Adopting to Elderly?
 

Breeders,

I have a question that I have actually been thinking about for a long time. If a person comes to you that is way way up in age ande wants to buy a puppy, do you hesitate? I bring up this question because my grandma who is in poor health and is 78 (and who dislikes Stewie btw) wants to adopt a "lap dog" to keep her company.

I know that I probably would hesitate. If a person is 80 or more (or any age you deem appropriate), I know that I probably wouldn't adopt them one of my puppies. Only because I know that the dog would likely outlive them. And I've had experiences in my own family and friends of my family where the pet goes to the shelter when the owner can no longer properly care for it. We can't always rely on children and grandchildren to take responsibility for the pet when they have to. I know I wouldn't take in my grandmother's dog. No offense to the potential dog or her, but I wouldn't feel obligated.

I know this is a somewhat controversial question, but I really have a legitimate curiosity about feelings out there.

having a 84 year old grandma myself who askes for a kitten every day
i would DEFF NOT give a puppy or kitten to an eldery person UNLESS there family would be taking the puppy after and it has to be for sure other wise no
i would only get my grandma a kitten unless
1. i was gonna take it after why get an animal for a couple months /or years then it has to go to a shelter or new home no way
2.it was not a young dog mabee a 15 -18 year old dog where they have the same amount of time left together its very unfair to the puppy to get a loving home then be ripped away when the owner dies i check all the time on petfinder and there are 100s of young dogs where it says either ther owner got to old to care for it or they died
also how is an older person gonna chase after the puppy and clean up after it i know my grandma has a cane and can barely bend done to pick things up also i know my grandma im sure its due to old age but she doesnt watch where shes going and her hands dont have the grip they use to
so after all this rambleing on i would not give a older person a puppy

Kristy, I think it is a good question. From the standpoint of rescue we would look at it on a case by case situation. Some elderly are in very good health and we would adopt to them one of our senior dogs but absolutely not a young one. It would be very unfair to the dog and our first priority is always with the dog. My heart does break for seniors that would like something to keep them company but it would not be fair to the dog.

This makes sense :thumbup: ...there is always the shelters too...there are lots of dogs that would just love to hang out with someone who just wants to love them...but there is always that worry about the age thing. This is an interesting question...hard to answer too...

and Cindy...I can see it would be difficult turning down someone because of their age ....but thanks to people like you - many many dogs do find the good life.....

I can't say that I would let them have a puppy. If I had an older, calmer dog...sure. Pups have a tendency to bite and scratch and with a lot of elder people that have thin blood, this could spell trouble.

It's A Tough Question...
 

I think pets are wonderful in many aspects for the elderly. I usually recommend a young adult if they can handle it.

Great thread Kristy! I just kind of sort of went through this issue with
my Dad. He's not old but is suffering from dimentia. His poodle of 17
yrs had to be put down and he was so lonely that it broke my heart.
He wanted a puppy and my Mom is in good shape so I didn't see any
problem really. I was wrong! The new puppy is totally out of control
because my Mom works and my Dad just spoils him rotten all day long.
It may not sound bad and the dog does have a nice life, but I sure
wouldn't want him if anything happened to my parent's. I so wish now
that I had looked into replacing his beloved dog with an older dog
rather than a puppy.

What age are you considering elderly? I have witnessed people in the middle years and younger age that have taken a pet into there home only to find that when vacation time came about in the summer off to the animal shelter they would go. This is very upsetting to me. I don't think age plays into having a pet I believe it is what is in a persons heart and no one knows when ill health is going to strike and believe me age don't matter on that one. I would not deny a elderly person of the joy in having a puppy, older dog or cat or what ever their heart desires, this is my personal thoughts.
My husband is disabled and our yorkie is such comfort and joy to him and myself, yeppers, we I guess might be considered elderly. I took it into consideration after we lost our yorkie last November as to whether it was fair to get another and after discussing it with our daughter knowing that if something happens to us, she encouraged us to get another with the understanding that it would always have a home with her. Please really think on this one before making a decision not to place a puppy or pet in a home with elderly people. Our yorkie is so loved and spoiled but I wonder how many other yorkies out there aren't? I know this is sounding defensive maybe on my part being I guess one would say we are elderly and do have health issues to deal with but like I said before illness, death don't pick and choose, just love out yorkies and thank God for each day we all see the sun rise. Thanks, Patti

