a very difficult decision regarding a dog to adopt?

Question

After recently losing my dog to an infection, God rest her soul, i am trying to find another dog to give a loving home to, possibly two dogs. In my area, there is an animal shelter, and they show pics of the dogs on the shelter's website that are needing homes. We all know how desperate the need is, and there are two dogs that are a pair, meaning they are to be adopted together, or none at all. They are both 11 years old seniors, and the caption under the pic said that they were abused by negligent owners. I would like nothing better than to open up my heart, and wallet, to give these two dogs a loving home. The age factor scares me, though. I don't know how long a dog lives, on average. What? 15 years tops? Anyway, i just went through the death of my dog, and i don't wanna go through another in the near future, or well, ever!!!

Would any of you adopt those 11 year olds if you were I? Can you give me the why's and the why nots? Please be honest, too.

thanks!

Answer 1

Really, this is a decision only you can make. You know yourself and whether you can handle the possibility of expense and the likelihood that they will not be with you long.

Some people cannot handle it. That's perfectly all right, we all have our different talents and gifts. Some people are better to adopt puppies (while some can't handle puppies), others are better with young adults or middle aged dogs.

On the other hand I know some people who ONLY adopt seniors, because they want to give these dogs at least some happiness and love in their lives before they go to the bridge.

Senior dogs are precious. If you have it in you to open your heart to them it is very rewarding to watch them blossom from finally having love and proper care. But yes, it does hurt when you have to say goodbye.

I once adopted a senior, and I don't regret it even though I only had her for 1 1/2 years. I would do it again but I currently have a lot of dogs and it wouldn't be fair to the senior.

Answer 2

It can be assumed that a dog will live tops of about 15 years. A small breed may live a little longer, but larger ones will probably be shorter. These dogs being neglected will add to the fact that most likely they are only a couple years away from passing.

With that in mind, the decision to adopt is yours. The pros of adopting them are how satisfied you will feel at giving these poor guys a great home for their last days. If they have had a hard run at it, it would be a wonderful thing to let them live happy and comfortable for the rest of their lives. But obviously this would be very hard on you. You may well bond more with these dogs than another would in this short time due to your loss. No one could blame you for being hesitant about taking on this potential heartache... it is not only possible but probable. You must also factor in the potential costs you are taking on. An old dog will very often have health problems. Again, this is more likely due to their being neglected. Can you afford to treat them for all the potential problems they may face? This is definately a factor to consider before adopting. The choice is yours, and either decision you make no one can fault you for it.

Answer 3

My first thought is, if someone -- meaning you -- doesn't adopt them, they'll likely die in the shelter, because very few people are willing to adopt a dog they may only have around a few short years.

But, the issue is you. Some people can handle rescuing dog and suffering through the difficulties with them, other people cannot. Don't let anyone condemn you for not being able to do that, as it isn't for everyone.

But, think... if you adopted a young pup, it could very well still die in five or six years, or sooner, due to illness or injury. It could be a very costly illness, or it could be instantaneous. Who knows?

I say take these dogs into your heart and home and give them the very best years of their life. I think you'll enjoy every moment you have with them and be thankful you did so, even if it may only be a few years. Hopefully, they have no long-lasting scars -- physical or otherwise -- and they may also live to be in their 20's.

I highly suggest you contact someone to discuss the health of the dogs as well as their temperaments, then go visit. You'll know when you meet them.

Thank you for adopting.

Answer 4

A dog's expected lifespan depends mainly on the breed. We took in a lab/terrier mix from my parents several years ago, who is now 15 and still kicking. She is a little slower than when she was younger, but she is not suffering and is still able to enjoy life, and will probably go at least another year that way. If you are looking for one or more dogs to adopt, I would definitely consider them because, like kids, the older ones frequently get passed over (my wife and I are planning to adopt older children for the same reason). If these dogs were abused by previous owners, there are two things I would worry about. The first is any behavioral issues that may result, and how able you are to deal with them. The second is if they have any chronic conditions that would strain your budget. Other than that it sounds like you would give them a wonderful loving home to spend their last years in.

Answer 5

If you are looking for a dog or two to open your heart and home to but don't want to deal with dogs that old why don't you look into adopting a Greyhound? Thousands of Greys are put down all the time. And they are great house dogs. Their adverage life span is 15 years old and they usually come off the track between 3-5 yrs old. Unless they are kept for breeding or adopted they are distroyed. They are not "hyper" nor do they need to "run" like most people think...they just need a comfortable home with lots of love and a good walk a day....check it out on the web...best of luck...

Answer 6

I'm a huge advocate of adopting pets from a shelter, so KUDOS to you!
I would caution you on the age of the dogs in question though.
A few years ago, we too lost a pet. She was a stray cat that we took in and cared for for a couple of years. She went out one day and never came back...my family was devistated, as we became very attached to her.
A few weeks later, we went to a shelter and found a cat that looked very similar to our missing cat, and all they could tell us about the animal was that she was very old and had belonged to an elderly lady that had passed away. Drawn by how much this old cat looked to our lost pet, we took her home.
Long story short, she was very ill, as well as old. Began having seizures shortly after coming home and was so far gone, that all we could do was try to keep her comfortable, for as long as possible. She passed away about 8 months after we brought her home. So, we lost 2 pets in less than 12 months. It was pretty hard on the little ones.
The next trip to the shelter...we looked for kittens!
I'd suggest you visit the shelter personally. Sometimes they don't show all of the pictures on the website of the animals that they have available. Also, they get new animals every day, so visit a few times before you make a decision. Good luck.

Answer 7

Absolutely I would adopt these two. As an animal lover I never put my feelings ahead of my animals well being. Think of the chances of these two being adopted (pretty well slim to none), and if this is not a no kill shelter these two will be put down. I couldn't handle knowing that my selfishness was the factor on them living or dying. Think of the great rest of their life you could give them. Now with that said you also said they were neglected so I would also check their disposition if you are unable to show these dogs affection due to their attitude then that would be another story. I took on a stray 5 years ago that was badly mistreaten and now 40 lbs heavier she is the absolute best dog I have.

Answer 8

A dogs lifespan depends on the age of the dog generally a smaller dog like a jack russel would live longer than a larger breed but i have heard of Saint Bernards Living till 15. I would advise if you dont want the upset of losing a dog again so soon not to bother with such an old dog but on the other hand it would be nice for the older dogs to live the last years of their life in a loving home rather than a dogs home.

Answer 9

You do have a hard decision to make. My gut reaction is to tell you that these 2 dogs need someone like you. There is probably no one else to step up to the plate. And yes- they will probably only be with you a few years. But you will have given them a wonderful gift.

Find some way to help yourself deal with issues of loss. I don't have the answer here- I have problems with it myself. Remember dogs can pack a lot of living into a few short years.

Whatever you decide- good luck. You sound like real sweet person.

Answer 10

I understand your fear. First, adopting an animal of any kind at any age is a risk. No one can tell you exactly how long they may live. Ask a vet, if possible, before adopting, to check both animals over. Based on their health ask them to give you an APPROXIMATION of how long they will live. Remember, if you are unfamilar with the breed, to ask someone at the place of adoption or a vet regarding the proper care and food needed for the animals. Different breeds and ages require different care.