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I've made arrangements with a nationally known animal shelter to care for my cats if I predecease them, but I sincerely hope I outlive all four of them. However, if that happens, I will still have to adopt a senior cat. I simply could not be without a pet in my life, even if I go into assisted living. The AL facilities I have looked at in my area allow pets, and I would choose one of those if I had to enter one.
We are entering our 70s and our dog is 12 years old (a cocker). I love him dearly and don't see how I could do without a dog. But, because I don't think it fair to raise another dog after he is gone, I have decided he will be our last dog. We can't stand the thought of leaving a dog as an orphan when we don't have anyone that we know that would want to adopt.
I hope your dog lives another 12 years. Then after that, contact a rescue service. Adopt an old, unwanted dog. Because.... when you sign the contract it states that if you can no longer care for the dog, it goes back into rescue!
I have two old Dobermans I adopted from Doberman Rescue. Guinness is 11. His owner died and he is crippled and no one wanted him. Sarah is younger but was a breeder, had open bed sores, liver failure, pink eye, mammary tumors, etc etc. Now.... 5 months later, (and $2,000) she is the happiest creature on the planet.
If I die before the dogs do, they go back to Doberman rescue. Thus, we have the best of all worlds, both for me and my old dogs. I have had 20 dogs in my life, most of them "rejects". I could not live without a dog.
We are entering retirement and have two new, large dogs. I like them because they make me feel safe, and are good protection (no one is going to knowingly break into our house). We made the decision knowing that probably all condos are out, and travel will be more difficult. We will either board them, or fly my mom over to house sit (when we move to the mainland), or when (if) we get an RV they will come with us.
It's always a pro / con list, and somethings mean more than others.
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We've always had dogs. They provide great companionship and entertainment. They also motivate us to go for walks.
Around 2005, to make a long story short, we ended up with 3 mini-dachshunds.
They are now slowing down and we have retired. I never thought about how they would make travel difficult after retirement. Since they live for about 14 years, we still have a few years to go. We have never thought about any plans other than to keep caring for them until their demise.
Dogs have a lifespan that is inversely proportional to their size, i.e. the small ones live longer:
I anticipate my wife falling in love with a new puppy
Pros: Dogs give companionship, unconditional love, built-in burglar alarm, motivation to exercise, and frequent amusement.
Cons: If you want to travel, you have to hire somebody to come over every day to care for them. And you can expect unplanned, expensive vet bills. They also require daily maintenance; feeding, drinking, pooping, blocking off areas of the house, etc.
Furthermore, if you plan to move to a retirement community, they may not be allowed and they will certainly need to adapt to closer quarters. They would be likely to annoy neighbors with whom you share a common wall or fence. That sets a trap. Here, we're stuck in our way too big house because it includes a fully fenced yard. It's great for the dogs but a pain to maintain.
I think I'm in the camp of no more dogs. The challenge will be getting my lovely wife to agree.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
I’m in the same situation.
I had one German Shepherd in 2004 when I retired. It’s funny, but while I was working, I never felt they tied me down. That changed when I retired. I decided when the dog died, I wouldn’t replace her.
She died in 2009. I traveled, I played golf 5 times a week. I replaced all the carpets and had a clean house and car. No more neighbor bitching that she barked at deer.
Then I found myself looking at German shepherds online 4 months later. Next thing you know, I have an import, schutzhund and protection trained. Long story, but 5 months later I have his similarly trained litter mate.
I really enjoy these dogs, but as they are now 9, I am again pondering what next. I want to live in a more urban area, so 2 German shepherds won’t work. Plus, I’m having to leave on a whim to tend to family matters cross country more and more. I’ll be about 60 when the decision comes. I can’t see someone 70 years old keeping up with working line German shepherds. And I’ve never really been a small dog person. But stilll....that empty house feeling....
I've made arrangements with a nationally known animal shelter to care for my cats if I predecease them, but I sincerely hope I outlive all four of them. However, if that happens, I will still have to adopt a senior cat. I simply could not be without a pet in my life, even if I go into assisted living. The AL facilities I have looked at in my area allow pets, and I would choose one of those if I had to enter one.
