Am I making the right choice...
 

We've decided to adopt an 11 yr. old Yorkie girl, named Sasha. Well, I was all excited and then I called the vet. The receptionist was of the opinion that "Woa, she must have been a breeder or have some bad health problems because she's so old!" Well her current owners are just extremely busy and seem to not have any time for her. They are really nice & just sound like busy professionals. The only health issues she has are bad teeth and arthitis , which is to be expected at her age. She hasn't been spayed and her shots aren't current, so they aren't asking a rehoming fee. After talking to that receptionist I now have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that I'm making a poor choice. What do you all think?

Sorry for such a long post! I'm just so nervous right now!

Oh my gosh, I think you are doing a wonderful thing!! Please don't let anyone take away the joy you feel and deserve when adding a special new member to your family! Im sure you and your new addition and the rest of your family will have many happy times ahead of you! congratulations!!

I think you are doing the right thing. The dog is probably lonely if they are truly that busy with work. She will be SO happy to have attention!!!

I think it is wonderful of you to give her a loving home at this stage in her life. Sounds like they haven't had tome for her in awhile. You can get a puppy and end up with majot vet bills too. I hope you get her and I can't wait to see pics of her.

You are doing a very good thing . Congrats .

Actually, I think it shows how responsible you're being. Kudos to you.

You're military, right? The Vets on base are pretty inexpensive (comparatively). Will you ever go to a base that doesn't have full service vet care? My suggestion is to see if you can take the dog in for a full exam before you make any concrete decisions. Explain to them your situation. They *should* work with you on this. Take the dog's vet record with you. From there, find out how much it would cost to take care of these heath issues. Then, call around & find out how much it is off base. To be even more proactive, you could try calling Vets in prospective areas you might be stationed during the remainder of the dog's life. Then, ask yourself - do I have the time to dedicate to this? Will I be able to afford this if we move to an expensive area, with no on full service on base clinic? Do I forsee a situation where I wouldn't be able to handle this -- such as if the hubby gets deployed? If you find yourself questioning an answer, it's not wrong to turn down the opportunity. It makes you even more responsible. On the other hand, if you don't forsee any problems, then God bless your soul! :animal36

Good luck in your decision. I wish you & the sweet doggie in question the very best luck!

All the best,
Catherine

I think it's terrific that you want to adopt her and you know what her issues are. Bottom line, you know how you feel and I wouldn't let your vets receptionist sway your decision. We have an ex mill dog who's eleven and he's doing very good. Oh and she needs a furever home with people who will love on her.:animal-pa

I've never even thought to check with a vet on post! I'm going to be making some calls for sure! I'm pretty sure we're staying in WA for the rest of his time as active-duty, since he's part of a SF group and isnt planning on making a career out of the Army. WA is a VERY expensive area, and vets are no exception! The vet check is a great idea to do before finalizing the adoption, but they live quite a ways away from us so I don't know if they'd be willing to do that? I'll ask though! Thanks for all your great ideas!!!

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement! I do feel better about it now! Sasha is the dog we were originally going to adopt before my MIL bought us Xavier and she still needs a home! The more I think on it, the more I feel like its the right choice. I am still nervous though....

You know, you're absolutely right! I didn't adopt her the first time because of all the bad feedback I received from people after they heard how old she was and I did find myself worrying about what happened to her. :thumbup::thumbup: Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

Darlin ( avatar ) was with me for 17 years . She was so adorable . If you have pictures of Sasha , I'll be very glad to see them .

Absolutely you give that sweet dog a new home, she needs you, she'll be worth any penny you spend on her, I mean you're not paying a rehoming fee anyway right? You already know she is a senior dog, so it's not like you aren't going to be expecting a few things anyway, you aren't going into it blind. I think it will be one decision you will not regret. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::aime eyork:aimeeyork:animal-pa:animal-pa:thumbup:

I think you're doing a wonderful thing!:)

You are absolutely correct! Thank you!

Darlin is precious! I'll definitely be posting pics of Sasha when we get her :)