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One thing to consider with senior dogs is the increased medical expenses that come with an older dog. It is a good idea to set aside a few dollars every months in a separate fund so that money would not be a necessary consideration in providing care for the dog.
We adopted a senior dog 2 1/2 months ago. We don't know how old she is as she came from overseas. Right now she is in good physical shape and her only medication is a joint supplement. From the beginning we stuck to our usual routines of coming and going, not spending excessive time "to help her settle in." Although she clings to me and follows me around, she is OK when left alone.
What has helped with her adjustment is we have another dog, so she has fallen in with our established routine of walks, meals, snacks, bedtime, etc. She has had accidents in the house. Partly because she needs to go out more frequently than our other dog and partly because as a former street dog, she was used to going any and everywhere. At first she would go on the sidewalk but now does seek out the grass.
I've read that dogs live in the moment. Keeping that in mind, we try to make every day a good one for her with the goal of having her remaining years living in a comfortable, secure and loving environment. There can be tremendous satisfaction in this.
In regard to the dog's change in environment, we have taken in 4 dogs at various times that were being re-homed for various reasons. All of them settled in right away so I don't think you would have a problem with that.
Let us know what you decide.
What's going to be expensive is hiring the dog sitter to take care of her during my medical appointments. I'm not sure the dog will adjust to being totally alone for more than an hour. According to her current owner, she starts drooling if she is crated for more than an hour, except at night to go to sleep. I believe that I can handle the finances; though I am going to be making some cutbacks.
we have taken in several senior dogs they ALL had their quirks and all adjusted in their own ways some adjustments we had to make as well, at one time we had 5 dogs 4 of them seniors in a 1000 sqft home and they were NOT small dogs. be very prepared for the very real possibility of bathroom accidents,
I do expect some accidents in the beginning, but hopefully they will stop, though they might recur when she is older. I've had this breed before, and continence issues don't usually begin until around 13 or so. The dog's current owner tells me that she goes out 3-4 times a day (I could increase that to 4-5) and sleeps 7-8 hours a night (which is usually more than I do!) and can hold it for a few minutes when she awakens.
My apartment is 870 square ft. It's a good thing this dog is not extremely energetic; I hope she'll be okay. I am concerned about the very long distance between the apartment and the outdoors (other than my balcony), in terms of walking down to get her outside to relieve herself. One way involves the building's long carpeted hallway and elevator and lobby; the other way involves the elevator closest to me and getting the dog to the garage (where, if she has an accident, it's easier to clean than carpeting; thankfully the elevator's floor is metal) and into my car and driving her outside. I went through this extensively with my last dog, who was always having accidents in his last year (aged 14, he passed away at 15); he was a 27-lb. Cocker. This new dog is about 15 lbs. larger (some of that is fat that I'm going to take off), so I'm hoping she has a larger bladder. Another solution might be to limit her water intake at night; though I would first have to check with a vet to see if that would harm her.
My feeling is that you both need each other, and it will be fine. You need to have something to fuss over, and I agree that an older dog is the sensible thing. Dogs only want kindness, food and comfy bed.
I have a 13-year-old Yorkshire Terrier who used to belong to my son ex-girlfriend. I got her about 2 1/2 years ago and she has adjusted wonderfully. Of course, she was being sadly neglected in her previous home so she is now living her best life with the best dog food, daily walks and lots of love.
I would never hesitate to adopt an older pet. In the past I have adopted a 14 year old Chihuahua from a shelter who lived to be age 17 and a 14 year old cat.
We are on our second dachshund from foster. They were estimated to be about 5 when we got them. When this one goes, we will probably get an elderly dog, since we are in our 70s now. It would make me happy to give an old dog a safe quiet place to finish out its days. Kind of like myself, lol.
Unfortunately, after taking another look at my finances, I concluded that now is not a good time for me to take on additional expenses, since my assets have taken a hit since COVID. I should probably have done so before I agreed to take the dog; but I was quite excited by the news that she was available; she sounded like a lovely dog. She's not in a shelter and never will be; her owner will keep her until a good home is found for her (or until she passes away). I do feel saddened and somewhat embarrassed, but think I made the right decision; and better to have made it now than after I brought the dog home (and 500 miles from her home).
Thank you, everyone, for your extensive and helpful comments.
I wish everyone thought that long and hard before getting a pet. Just because now isn’t a good time, OP, doesn’t mean it’s forever.
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