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There are many, many senior pets that need adoption. I routinely see 8-12 year old pets needing homes or you could foster a senior pet and the rescue you foster for would take care of the medical bills and food. Rescues are usually desperate for fosters.
I would consider doing this. Get the benefits and enjoyment of a dog without the cost and long term care. I would hate to get too attached though, so that might make this unrealistic for me.
We have a pond with koi, greedy buggers that they are. I think there may be one ancient goldfish left. We had four goldfish die recently, one after another, and the cause is a mystery. The pond guy says they only live about five years but it's weird that the deaths have been spaced so close together. None of the koi have perished. They just keep getting bigger. The pond guy feeds the koi on his weekly visit.
Coyotes and bobcats are not uncommon but we've never seen either on our property. The cat isn't allowed outside.
When I moved in there were sixteen large goldfish and five Koi in my pond. The Koi (pigs of the fish world) were extortionists. They had to be fed twice a day or they would eat everything growing in the pond. I got rid of them. The Goldfish have been here for six years that I know of but several disappeared one winter. Just vanished. The remaining ones, plus two new ones, successfully spawned and now I have more Goldfish than you can count. They don't need to be fed but I'll give them a little food every few days.
I have Coyotes in my yard almost every night. My old cat, Watson, could be trusted to go outside with me when I worked in the courtyard or around the pond. He would rest in the shade and watch. My new cat, Archie, is too curious and will stray out the gate so I can't let him out. Hawks and Owls will take cats here as well as the Coyotes.
What are your current and past experiences with pets?
When my wife and I retired in 2008, we had a cat; shortly after retiring, we adopted a dog. And until this year, the two had been excellent companions. We've had cats before, and we've had dogs before as well, and we've loved them all. But the last two were special.
Hudson the cat and Coco the dog made the move with us when we left Virginia to follow our dream of living lakeside in Maine. And I think they really liked it here. Hudson was originally a feral cat, but he was strictly an inside cat with us, and actually I think he preferred it that way. He liked his comforts.
Coco was a miniature poodle that we adopted several years ago and very quickly occupied a place in our hearts. She enjoyed Maine more than Hudson since she was able to get outside and explore. She would often go down to the deck we have by the lake, and sit with us in the afternoon sun.
We lost Hudson last year, and Coco last month - she would have been 15 in just another week or so. We've had many pets over the years. And maybe it's because they were the last, but I truly believe they were the best cat and dog we ever had.
And they will be the last. We'd like to do a little traveling - nothing outrageously extravagant. We'd like to see more of this great country of ours. We'd like to get up to Canada, particularly since we're so close already.
And caring for pets is a responsibility that I don't think we want to take on again at this point in our lives. Knock on wood, our health is pretty darn good, but with 65 in our rear view mirror, that could change very quickly. That said, pets have been a part of my life since I was a little kid. It's going to be really strange not to have a dog or a cat (or both) in the house.
Animal lover from way back. Got a little bishon/shizu cross about a year ago. He makes my life quite a bit better. Have a 500 gallon stock tank on the patio where I have a few goldfish, several plants growing in it. I love to watch the various birds and when the weather is tolerable I love to hear them. It is an oasis out in this semi arid desert we live in.
Is there a limit on how long you can foster an animal? Do they want the animal back eventually? Or is it yours on a permanent loan?
If fostering, you are taking care of the pet while it's up for adoption so it may be adopted at any time. The only exceptions are pets that are not adoptable for whatever reason, then it may become a permanent foster under your care. A dog or cat may be unadoptable because of it's age, health, or maybe it's not good with children and no one is interested in adopting it.
When fostering, you are giving the dog or cat the benefit of living in a home instead of a kennel which is a huge plus for the animal.
If you get too attached, you can always adopt the dog or cat yourself before someone else does.
Last edited by marino760; 08-07-2019 at 07:53 PM..
I live in a condominium complex where dogs of all sizes and types/breeds are allowed. There are rules and boundaries; dog owners can be fined, or at worst, forced to give up the dog (or move) if there are a certain number of offenses. The walls between units are quite thick. Most of the people who don't own dogs are tolerant of those who do.
If dog owners keep their dogs responsibly, consider their neighbors' feelings, and the neighbors are sensible people who don't call Animal Control if the dog barks for eight minutes in the yard at mid-day once or twice in a month or more (barking for hours is an entirely different matter), dog owners and their neighbors can get along.
Dogs make very bad neighbors. If you have a dog, at least one neighbor will resent it -- and you.
If you have no previous experience as a pet owner, do not let anyone talk you into it.
Not all dogs are yappy little barkers. I had a French bulldog that rarely barked. I swear he would go weeks without a bark out of him and then when he did bark, it was one or two and he was done for a few more weeks. Dogs are not all the same.
Not all dogs are yappy little barkers. I had a French bulldog that rarely barked. I swear he would go weeks without a bark out of him and then when he did bark, it was one or two and he was done for a few more weeks. Dogs are not all the same.
There are lots of ways dogs can annoy neighbors. They can be trained not to, but few owners bother to. Most dog owners are oblivious to the notion that noy everyone loves them.
When I moved in there were sixteen large goldfish and five Koi in my pond. The Koi (pigs of the fish world) were extortionists. They had to be fed twice a day or they would eat everything growing in the pond. I got rid of them. The Goldfish have been here for six years that I know of but several disappeared one winter. Just vanished.
Our pond is visited in February and March by a heron looking to feed her new brood. So we stretch a net over the pond and now she doesn't get any fish. It still seems strange to me that waterfowl live in the desert but there are numerous artificial lakes. And apparently keeping koi is a common thing around here. They may be finny pigs but they can live up to 100 years.
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