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Allergic to cats, so I have never owned one and won't, either.
We had a dog when my son was growing up (got a puppy when our son was 5) and that dog lived to be almost 15. After he died, I missed him horribly but couldn't really think about "replacing" him right away. Took about 2 years, I think, to get another dog from a shelter. When we moved from the big city to a rural area, we got a second dog. The older of the two died last year of brain cancer (actually, we put her down when her symptoms got unmanageable and it was clear that she wasn't living well). Now we have a 9 year old dog and I have been looking at the shelters for another potential rescue, preferably 7 years or older.
I would never get another puppy, though.
When I was growing up we always had a dog and my mother loved birds and parrots. I was never all that fond of the bigger birds, although the cockatiels I always liked. They don't live long, though.
i have had animals- mostly cats- for 50 years, and as much trouble, expense as they can be ( my two cats are now on 4 meds between them ) i really can't imagine life or a home without them. the last cats that i adopted were older- 4 and 6- and i don't feel at this age that i would be getting any kittens or puppies. i don't want to have them outlive me, although the sig. other ( a genuine cat person ) would take them if i predeceased him.
with the different, current chronic conditions that both cats have it can be a handful, and leaving home for anything more than 3-4 days is difficult, but we do have a very reliable pet sitter who is adept at giving meds. fortunately, we are not really enthusiastic long distance travelers, so that is not, for us, a major issue.
in the past i have been without pets for no more than about 6 months, and that was long ago. i feel as long as i can care for them physically and financially, the pleasure of having them outweighs the pain- except, of course, when they leave us.
I got my first pet, a doberman, in 1976. At that time I thought any doberman owner had some kind of emotional instability, but my husband wanted one so I agreed. When the husband left, I kept the dog and havent been without a doberman in the past 39 years.
For the past 25 years, I've adopted only older dobermans. I love older dogs. They've gotten past the puppy issues (housebreaking, chewing, etc) and they're so grateful to just go for walks and cuddle. Yes, you may not have them for long but you never have beloved pets long enough anyway.
In 1999 I adopted a 6-year-old male doberman who was rescued by the Fort Worth TX police and SPCA. He was found tied to a stake in a yard and was being used as pit-bull bait. Covered with infected bites and @ 300 ticks, he was so weak that he had to be carried to the SPCA van. If a person had been through what that dog went through, that person would have ended up in therapy or in prison. But that dear dog loved everyone and every animal. HIs attitude was "If I wake up alive, it's a great day". I learned so much about appreciating life from my sweet Polo.
I adopted my current doberman in 2010. She was estimated to be @ 9 years old then. She'd obviously been a puppy-factory all her life and was dumped on the street when she got too old to produce any more puppies. Since most dobermans dont live to be older than @ 11, I figured she'd have two more years to enjoy in my home. But here she is, five years later at the age of 14. still going strong. Queenie's my heart-dog and my heart will truly be broken when she becomes an angel.
Every time I lose a dog, I say "never again". It hurts so very much. And I admit that I do worry about what would happen to my dog if/when something happens to me in my sleep or in an accident in the house. But then I think about what I'd have missed out on had I not adopted my amazing Queenie. OMG, my life would have been so empty without her -- and without all the rescue dogs who came before her. So, even when I'm too old to enjoy much about life, I hope to have an older rescue doberman to remind me that there's always hope for better times ahead.
Love this! My mother hasn't been without a Doberman in a long time either. So nice to adopt an older dog as well
We put down our last peke in 2007, when we were 60...it wasn't more than 2 months later we
felt the house was too empty and got another peke...Do you want a pet as you are aging or do
you not want the responsibilities of one?
I can't really remember a time when I didn't have at least one cat. I have two now. Can't imagine my life without a pet in it. Dogs are great, and I grew up with both cats and dogs, but they require a lot more than cats. However they also show more 'feelings' than cats. I've thought about getting another small dog but keep putting it off. The cats don't mind being home alone all day but I'd feel bad leaving a dog home alone all day. Especially a young one. I expect I'll always have cats and my daughters know what to do with them if something happens to me.
We put down our last peke in 2007, when we were 60...it wasn't more than 2 months later we
felt the house was too empty and got another peke...Do you want a pet as you are aging or do
you not want the responsibilities of one?
I didn't even want to open this thread because I am so torn about this that I usually avoid the subject entirely.
Until this past year or so, I have never ever considered living a dog-free life. But it has been that long plus I am now alone!
(Can you tell I may be weakening ??)
Yeeeessssss, come over to the dark side...you want a dog...you want a dog...you want a doggggggggg
We put down our last peke in 2007, when we were 60...it wasn't more than 2 months later we
felt the house was too empty and got another peke...Do you want a pet as you are aging or do
you not want the responsibilities of one?
We are in our 50s now,, we have one last 17 year old indoor cat. I have said when he is gone NO MORE PETS.
I have had a total of 5 cats and 2 dogs, and a bunch of fish-both salt and freshwater, and an iguana...in my life. I don't want any more to take care of... I will miss this one terribly when he is gone, he is my little buddy...BUT..
Now, MOH wants to replace him {and the one we lost 3 years ago}.. We WILL have a fight over it but we are hoping to retire sometime {sooner than later} and i don't want to worry about a pet if or rather when we travel. simple as that.
We put down our last peke in 2007, when we were 60...it wasn't more than 2 months later we
felt the house was too empty and got another peke...Do you want a pet as you are aging or do
you not want the responsibilities of one?
In the past we've never had pets, since my mother was allergic to dogs and cats. Now our children are 19 and 17, well past the age that pets would add a dimension to their lives.
On the other hand, I would think of getting a golden retriever for protection since they'd kill any stranger coming into the house.
We are retired, in our 50s, and have 4 rescue animals. One house cat around 9 years old, two dogs who are both around 9 1/2 years old and another 4 1/2 year old dog. I've had animals in my family since I was born. They will always be a part of our lives.
After I lost my dog to old age, I became a pet-sitter. Didn't want to make a 10-20 year commitment to having a cat or dog of my own again (and my heart was broken after our dog left us), so this works out great. I need to love and spoil a four-legged furry critter.
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