What's new

Need dog advice

We had a family dog for 14 years and we had to say goodbye 2 years ago as his heart was failing. We were heartbroken at the time, but now some time has passed and we are considering getting 2 puppies. We are hesitating because we are in our early 60s and just beginning to enjoy some freedom in life. But we really miss having a dog as a family pet.

Has anyone had experience losing a beloved family pet and then considered getting a replacement later in life? Any advice welcomed.
 
We lost our dog 2 years ago, we still had 2 dogs that were about the same age as the one we lost.
Last year we saw a dog that the people who owned her wanted to rehome her, she looked like the dog that past away so we took her and named her Molly after the dog we lost. My 2 other dogs are not in the best of health one is blind & has diabetes, the other has a little breathing problem. I'am 78 & my wife is 62, these dogs keep us young. Would not trade our situation for anything.

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk
 

Billski

Here I am, 1st again.
When I was a child, my father got a beagle for the family . My dad really wanted to hunt rabbits with the beagle. Later the beagle got hit by a car on Ridge Road. That caused me to cry a lot.

My advice: Get another dog. Be kind to your new dog. Feed it some good quality food.
 
I lost my Golden retriever 2 years ago and have never been the same since. That's another story though.
I'm nearly 70 and have a new puppy of nearly 4mo. She a miniature schnauzer and we love her. Does she tie us down? Most definitely. It's a challenge just to go out for some exercise and leave her home alone. Would I do it over again? Most definitely. We love the energy of dogs. There is no better companion.
 
recently lost my pup used as my icon pic I am a dog photographer :) yes that is a thing :)

but the love I get is larger than the loss and I am always thinking of my lost pets have had dogs bunnies ferrets daughter has rats now also had hamsters etc... OH also a duck I found a egg that was in a nest that was raided and parents were killed and I managed to raise it :)

the other thing could be see about becoming a foster helping pets get back to normal you do have to let them go but have worked with foster people that love what they do and you can take a break often fosters last a few months but might be something to look forward to

other thing our neighbor does is adopt older pets that are sadly left by people which is something I feel so sad for the pets when folks do not care and just discard them ? arrgghhhhhh
 

cleanshaved

I’m stumped
We lost our dog last year and after a few months decided life was more complete with a fury friend in the house.
Enter Zeus at the start of February. He's now 7 months old and hope to get him a play mate around February next year. All breeders we spoke to were advising against getting the second one too early, to prevent littermate syndrome.
Looking forward to getting Zeus a playmate and already have been discussing it with the same breeder we got Zeus from. We had two Labradors before and find two works for us and well as the dogs.
A puppy can be full on and I found the demands of a pup a bit more demanding than I remembered 15 years earlier. I could not image trying two at once.

What sort of dog are you looking at getting?
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
A dog truly is a humans best friend.
To be fair to the companion who would literally give his life for you, you should consider adopting a dog with a life expectancy similar to your own.
Imagine the best friend you could ever have being uprooted upon your passing and spending the end of HIS life in a shelter at the mercy of someone willing to adopt him.
He has no idea why he is alone, where his family went, or why he is being "punished" by being placed in this tiny pen.
Adopt, and save a companion who is hurting and just wants to be loved in return.
 
We lost our dog last year and after a few months decided life was more complete with a fury friend in the house.
Enter Zeus at the start of February. He's now 7 months old and hope to get him a play mate around February next year. All breeders we spoke to were advising against getting the second one too early, to prevent littermate syndrome.
Looking forward to getting Zeus a playmate and already have been discussing it with the same breeder we got Zeus from. We had two Labradors before and find two works for us and well as the dogs.
A puppy can be full on and I found the demands of a pup a bit more demanding than I remembered 15 years earlier. I could not image trying two at once.

What sort of dog are you looking at getting?
A poodle. Such intelligent dogs. What is littermate syndrome?
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
After we lost our dog (along sad end that started with the vet misdiagnosis and leg amputation) it took me years to have the mental space to want another but eventually I was ready and gave into the pressure I was of course completely hooked when we went to look at puppies. Don’t go look at puppies if you don’t want a dog. Anyway he’s a charmer but has high energy. A self taught frisbee dog actually. But he gets me out of the house and is great. You just have to figure the responsibility part in terms of travel. Good luck with your decision.
 
A dog truly is a humans best friend.
To be fair to the companion who would literally give his life for you, you should consider adopting a dog with a life expectancy similar to your own.
Imagine the best friend you could ever have being uprooted upon your passing and spending the end of HIS life in a shelter at the mercy of someone willing to adopt him.
He has no idea why he is alone, where his family went, or why he is being "punished" by being placed in this tiny pen.
Adopt, and save a companion who is hurting and just wants to be loved in return.

Very good point. I got my dog 11 years ago and I am now 73. This will probably be my last dog even though my family has a history of longevity, (my mother lived to 101). I worry about the scenario you mentioned, me and my wife dying and leaving the poor dog alone missing us. Adopting an old dog makes sense.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I miss my dachshunds.

But I have to say....I'm glad I have cats now, "the replaceable pet" as my biology prof called them.

Never any problem leaving them when we go away.
 

Messygoon

Abandoned By Gypsies.
We had a family dog for 14 years and we had to say goodbye 2 years ago as his heart was failing. We were heartbroken at the time, but now some time has passed and we are considering getting 2 puppies. We are hesitating because we are in our early 60s and just beginning to enjoy some freedom in life. But we really miss having a dog as a family pet.

Has anyone had experience losing a beloved family pet and then considered getting a replacement later in life? Any advice welcomed.
We lost our amazing 14-year-old Golden Retriever, Maggie, five years ago. Not yet over her passing. But when I retire in the upcoming years, I plan on getting another golden… a most loving, child-friendly, trainable breed. Needing the freed up schedule this major life transition allows before making the jump.

65BCC787-5E83-4EB5-BF5C-AF84D8E90684.jpeg
 
I lost my Golden retriever 2 years ago and have never been the same since. That's another story though.
I'm nearly 70 and have a new puppy of nearly 4mo. She a miniature schnauzer and we love her. Does she tie us down? Most definitely. It's a challenge just to go out for some exercise and leave her home alone. Would I do it over again? Most definitely. We love the energy of dogs. There is no better companion.

Any pics? The wife is crazy about Schnauzers and Westies.
 
9ECF906B-D271-4F4B-8CB0-37D366DD8053.jpeg We'll have a terrier as long as we can. My demise probably has a nonzero probability of someday being caused by tripping over a dog gate or an actual dog. In our mid-sixties now we have made provisions in our wills to transfer any surviving dog(s) and the means to care for them to a short succession list of trusted friends in our dog community.

The biggest obstacle I face is teaching the dang dogs to shave so my treasured gear doesn't end up in the dump or the thrift store.
 
Maybe just get 1 dog? Are the 2 you're looking at like a bonded pair or something?

Also, are you sure you want puppies? I'd try to find a rescue service and get one about 2-3 years old. It sounds weird but some older dogs who have experienced some hard times are really in tune to when someone rescues them and they are literally grateful and end up being so loving and behaved.

Just my two cents from experience.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Maybe just get 1 dog? Are the 2 you're looking at like a bonded pair or something?

Also, are you sure you want puppies? I'd try to find a rescue service and get one about 2-3 years old. It sounds weird but some older dogs who have experienced some hard times are really in tune to when someone rescues them and they are literally grateful and end up being so loving and behaved.

Just my two cents from experience.
Same experience here. It's almost like they are appreciative. Or maybe exactly that?
 
Top Bottom