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I have two cats. They give a lot of pleasure with their playfulness and silly antics. Very affectionate, too. But I have to admit as much as I love them, they do keep me from doing what I might otherwise want to do.
In my older age, I can't bring myself to leave them alone for a day or two or more. It just seems kind of cruel to me. So I am their "slave."
I think there are worse things I could be doing. The pluses outweigh the negatives.
This is one of the saddest posts I've read on CD. Animals are not babies. People can find babysitters to care for their human children and yet YOU CHOOSE to be a slave to animals? Seriously, are your pets just an excuse to hide your fear of living life?
I hate to say never, but my husband and I are extremely unlikely to get any more dogs again. The decision to put our two ailing old dogs down was the hardest decision we ever made, with daily grieving for more than two years afterward. Yes, they required changing our longtime schedules (no more after-work bicycling together; we took turns alternate work days, walking the dogs separately so the other person could ride), paying for boarding and vet care, etc but as long as they were happy and healthy, we accepted the inconveniences and costs. They were "just right" for us, and we still cannot even think of other dogs as being able to fill their pawprints.
It has been great to return to our pre-dog freedom to travel even though we are not doing much of it right now. At home, this translates to the luxury of NOT having to get up at a fixed time to take them out to pee and poop, then fill food and water bowls, etc. It is a small luxury that costs absolutely zero.
Also, we noticed that somewhere between about 2005 and 2010, vets started aggressively pressuring owners to "exhaust all the possibilities" to keep dogs alive (including exhausting finances, which *coincidentally* bolsters the vets' finances...). I won't go into details, but this included an unnecessary $1000 surgery that found nothing, and the problem got resolved by a simple, noninvasive method that should have been recommended BEFORE trying the surgery. How about pushing the dogs onto a prescription diet that turned out to have no benefits whatsoever, other than to the vet's office?
I have enjoyed seeing the cattle and horses that live along almost the entire road here (several ranches). After things settle down more I might indulge a dream I came here with thirty years ago, to have a burro that can go backpacking with us. And I would only do so after learning how to care for them first, which might be gotten by volunteering to help feed, water, and muck. I am thinking that boarding might be good because it would be among other equines, thus allowing a less-difficult transition if the human dies first. This would also mean vacation absences are less of a disruption to the animal. Burros can live a long time, but there are older ones and BLM routinely sells captured wild ones that have adapted to some human handling.
So are there any of you already retired or close to retirement who feel the same ? I also want to note that I wish older people would think about it long and hard before they get a pet for company knowing that the pet might outlive them .
I had a dog and cat for many years. Loved them both but decided when they passed on my "pets" would be the birds, squirrels, butterflies and other critters in the wild. I treat them well and enjoy watching them from my sunroom. When we go away, which is often, no hassle, no guilt, no "sitters"....just go. It works for us!
Yes, owning pet(s) can be costly, impacting your travel plans, and it's heart breaking each time that you have to say the final goodbye to each of your fur children.
We had vowed of no more pets when our beloved Doberman died suddenly 13 years ago. Within a year, we changed our mind and adopted a mixed Lab/Terrier. Maggie is our constant companion and adopted daughter. Two months ago when she suddenly developed multiple large sarcoma lumps on a hind leg, we had thought of just letting her go. My vet daughter talked us into having her leg amputated. She convinced us that the dog would still have several healthy and happy years left. She was right. Maggie bounced back quickly from the surgery and demanded her daily hikes within a week! Hopping on 3 legs tires her out so we try to limit the hikes to 2 miles or less with plenty of rest and water.
In our last vacation, we did not want to take her to the kennel and found a friend family to take care of Maggie. She had pretty much the same daily routine of feeding, 2-mile walk with dog treats everytime a person leaving or coming home. Our friends had dogs for years but decided not to get a new one after their lab passed away two years ago. They were so happy to have Maggie.
We are in the process of looking for a new home out West. One of the reason that we want acreage home is to have rooms for Maggie to roam. We also want a place with nearby hiking trails. Having a dog which loves the outdoor keeps us healthy and happy. There is no doubt that we would get another dog when Maggie could no longer be with us.
My daughter loves all kinds of animals (this is why she became a vet). When we first looked for a house in NY 25 years ago, I wanted a mini farm but could not find one close to work. We made do with letting our daughter keeping few ducks, a rabbit, a ferret in addition to her dog, gerbils, parakeet, fishes and frequent temporary pets of turtles and snakes which she found on the property.
