First, I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts on this. I was really uncomfortable making a decision without others' input.
Well, I have had a chance to speak with her again and won't be placing Tessa with her. The age thing did carry some weight but wasn't the deciding factor. My decision was made due to the fact of her not having a fenced yard. It should have been brought up in our first conversation, but I guess we got a little side-tracked while talking.
I'm not saying that I would never place a pup with someone without a fenced yard. I've placed 2 in the past to people with town homes (condos), but I have to look at the total picture.
In this case, I was looking at an elderly couple with no other dog and no fenced yard. Tessa would have been totally dependent on them to provide her with all her exercise and social inter-action. I just felt that the odds were high that their current activity level wouldn't be maintained throughout Tessa's life and that she would become a house dog with no outlet for her energy and I just think it's not in her best interest.
For me, I don't have hard fast rules in placing a pup but look at the total picture. An ideal home would be someone that's settled down and is home more often than not, has a fenced yard, is familiar with the breed and has a history of providing good care for their pets. I also like if they have another dog in the home or, at least, have family members with a dog they will see often so the pup can have a 'dog buddy'. Not a complete list, but you get the idea. Every home doesn't have to have all these qualities, but there has to be enough to make me comfortable in placing a pup. Temperament and the size of the pup also play into it. I don't think every pup is a good fit for every home, even good homes, so that's a major consideration.
After dealing with this, I still think I would consider someone older for a pup but there would have to be more there than in this case for me to place a pup.
Thanks to you all for your thoughts. I appreciate it very much.
Jim |