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Original poster

It’s irresponsible to buy 2 puppies at 94

137 replies

Onedropbeat · 20/03/2021 07:43

I don’t think it’s at all responsible at 94 to be buying puppies

I also don’t think it’s responsible buying through the pets4home website

OP posts:
sunflowersandbuttercups · 20/03/2021 10:00

@M0rT

I'm in Ireland and one of our animal charities has an add on the radio at the moment about their service for taking care of pets if you predecease them. Must be something similar in the UK? I mean for other older people not the Queen obviously 😂
There's the Cinnamon Trust.

But there's a difference between a charity taking in your dog because you've become disabled or have fallen ill, and planning to get a dog knowing you won't be able to care for it.

Sadly, people seem more than happy to defend it because the Queen has staff to care for the dogs. Which is fine in some respects, but it means other people will also think it's acceptable and they don't have the same amount of time, space and help to care for the dog.

It also ignores the fact that IF the puppies came from Pets4Homes, they likely didn't have all the necessary health tests and didn't come from a decent breeder. Yes, before I get jumped on, I know there are a few decent breeders who advertise there, but they are few and far between.

I just hope the dam of the cute puppies is well cared for and isn't part of some awful puppy farm.

CuthbertDibbleandGrubb · 20/03/2021 10:03

One thinks that the puppies will be well looked after and one thinks provision has been made for their care throughout their life, even if one's monarch passes away before the dogs do.

PinkTonic · 20/03/2021 10:03

@GoryGilmore

I’m not a dog lover at all, but if my family caused the shit storms that hers does, I think I’d rather surround myself with dogs as well.
I hadn’t read anything about this in the press at all, although I did read previously that the Queen had decided no more dogs due to her age. I think the fact that she’s changed her mind is profoundly revealing.
LemonRoses · 20/03/2021 10:03

She has capacity and therefore an absolute right to make unwise decisions. I think a puppy will fare better with her than either locked in whilst owner works all day or stuck in a small flat to entertain three children.

BattyPancake · 20/03/2021 10:04

Absolutely she could. She could also trip over the dog tomorrow, fracture a hip and not be able to care for it anymore. This could happen to anyone of any age! Hmm😂

Bakeachocolatecake2day · 20/03/2021 10:08

Princess Anne will have them though if the Queen is unable to care for them....

sunflowersandbuttercups · 20/03/2021 10:10

@BattyPancake

Absolutely she could. She could also trip over the dog tomorrow, fracture a hip and not be able to care for it anymore. This could happen to anyone of any age! Hmm😂
Yes, but a hip fracture in someone of thirty ends very differently to one that occurs to someone in their eighties.

But you know that, and are just trying to make me look stupid, so I'll let you crack on.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 20/03/2021 10:11

@LemonRoses

She has capacity and therefore an absolute right to make unwise decisions. I think a puppy will fare better with her than either locked in whilst owner works all day or stuck in a small flat to entertain three children.
They're not the only options!

Yes, I'm sure the puppies will have a lovely life but that's not really the point.

tabulahrasa · 20/03/2021 10:11

I judge the buying from a shitty breeder on pets4homes quite a lot tbh... and if that is the breeder, she is shitty because she didn’t even know or care who was buying them.

The queen’s age? Meh, she’s active enough just now ... and I’m very sure they’ll be cared for when she no longer can, probably by the same people that will be doing at least part of their care just now.

Sittinonthesand · 20/03/2021 10:14

Sunflowers - I'd have thought the puppies having a lovely life is very much the point!

TSSDNCOP · 20/03/2021 10:17

Just to say my sister's puppy was advertised on P4H and the KC website by a KC breeder. That was in late Dec. The breeder was worried that she had potential owners withdraw due to the lockdown.

I realise there are dicey breeders and lots of awful spelling on P4H, but also some good ones.

SunshineCake · 20/03/2021 10:18

Not lighthearted

Not clever

It's old news as she's had them a while.

Do you really think they won't be taken care of if she dies? Perfectly responsible to sell the, to the Queen, if that is what happened, maybe they came from within their friendship circle.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 20/03/2021 10:25

Oh how tedious.

If this is about the queen then I really would worry about the dogs.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 20/03/2021 10:25

Wouldn't

Ladderclimber · 20/03/2021 10:26

@Onedropbeat it's irresponsible and disgusting to buy animals, especially from puppy mills. I thought the news explained this to pretty much everyone :/

Puppy mills, yes but not all animals. It’s not irresponsible OR disgusting to buy a pet from a responsible breeder.

Ladderclimber · 20/03/2021 10:26

I’m just waiting for someone to suggest it was probably an irresponsible gift from Meghan. Grin

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 20/03/2021 10:27

Or Meghan might take them on later. She's fond of rescuing.