Would you mind sharing what that animal shelter is? I've always thought my present kitty would be my last because I don't want a pet to outlive me. In my independent living complex, I sometimes see people who suddenly have to go to nursing homes or die and there is no provision for anyone to take the pets they leave behind.
Family often turns a blind eye to the pet. They don't want them. There is a group of people in our building that tries to rehome the pet but if that isn't possible, it has to go to the local animal shelter. These pets are often old and no one wants them so eventually they get euthanized. Most no-kill shelters here are full and so draw the line at taking in older pets since they have a smaller chance of being adopted.
I just don't want to think a pet of mine would have to go through this. The one I have now has been through several homes because of her "issues." I've had her for three years now, she is around 8-10 years old and we are doing fine together. But I know it would be difficult to find another home for her if I couldn't keep her.
We've always had dogs. They provide great companionship and entertainment. They also motivate us to go for walks.
Around 2005, to make a long story short, we ended up with 3 mini-dachshunds.
They are now slowing down and we have retired. I never thought about how they would make travel difficult after retirement. Since they live for about 14 years, we still have a few years to go. We have never thought about any plans other than to keep caring for them until their demise.
Dogs have a lifespan that is inversely proportional to their size, i.e. the small ones live longer:
I anticipate my wife falling in love with a new puppy
Pros: Dogs give companionship, unconditional love, built-in burglar alarm, motivation to exercise, and frequent amusement.
Cons: If you want to travel, you have to hire somebody to come over every day to care for them. And you can expect unplanned, expensive vet bills. They also require daily maintenance; feeding, drinking, pooping, blocking off areas of the house, etc.
Furthermore, if you plan to move to a retirement community, they may not be allowed and they will certainly need to adapt to closer quarters. They would be likely to annoy neighbors with whom you share a common wall or fence. That sets a trap. Here, we're stuck in our way too big house because it includes a fully fenced yard. It's great for the dogs but a pain to maintain.
I think I'm in the camp of no more dogs. The challenge will be getting my lovely wife to agree.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
Currently I have two little ones. They were rescue dogs, with dachshund mixed in somewhere. I love them dearly. One is 14 and one is 8, so I have had them a long time. I am 65. These will be my last ones, though. I live alone and occasionally read stories of someone’s dying and the dogs starving or dying of thirst because the owner was alone. I don’t want that to happen if I can help it. I guess it still could while I own these, but I am in fairly good health and my son currently lives only an hour away and we text or call several times weekly. I also have pet food and water dispensers that will supply about a week’s worth of food and water before running out.
Many here have described lives with loving pets who they, in turn, love. Our cat? The cat from hell? The cat who as a kitten was so ferocious my legs were covered with scabs from kitty-attacks? The cat who the vets office refused to try to groom unless she was sedated? The pet no one will pet sit for (in their homes) when we travel. The one time we had a professional come in who tried to actually interact with her the cat peed all over the poor girl.
This is my daughter's cat, brought into our home about 12 yo ago when DD was 7. What to do? About the trips, I mean. An early suggestion from a neighbor that I try to find an "identical" cat to switch out fooling my daughter I rejected as profoundly impractical.
Funny enough our first relatively short trips seemed to have the impact of cat therapy. With each return, that damn cat actually seemed to LIKE us better. Today, instead of deliberating antagonizing us, she will actually respond although any attempt at "thwarting her" results in an angry snarl. My daughter ADORES this cat; I've actually grown quite fond of her.
Still, the travel. Now retired, we're gone (overseas) for weeks at a time. I was firm with my daughter that I was not about to sit home waiting for the cat to die. So we leave her, with close-by neighbors coming in each day for a while to make sure she's okay. The neighbor girls are free to stay at the condo for hours, watching television. The cat, though, steers clear of them.
But now loving us in her own way, she *does* get lonesome. The therapy-effect is no more. So she's taken to displaying her quite justifiable anger at our long absences by peeing on the downstairs carpet. We respond by covering everything in plastic and paying extra for kitty-cleanup sessions. Again, no one wants her as a visitor. Profoundly antisocial except now with us, she'd be miserable at a vet.
Me, I'm sticking to my vow to not give up my life (love to travel, retired for it) by waiting out hers.
Fair or not (to the cat), that's my story.
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