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[quote=Windwalker2;48291798]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
Exactly! There are so many older dogs waiting for wonderful homes. The older I get the older the dog that I will welcome as family
I haven't seen anyone give the reason I decided many years ago no more pets for me - maybe I'm just a wimp, but I can't stand the heartbreak when they cross over!
I had made my no pets decision many years ago, but my parents always had a poodle - they would get a new puppy as soon as they lost the current pet. When they both went into serious decline and passed at 83 and 88, I became the caretaker of the dog, who was 12 years old at the time. Tried to find a home for her, but due to her age no takers and I couldn't stand the thought of her not being cared for, so once again I had a dog.
She was a great dog, and I loved her dearly, but once again had to go through the heartbreak of losing her 5 years later. I can still vividly recall the hurt.
I love both dogs and cats, but I just am not willing to go through it again.
I don't get the constant talk of travel. It's fine, but it's never been a big part of my life. It certainly doesn't compare with having pets.
Yesterday I came home from the vet's office with my 12 year old dog who probably has cancer. I have a 16 year old cat and a 10 year old cat. Never in my life have I not had a cat or dog. And I have loved every bit of the joy and companionship they have brought me through the years. But, when these last 3 are gone my husband and I are just not sure if we will get any more pets. We have about 5 more years until retirement. There is that part of me that cannot imagine not having a pet. Our children live out of state and we are not sure where we will end up in retirement, but I know we will be traveling a lot to see our children and want to travel. So I feel selfish to think I would have pets and not be home with them that often. My mother is almost 87 and has a 12 year old little dog. I hope like hell she outlives the dog. I certainly don't want her. And she never wants to go anywhere because of the dog. And yes, when you are on a fixed income it is expensive to take care of them properly. But gosh, I sure love them so much. I am not completely sure what I will do when the time comes. I hate to think that the pets I have now may be the last I will ever have. That makes me feel like I would be too old to enjoy something I would love so much. Tough decision for me.
I haven't seen anyone give the reason I decided many years ago no more pets for me - maybe I'm just a wimp, but I can't stand the heartbreak when they cross over!
I had made my no pets decision many years ago, but my parents always had a poodle - they would get a new puppy as soon as they lost the current pet. When they both went into serious decline and passed at 83 and 88, I became the caretaker of the dog, who was 12 years old at the time. Tried to find a home for her, but due to her age no takers and I couldn't stand the thought of her not being cared for, so once again I had a dog.
She was a great dog, and I loved her dearly, but once again had to go through the heartbreak of losing her 5 years later. I can still vividly recall the hurt.
I love both dogs and cats, but I just am not willing to go through it again.
I can understand this. All of my pets have been either strays, from a shelter, or were unwanted. I tried to remind myself that I helped to enhance their life or enabled them to survive if I had not intervened. That rationale helped with my grief.
I really don't understand the difficulties of travel when you have pets. I had 5 cats when I was still working for the Navy and I traveled extensively to distant locations, like the Aleutian Islands, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, California, etc. Most of my trips were a week long, but occasionally I had to combine projects with some proximity and ended up being gone for two weeks or more. I had a wonderful pet sitter and never had any problems at all with her caring for the cats as well as watching out for the house. All of those cats have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge now and there have been others in the interim that passed also. I now have 4 cats, 3 of which are fairly young, and I do the same thing when I travel, except I like to board the older one that has some special needs. It's not like I'm gone every other week, so no problem with cost. Honestly, I really wouldn't want to be without at least one pet, cat or dog, in the house. They're so much company and provide endless pleasure and affection, plus giggles at their antics. If I ever have to go to assisted living I'll make sure the place I choose allows for pets as well. And I took out life insurance at age 66 to provide for any surviving pets after my death, so they won't go to the local shelter either.
ME! We have a three year old Cavalier rescue who has a minor disability and an onery old rescue cat. When they pass there will be no more pets.
As far as traveling with the furkid (cat stays home) ... as long as you bring your pet's shot certificate with you, most cities have doggie day care and boarding.
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