider as our fur babies get old and pass on and we wonder if we will be healthy enough or live long enough to start over with a new dog or cat. My own precious dog is 14, almost blind and losing hearing.
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My biggest concern is me dying before my dog. According to doggy and human actuarial tables, he should out live me. I want him to end up with a loving family or owner, not in a cage at the dog pound. But with any luck, I may outlive him. My neighbor expressed this concern to me. She said she would take care of him (although there is no guarantee she will outlive me either as we are the same age), so I said I would put it in my will that the dog goes to her, and she can make sure my buddy finds a home. Or keep him. She is a dog lover.
 
This is painfully relevant to me since we had our dog PTS last night. I've been telling people that I'm not going to get another dog due to the worry of it outliving me since we have no family who could/would take the dog if that happens. And now I'm remembering more than a few times of seeing family or others who did promise to take in and care for a dog when the elderly owner died but promptly had the dog PTS or dropped off at an animal shelter right after the owner died (or went permanently into a nursing home). So having someone who promises that is no guarantee either.

And as people continue to have fewer and fewer children therefore leading to people having smaller and smaller families, this problem will occur more and more often. I unfortunately forsee it getting to the point of where it being a good idea that no one over the age of about 60 is able or advised to own a pet.

So you'll finally be able to retire and really enjoy having a pet: "nope, you're too old now."
 
officerripley said:
This is painfully relevant to me since we had our dog PTS last night. I've been telling people that I'm not going to get another dog due to the worry of it outliving me since we have no family who could/would take the dog if that happens. And now I'm remembering more than a few times of seeing family or others who did promise to take in and care for a dog when the elderly owner died but promptly had the dog PTS or dropped off at an animal shelter right after the owner died (or went permanently into a nursing home). So having someone who promises that is no guarantee either.

And as people continue to have fewer and fewer children therefore leading to people having smaller and smaller families, this problem will occur more and more often. I unfortunately forsee it getting to the point of where it being a good idea that no one over the age of about 60 is able or advised to own a pet.

So you'll finally be able to retire and really enjoy having a pet: "nope, you're too old now."
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Ripley, first please accept my condolences. I am terribly sorry you lost your dog. As a dog and pet lover myself, believe me, I feel your sadness.

The question you pose is a very difficult one. I don't know of a good answer and I've been thinking hard about this myself. I guess if one lived with one's family and everyone shared the love of one's dog, it could work.

I know it will be very difficult for both of us Ripley, to live happily without a dog.
 
officerripley said:
This is painfully relevant to me since we had our dog PTS last night. I've been telling people that I'm not going to get another dog due to the worry of it outliving me since we have no family who could/would take the dog if that happens. And now I'm remembering more than a few times of seeing family or others who did promise to take in and care for a dog when the elderly owner died but promptly had the dog PTS or dropped off at an animal shelter right after the owner died (or went permanently into a nursing home). So having someone who promises that is no guarantee either.

And as people continue to have fewer and fewer children therefore leading to people having smaller and smaller families, this problem will occur more and more often. I unfortunately forsee it getting to the point of where it being a good idea that no one over the age of about 60 is able or advised to own a pet.

So you'll finally be able to retire and really enjoy having a pet: "nope, you're too old now."
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I’m so sorry for your loss.💕
 
Officer Ripley, I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s so heartbreaking to lose a fur baby.

There’s many senior pets in shelters that get killed because of a lack of homes. I have been adopting seniors for the last 16 years and will continue to do so until I die. Vet care is extremely expensive here so I make sacrifices in many areas of my life to be able to afford it.

Because I live in a condo I have small dogs that are pad trained so I don’t have to take them out to potty which would be a pain. Although many here do that daily.
 
If Seniors feel they can adequately tend to a pet, then I would say
absolutely 'yes' to having a pet. Its hard to know exactly where our
pets would be resituated to if we passed expectedly or unexpectedly.

My cat is 18 years old, she might be my last pet all depending, although
its hard to imagine my life without a cat~

There seems always so much to consider at times, we love our pets
and they can be so comforting and enjoyable in our older years.

If I could tend to more then one cat, I would in the blink of an eye
adopt another three ..
 