Now in retirement, I will have the time to take care of more animals. When we move to a new property, Maggie will have some new friends: few chickens, goats and maybe few horses if we decide to relocate near my daughter. She loves horses but her house in Boise is not a horse property. She has been riding a friend's horses on weekends. If we live close to her, I am very likely to pick up a new hobby of horseback riding. It will be wonderful to go trail riding with my daughter and her soon-to-be husband (he asked our permissions when we were there. He showed us the ring, a beautiful Montana sapphire which he plans to surprise her during one of their weekly hiking trips).
The way I see it is that life always involves trade offs. I am more than happy to trade off my time, money, the inconvenience of keeping animals, and the occasional heartbreaks of losing them for the joy and happiness they bring to my life. Like my daughter, I think being around animals is essential for both my mental and physical health. They will always be a big part of my life until the day that I am no longer allowed to keep them.
I had a dog and cat for many years. Loved them both but decided when they passed on my "pets" would be the birds, squirrels, butterflies and other critters in the wild. I treat them well and enjoy watching them from my sunroom. When we go away, which is often, no hassle, no guilt, no "sitters"....just go. It works for us!
Yes!!! Being around animals doesn't have to mean pets or even domesticated stock. Wild animals are more rewarding to see living their own lives without dependence on humans. I don't care if they don't fawn on human attention. They don't need that, and neither do I.
I got myself an Aussie puppy for my 70th birthday. He came after two of my older Aussies died and I had just one dog. He will probably be my last puppy. Fragile senior skin is not make for puppy teeth and I usually had one or more "wounds" till he outgrew that stage. Neither of my current dogs will jump into the car like my old ones did, so I see that as also becoming a problem as I age. When one of these dies, I will look to rescue an older dog, maybe for someone who has to go into AL or a nursing home and can't take their pet. It will be a sad day when I can't have a dog any more.
This is one of the saddest posts I've read on CD. Animals are not babies. People can find babysitters to care for their human children and yet YOU CHOOSE to be a slave to animals? Seriously, are your pets just an excuse to hide your fear of living life?
Yes, owning pet(s) can be costly, impacting your travel plans, and it's heart breaking each time that you have to say the final goodbye to each of your fur children.
We had vowed of no more pets when our beloved Doberman died suddenly 13 years ago. Within a year, we changed our mind and adopted a mixed Lab/Terrier. Maggie is our constant companion and adopted daughter. Two months ago when she suddenly developed multiple large sarcoma lumps on a hind leg, we had thought of just letting her go. My vet daughter talked us into having her leg amputated. She convinced us that the dog would still have several healthy and happy years left. She was right. Maggie bounced back quickly from the surgery and demanded her daily hikes within a week! Hopping on 3 legs tires her out so we try to limit the hikes to 2 miles or less with plenty of rest and water.
In our last vacation, we did not want to take her to the kennel and found a friend family to take care of Maggie. She had pretty much the same daily routine of feeding, 2-mile walk with dog treats everytime a person leaving or coming home. Our friends had dogs for years but decided not to get a new one after their lab passed away two years ago. They were so happy to have Maggie.
We are in the process of looking for a new home out West. One of the reason that we want acreage home is to have rooms for Maggie to roam. We also want a place with nearby hiking trails. Having a dog which loves the outdoor keeps us healthy and happy. There is no doubt that we would get another dog when Maggie could no longer be with us.
My daughter loves all kinds of animals (this is why she became a vet). When we first looked for a house in NY 25 years ago, I wanted a mini farm but could not find one close to work. We made do with letting our daughter keeping few ducks, a rabbit, a ferret in addition to her dog, gerbils, parakeet, fishes and frequent temporary pets of turtles and snakes which she found on the property.
Now in retirement, I will have the time to take care of more animals. When we move to a new property, Maggie will have some new friends: few chickens, goats and maybe few horses if we decide to relocate near my daughter. She loves horses but her house in Boise is not a horse property. She has been riding a friend's horses on weekends. If we live close to her, I am very likely to pick up a new hobby of horseback riding. It will be wonderful to go trail riding with my daughter and her soon-to-be husband (he asked our permissions when we were there. He showed us the ring, a beautiful Montana sapphire which he plans to surprise her during one of their weekly hiking trips).
The way I see it is that life always involves trade offs. I am more than happy to trade off my time, money, the inconvenience of keeping animals, and the occasional heartbreaks of losing them for the joy and happiness they bring to my life. Like my daughter, I think being around animals is essential for both my mental and physical health. They will always be a big part of my life until the day that I am no longer allowed to keep them.
Brava for you!!!
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