You know they say that having an animal helps prolong the life of seniors.
I would hate to discriminate against anyone who had tons of love to dish out to one of my pups.
We just had to finalize some much needed details before this took place.
I have recently placed a pup in the home of a very active 78 yrs young lady. Upon doing so, we agreed that I would hold this puppy a little longer than usual and placed her at almost 5 months. Giving her some time to establish her potty routine.
Gladys * the new owner ,has one of two daughter in daily to help with household tasks and such.
* Fenced Yard* was also a priority,
All my Pups are micro chipped as well,
In my contract it was stated that should anything happen to Glady's the pup, would reside with the daughter ( who was was more than willing to step up to this arrangement)
I also have a lifetime Welcome Home Policy for all my pups.
Cleopatra the pup has brought so much Joy to Glady's life and her daughters swear that she insists on getting down on the floor to play with her.

Wow, this is a great question...
 

If I were able to visit the person in their home and check out their situation, I may be able to find it do-able. Like someone else said, elderly folks can be in perfect health and able to take care of a puppy just as well as I can. As a breeder, I would think there would be no harm in asking a potential elderly owner if they do have a contingency plan for the pup in the case of the owner's illness or demise.

I would hate to think that as long as I thought I had the ability to care for a dog, someone would deny me one. I do wonder if animal shelters have restrictions.. :confused:

On the other hand, the reason we have Dreama is because her elderly owner's wife passed away, and he had a stroke and had short term memory loss. He knew he was in constant danger of forgetting he even had a dog, so asked his groomer to take her, which eventually landed Dreama with Dave and I. But if she had been owned by younger folk in perfect health, we may not own her today. :(

Thanks everyone for your responses!

BUMPING UP for my answers/opinions!

I have a list of households that I will not place my puppies in and one is with elderly people. I don't mean, say an elderly mom lives with a family who is being interviewed for possible ownership. I have been asked how can I do that, isn't it discrimination? NO, IT IS A SAFE SELECTION process. I am 69 and I would think twice about selling one to me. By the time the dog is 15 and needs to get to the vet, the old human needs to get to the doc and families are often too busy to take them there. Also, elderly cannot take their pets to assisted living homes and that is so sad. I have placed a retired mom with older couples BUT a younger relative has to come to be interviewed and sign an agreement to either bring the baby back to me or provide care for it themselves.

I have seen this first hand. NOT GOOD! "Some" of the elderly people just can't keep up with a dog or cat, much less a little puppy. They don't let them out to go potty enough, so they potty in the house. The dog plays to rough! They don't feed or water properly. They can't see well enough to keep things off the floor or clean up stuff....... It's really sad, sad, sad, because they love their pets and want them. But, I don't think it's in the best interest of the animal. I know this is a tough call, and not all elderly are in bad shape, but I think you need to think about the animal first. Some of my friends have bigger dogs that they take to nursing homes and retirement homes to visit. The folks love it! :) That's happy and safe for all... :thumbup:

Your Clocks A Tickin'
 

BRAVO! I'm amazed at the discrimination being played out here. First of all, I'd would not hesitate to place a pup with an "elderly" person but they would be screened, JUST AS I WOULD FOR ANY PROSPECTIVE NEW OWNER. Age is not the question. Many of the "elderly", as you put it, are more loving and caring for a pup than many younger people, and some of those younger ones shouldn't even be allowed to have children. I have also placed pups with families with young children. Again, screening. I was raised on a farm. I TAUGHT my children from the beginning how to treat animals. To simply refuse to place a pup where there are young children is just as discriminating as with the elderly. It all depends on the individual, regardless of age!

I get the feeling that some of you would place a pup with an individual who has never had animals before you would with a loving young family or senior member of our society. Just remember, you will be there someday. Believe me, it rolls around much quicker than you think!

We are in a similar situation. we lost our Yorkie in January. Before she died I had said I wouldn't want another one because I knew the work would all fall on me. However my husband is mildly disabled and that little yorkie meant the world to him. So when she died, I just knew we had to get another one.

I am 15 years younger than he is so I am not considered elderly. but none of us know when we are going to die, or when our dog is going to die for that matter.

I would be more concerned with the amount of energy that it takes to have a puppy, and would probably try to steer them towards an adult dog. but I don't think I could ever deny them one.

For those of you who think you would turn them down, I dare say your opinions might change as you get older.