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Sorry, but a long story ahead.

Zoey, a purebred labrador retriever, was purchased by an older gentleman as a puppy. He became ill, went to a nursing home, and eventually died by the time Zoey reached 4 years old. Zoey was relegated to the man's son, whose name is Scott, who really didn't want her. Zoey was forced to stay in Scott's back yard while the son and his wife went to work. (Scott and his wife live right around the corner.) Zoey, being an absolute people-oriented dog, routinely dug out from under the fence and wound up on our property no less than 4 times.

After the 4th time, we asked Scott: "Zoey isn't working well for you. Would you consider allowing us to adopt her?" He jumped at the opportunity and, without charging us a dime, handed over her AKC paperwork.

At that time, Zoey was 5 years old in the prime of her life. As long as she had people in her life, she was happy. She became a certified therapy dog and loved the interaction with the aged and infirm. We allowed her to run off-leash in wooded areas on our daily walks, which often went to an hour or more. That allowed her to burn off her energy and she stayed happy and fulfilled.

Zoey died on the operating table this past March when a surgeon attempted to remove her 2nd mast cell tumor. She was 10 years old.

I'm not getting any younger and I debated about getting another dog. That debate lasted about two weeks. I wound up adopting Pepper, who is an absolutely wonderful companion. She's 6 years old and not a puppy -- I couldn't handle a puppy and deliberately sought a somewhat older dog.

Pepper Apr 24-compressed.jpg
 
One thing a senior should consider is the size of the dog in the event they might have or have to move. One of the Senior homes allows dogs that can easily be cuddled on your lap. Many places won’t take pets or some will only allow small pets, generally by height.
 
Aunt Bea said:
Slightly morbid and off topic but I’ve read that allowing your pet to see you dead is an important part of their ability to understand the need for a change of home/ownership.

I had never thought about it but it does make sense to me.
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I believe this is something that should be done & no it isn't morbid at all. After Dad died, their Schnauzer went outside & directly to his wood shop expecting him to be there. It was heartbreaking to watch.
 
We had to have our dog euthanized a few months ago. I still expect him to come running out whenever I open the front or back doors, or when I'm doing something in the kitchen. I made tuna salad for lunch today and thought about how much he liked to lick the bowl when I was finished.

I don't know about getting another pet. That's a 10-15 year commitment. My wife talks about getting another one, but I think we should wait and see what the new year looks like.
 
My dog just left the computer room, so I went to look for him and found him throwing up on the living room floor, but it's a wood floor. It was mostly undigested food from 8 hours ago. Poor guy. He was fine on our hike this morning running around and exploring more than he usually does. I gave him his monthly dose of tick and heart worm meds this morning. I'm wondering if they didn't sit well for some reason. I gave them to him before I fed him. I wonder if that was a mistake.
 
Teacher Terry said:
There’s many senior pets in shelters that get killed because of a lack of homes. I have been adopting seniors for the last 16 years and will continue to do so until I die.
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I admire you so much for doing that but I don't think I could, knowing that since it was a senior dog, I was going to have to go through, who knows how many more times, watching a dog be PTS. I am just so tired of sadness; life just seems to be more and more full of it the older I get.

You know, a memory came back to me--funny how that starts happening as you get older--of when I was about 15 and an elderly person (a neighbor, IIRC) that I thought very highly of telling me seriously, "Do not get old." It startled me at the time but now I know how she was feeling.
 
officerripley said:
I admire you so much for doing that but I don't think I could, knowing that since it was a senior dog, I was going to have to go through, who knows how many more times, watching a dog be PTS. I am just so tired of sadness; life just seems to be more and more full of it the older I get.

You know, a memory came back to me--funny how that starts happening as you get older--of when I was about 15 and an elderly person (a neighbor, IIRC) that I thought very highly of telling me seriously, "Do not get old." It startled me at the time but now I know how she was feeling.
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Even though it breaks my heart when I have to send one to the rainbow bridge I remind myself that dog had a great home and was loved. For some that’s maybe the only time in their lives that was true. I have lost 8 friends all under 70 and it’s horrible. I honor the dogs that have passed by saving another and believe it’s what they deserve.
 

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