Not long ago, there was a thread (on a different discussion board, not here) regarding a senior citizen that caused a bad wreck. It seemed that they shouldn't have been driving, but none of the kids had the nerve to take the car keys away.

Several people in the discussion lamented how sad it would be for them when they got to that stage in their lives. Losing the car keys means losing freedom, etc.

That's when I realized what my own sad moment of aging would be. It wouldn't be when the car keys were taken away, because I figure I can always get a cab or find some other mode of transport. My sad moment will be when I am no longer able to take care of a dog.

There is no sense in speculating what happened with your neighbors puppy after the fact. If a necropsy was not done there is no sense it trying to use an online forum to guess what happened. I'm sorry for the loss of your friends puppy. It is very sad when things like this happen and difficult to have closure without answers to your questions. I hope that with time she as well as you are able to come to peace with what happened. RIP sweet baby :(

agreed!

such a sad story of the dog. At least you did help the lady as much as you could. So many things could have happened to make the pup sick and die. You are wonderful for helping a neighbor in need.

That's the problem right there! I cannot begin to tell you how many dogs and cats are left at shelters or surrendered to rescues after a person dies. I have had people say that while they had promised to care for their family member's and or friend's pet(s) it is just too much. It is much more common than people realize. Being in rescue has definitely awakened me to a lot of things I wish I did not know.

I am not 80 yet and I would NOT adopt a puppy at my age. I do not want my pups to outlive me. Oh....I realize nothing is etched in stone, and while I have made arrangements for my pups, I still want to outlive them if at all possible.

You will of course. Small compensation for all the pets they let you bring home as a child I'm sure, not to mention the cost of care for those animals, clean up while you were with your friends. That's the least we owe our parents. I'm already scheduled to take my mother's cat if and when she should pass prior to him.
A very small act of gratitude for years of parental love and care given.

Sometimes that is just not realistic. It is up to the people who own their pets to make proper arrangements for them....and honestly I don't think it is fair to assume a family member will be capable of doing it. BUT, I will say that it makes me sick when people promise to do it and then don't follow through. I had a woman threaten to euthanize her mother's "best friend" (her words) if I did not take it in. She said she had promised but was not able to take care of the pup. We were full at the time and I explained that to her. I finally got disgusted when she wanted to blame ME for HER possibly euthanizing her mother's "best friend" and told her exactly what I thought. Did not go over well.

It is hard sometimes for sure. Puts one in a pickle at times but its never wrong to do what's right. There's always room at the inn.
No she should have never made you responsible for her irresponsibility.

That is awful! You are right that family and friends often renege on promises to care for pets. I had forgotten that my family's beloved Airedale came into our lives when her owner, an older woman, died and her adult children advertised that the dog would be euthanized if they could not find a home. My father couldn't bear the thought and brought the dog home.

Everyone should have a plan for their pets. Maybe something could be done via a will and executor to compel the agreed caretaker to either fulfill the promise or find a good home. No PTS and no dumping. Maybe?

My parents are in their late 70's , and were qualified to get a Pom, through a rescue. My parents are very active too, and do not suffer any major health problems. We have had dogs our whole lives growing up. I know that they are perfectly capable of caring for anther dog , they have the financial needs and are mobile, taking their dog when they go to their place in lake tahoe, and to San Diego.
I am certain that a family member would take their pom if they were not able to anymore.
I guess my point is that age really might not have anything to do with it . I have elderly couple who I know well that have a min Snauzer , but the woman is more frail . The husband takes charge mostly of their dogs needs. That dog is wonderful for them. Very protective , and very calm. The dog is around 7-8 years old .
As long as the elderly person or couple can take care of a dog, then they make wonderful companions to them.

Should I add this to the "emoticon wish list"...how about a 9mm Glock?:cool::D

Of course, your thoughts crossed my mind in the first seconds of reading this thread but, who am I to judge.:rolleyes:

Pill, Falls, Wild Mushrooms...I don't even know why we even try to speculate on the cause of death because, we will never truly know, right?

R.I.P. lil' :aimeeyork one...

[QUOTE=mscat;3456366]My parents are in their late 70's , and were qualified to get a Pom, through a rescue. My parents are very active too, and do not suffer any major health problems. We have had dogs our whole lives growing up. I know that they are perfectly capable of caring for anther dog , they have the financial needs and are mobile, taking their dog when they go to their place in lake tahoe, and to San Diego.
I am certain that a family member would take their pom if they were not able to anymore.
I guess my point is that age really might not have anything to do with it . I have elderly couple who I know well that have a min Snauzer , but the woman is more frail . The husband takes charge mostly of their dogs needs. That dog is wonderful for them. Very protective , and very calm. The dog is around 7-8 years old .
As long as the elderly person or couple can take care of a dog, then they make wonderful companions to them.

I respectfully must disagree...age has everything to do when placing a "puppy" in the home of an elderly person. The goal in any puppy's wellbeing is that the puppy will NOT outlive his owner.

It's very easy to say that an elderly owner will probably have an alternate solution for the care of their pets in the event of the inevitable but, believe me or not...I have sat in Vet's offices many times where beloved pets were brought in to be euthanized because of their owner's "unplanned" deaths.

On the other hand, some are "lucky" to get turned over to their local shelter in the hopes that someone on staff there will do the right thing and call a breed specific rescue to spring 'em from their new prison sentence.

So...no, I do not agree.

I take my Yorkie Heidi with me to the nursing home for visits with the residents. Last time an elderly lady kept watching her and I asked if she would like to hold Heidi. She said no, but eventually said she would like to. She was so touched petting Heidi and began to tell me how heart broken she was because her daughter "killed" her dog when she put her in the nursing home. I don't know how long it had been, but she said she never forgave her daughter for it and had so much hurt. It seems like surely someone in the family could care enough for her to take care of that which she loves so dearly. Makes me sad.

This pretty much sums up what I was gonna say.:thumbup: