I am 57 for the record. This has been my experience from a rescue point of view. I have gotten in 3 rescues from elderly people who could not care for the dog or who died in the last year. The last little girl I got in was purchased by a 89 year old woman (for $2500) who made no arrangements for the dog after she died. This little girl lived in 2 crates, one to poop & pee in and one to live in as she was pretty wild during her typical puppy growing stages. Another one was from a 78 year old woman who never walked the dog or took her to the vet so this little girl came in with a lot of issues...she had an old soul at 3 years of age. Had to pull 9 of her teeth. She didn't know how to play with toys or even run in the yard. These people also believed in rubbing the dogs nose in its mess's to train (old school). The last one went through 2 homes before she was 9 months old because the original owners (age 79) thought Yorkies were suppose to just be lap dogs (didn't understand they are terriers) so were not prepared to deal with the puppy stage and they could not house train her so they sold her to a young couple with children who scared the Yorkie all the time (yorkie bit) because these people had no knowledge of Yorkies so they put a cage in their backyard and that is where she lived.

Now from a positive standpoint we have adopted many elderly Yorkies to elderly people (in their 80's) and it has worked out wonderfully for the dog and for the people. The agreement always included that the dog could come back to rescue or we had commitments from the children. We knew it would be difficult to adopt out the elderly dog and would have probably had to live in our homes until their time came. This has worked out wonderfully for the dog, for the people and for my house.

Guess they didnt like my reply...dumped it :aimeeyork

go with your gut instinct. if you feel it's a bad match it probaly is. it's your job to place pups in the best possible homes. personally, i wouldn't judge someone on what you think their life expectancy is. you could sell to a great 30 something and they could drop dead tomorrow.

There are a lot of clueless young people that think they should be house trained in a week, work long hours and leave the dog crated. Put them in kennels so they can vacation, etc. So I believe it should be a case by case decision and not based on age.

I work in the Elderly feild and I can tell you the ones I have been around adore dogs and cats, but they are also supervised.
A friend of mine not to long ago wanted a Yorkie for her mom, so I set her up with the breeder where i got Kloey, not even 2 months later she sold the puppy cause she could not handle it. Let the baby go for $200 ! I wish I would have known that she was selling him!
If a elderly person who can take care of them self wants a pet, I would suggest a dog that is already trained and house broken.

As a breeder I think you do need to consider these issues on a case by case basis. Each situation is unique and needs to be evaluated individually with our ultimate responsibility to the well being of the pup and it's future.

This sounds like a very difficult situation.

I had an elderly neighbor who years back had her 6 year old dog die of heart trouble. She was devastated. It was made worse by the vet tech who said that this will be your last dog because you don't want your dog to out live you. This disheartened her and she spent many more healthy years without a doggie companion. She really missed having a dog in her home.

I agree with it being a case by case situation.

I too agree that it is a case by case decision. Not only do you have to take into consideration the fact that the people are aging, you also have to consider the dogs attitude. Some puppies are just naturally lap dos, while others are not. Some people have well behaved children, some do not. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when selling a Yorkie. It depends on many things. I do have a clause in one of my contracts that states that if the person should become unable to care for the pup and another relative cannot care for the pup, the pup must come back to me before the pup is put up for sale. It must be signed by not only the new owner of the pup, but also by a relative of the owner (ie., spouse, son, daughter). This way, I know that I will be assured that the dog will NOT be shoved into a shelter or left cooped up in a cage after the person I sold the dog to can no longer take care of it. Albiet death, or any other circumstance that leaves the person unable to care for it.

As in all adoptions, I hope that any breeder would be diligent in placing each and every puppy in a loving home...a home where this puppy would be loved, a home where this puppy would be able to have access to veterinary care, a home where this puppy would get exercise and proper training. There should be no exceptions made to these things.

I would hope that the breeder would not say "I would never allow one of my pups into the home of an elderly person". Of course, it's definitely up to the discretion of the breeder...each to his or her own.

But I am speaking as a young (45) year old disabled woman. Am I to be discriminated against because of my disability? I would hope not. I would hope that the breeder would check out my situation thoroughly (as was done) and deem me a good mom for one of his/her darling pups. I guess some people would consider me similar to an elderly person, though, as I don't move too fast, I fatigue easily and I probably won't have the life span of a healthy, fit person.

I would hate to see a wonderful person, whether they be old or young, disabled or not, miss out on being the mom or dad to a great pup because he or she is discrimiinated against because of a particular group that they fall into.

I'm truly proof that age is only a number, and that we can be stricken down at any age.

Discrimination is discrimination, and I would hope that the breeder would treat each prospective puppy parent on an individual basis.

I would hope that any parent and/or pet owner, no matter what their age, would have arrangements in place for their children and/or pets in case something were to happen to them. After all...we all know that it's just not old people who die.

Personally it all depends upon the health and attitude of the person seeking the pet.
I have an older friend who has a little male yorkie and he is her life. When she got him he was already potty trained. I am sure that really helped both of them to adjust faster.
We never know how much time we have with our beloved pets. They can be well one minute and at deaths door very soon thereafter. But then we can flip the coin over and that applies to us humans as well. Enjoy what time we have and be responsible and make arrangements for our pet or pets in case something happens to us before them.

wow this is a tough one. Ok my nana had a Poodle (Pickalilly) who she adored. My nana passed at the age of 73 and was very ill her last 5 years of life. But let me tell you, she took good care of that dog. 2 days before she passed she had taken Pickalilly to get groomed. She kept up with all her needs even when she was too sick to even care for herself, she always made sure that dog was well taken care of. Pickalilly was already 7 or 8 when my nana passed and went to go live with my aunt. Pickalilly was so depressed she herself passed away after only 4 months of being in my aunts home. Even though my aunt took good care of her, she missed her momma too much. If Pickalilly had been a puppy and with my nana's illness, I don't think she would have been able to give the puppy the proper care it needed.

I'm not saying that the elderly would not be able to care for a puppy just like a younger person would. There are many factors to look at. I do feel that having a pet is a wonderful companion for the elderly. I think adopting an adult dogs is a wiser decision.

We had a Pom. Her name was Natasha. She was so beautiful, But she was just not the dog for us. She hated the kids (Well the 2 younger ones) And after attacking my daughters face, there was no way my husband would let us keep her. She had bitten before and was given quite a few chances. I was pressed for time here. I did not want to take her to the shelter for fear that they would not beable to place her. My husband did not want her and was going to take her himself if I didn't find her a home. I feel it was Gods will that brought that little old lady to us to rescue Natasha. To see these 2 together you can see it's the perfect match! Natasha is loved and so spoiled by her new mommy. I belive this lady was in her early 80's and would you believe after being here for a year and a half and not being able to potty train her here she gets Natasha over there and was completely trained in just 2 or so months. It's been a little over 5 years now and they both are doing just fine. I tell you a match made in heaven!

Anyways, here is a case where it worked out. And I would have to agree with what has been already said. Each case is different. I give these breeders lots of credit. What ever their views are on this topic they all want the same thing,,,, and that's to place their precious pups in the best possible homes.

I agree with you. It would first of all depend on the person, their circumstances, and my gut feeling. Before I would place a puppy with someone I have long conversations on the what they are going to have to live through as the pup goes through their different growth stages. We all know that puppies are a handful and require lots of attention and patience. Many, many times I have suggested perhaps getting a dog with a few years on them to by pass some of the ornery stages of puppyhood, etc. But as far as totally dismissing a good home for a puppy just because someone was a senior citizen would be so discriminating IMO. Its the circumstances that need to be looked at, not just specifically someone's age.