RunningFromInsanity · 20/03/2021 10:28

She didn’t buy them off pets4homes, she bought one off a registered breeder who also happened to have an advert on pets4homes.

The breeder said they did know who it was for and they weren’t suppose to talk to the press but a family member leaked the story.

They aren’t littermates, 2 similar age puppies from two separate litters (although that won’t stop littermate syndrome).

Serin · 20/03/2021 10:29

We got our dog from rescue. Prior to that he had been owned by an old lady who had been given him as a gift from her DS.
Ddog had never been on a lead, never been outside of her back garden. He was completely untrained when we got him. At just over a year old he had tooth decay so God knows what he had been fed.
I think the Queen's dogs will obviously have a great life but it should fall on the breeder to vet the new owners and satisfy themselves that the dog is going to a decent home.

Inthevirtualwaitingroom · 20/03/2021 10:34

i hope she doesnt trip over them, but good for her

RedToothBrush · 20/03/2021 10:37

What is important here isn't the age of a person getting a dog. Its the provisions they have in place in case they get ill or die to ensure the dog is well cared for.

Arguably ANY owner should have this regardless of age. Realistically if you are fit and healthy in your 20s, 30s or 40s this probably isn't too much of an issue because of the odds of something happening to you. However once you are into your 50s and you get a puppy that could reasonably live for 20 years then yes this is something everyone should be thinking of.

In terms of the Queen being given a dog at 94, I hardly think this is an issue or concern considering how the Queen is cared for by her household anyway. She has a fleet of people paid to look after her interests and this will continue after she dies. Thats very different to most people.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 20/03/2021 10:39

@Sittinonthesand

Sunflowers - I'd have thought the puppies having a lovely life is very much the point!
Absolutely not. It's only a very small part of the equation imo.

What about where the puppies came from? Is the breeder reputable? What kind of life will the dam have and how many litters has she had/will she have? Have the dam and sire been health tested? Or does none of that matter so long as the puppies are well looked after?

You can't be an animal lover if you only care about the puppies - the dams matter just as much, if not more.

Yes, I'm sure the puppies will have a fantastic life, but so do many puppies whose mums are nothing more than breeding machines.

BattyPancake · 20/03/2021 10:42

Yes, but a hip fracture in someone of thirty ends very differently to one that occurs to someone in their eighties.But you know that, and are just trying to make me look stupid, so I'll let you crack on.

Anyone of any age could get killed by a bus, you'll know that. Anything in life could happen to anyone. You can die from a stroke at the age of 26...fit and healthy but it's just one of those medical anomalies... With medical care these days a fractured hip at 80 has every chance of recovery as someone 10/20 years younger... In not trying to make you look stupid but to provider a counter point of view. At the end of the day our opinions are based on our experiences... Some have a pessimistic view others don't I guess. Any decent elderly owner will have a back-up up plan in any event... And to quote another poster, better in a calming consistent lovingly home full of attention than locked in the house between 9-5 until the family is back from work and school...

EvilPea · 20/03/2021 10:51

Normally I’d agree with you but I have a feeling they’ll be ok when the sad inevitable happens.
She stopped owning them due to her age, she did the sensible thing. But let’s face it this past year has been shit for everyone.
If you’ve owned dogs all your life that is a massive hole in your heart so I’m not surprised she has some more.

I also have a feeling she probably does know of the breeder given her life long breeding of corgis.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 20/03/2021 10:53

Anyone of any age could get killed by a bus, you'll know that. Anything in life could happen to anyone. You can die from a stroke at the age of 26...fit and healthy but it's just one of those medical anomalies

Absolutely, but it gets increasingly more likely the older you get.

With medical care these days a fractured hip at 80 has every chance of recovery as someone 10/20 years younger

Recovery, yes, but many won't maintain their full mobility at that age, and owning a young dog requires a fairly decent level of fitness and flexibility, unless you can afford for someone to walk the dog daily, pick up poo, take it to the vets, train it etc.

In not trying to make you look stupid but to provider a counter point of view. At the end of the day our opinions are based on our experiences... Some have a pessimistic view others don't I guess.

Apologies, but it did feel like you were just mocking everything I said. I don't have a particularly pessimistic view, but I do feel it's irresponsible for most people of that age to get a young puppy. The queen may have loads of help, but the vast majority of people don't have that level of support in place. Puppies are hard work and lots of young people struggle.

Any decent elderly owner will have a back-up up plan in any event

I suspect very few people have a back-up plan, to be honest. Most dogs end up rescue centres when their owners pass away. And even if family say they'll look after the dog, there's no guarantee that it'll actually happen.

And to quote another poster, better in a calming consistent lovingly home full of attention than locked in the house between 9-5 until the family is back from work and school

I agree, but those aren't the only two options. You can work full-time and provide your dog with an excellent quality of life, lots of attention, walks, daycare and fuss. Equally, you can be home full time and never bother to take your dog anywhere.