Older rescue dog - would you give a home to a dog 7yrs plus ?

[frumpety]

Still looking for a rescue dog , although sporadically and I have come across a rescue group dedicated to re-homing older dogs and there as some gorgeous dogs on there , one I particularly like is 10.

DH was a bit when I mentioned the age of the dog , mainly I think because he was devastated when our old DDog had to be pts . We were never considering a puppy or really anything under 2 , but having seen all these lovely older dogs , a lot of whom still have plenty of zest for life , I do wonder if an older dog would be a better fit for us .

Has anyone else given a home to an older dog ?

BLUEs

Yes that is correct. I work for a national rescue but also have an older rescue dog myself through them and she is on a cover for life policy. The same applies to cats too. We have recently rehomed an 18 year old cat and she went out with the insurance in the same way that our kittens and younger cats do.

Yes. Absolutely yes. Our 14 year old greyhound girl came to us when she was 8. We've had nothing but pleasure and sunshine from her and she has only slowed down this year.

Our little lurcher is (we think) about 10 or 11. She's super fit, competing in Rally and Obedience, just done her Silver KC test and will run for hours. A bit grey round the edges but so am I.

We've previously fostered and adopted oldies - they have so much to give. I would do so again in a heartbeat.

Mine is an "oldie", I fell in love with her little grey face. She's so awesome. Go for it OP!!!

Yes! My girl is 6, no idea how close to 7, but she's 6 and has been with me 2 months. She's full of beans, stupidly friendly and affectionate, clever and well trained/behaved. The only downside to it is knowing that her time with me will be shorter than had she been a pup - she means the world to me and couldn't love her more if I tried.

I think it's great to give an older dog a home. They're often left behind due to people wanting young for 'more fun' (they don't know what they're missing!), youthful cuteness and sometimes health. Poor dogs

We took our boy in when he was 7, 8 years later he's still with us, we've moved house and had another kid and he's deaf as a post but I couldn't have asked for a better dog he's been amazing with the kids mostly ignoring them to be fair but will play rough with my DH but never would with the kids. Follows me around to make sure I'm OK and really helped me pull through some dark times. I don't know how much longer he's going to be with us as he's collapsed a few times with a collapsed larynx common in JRTs and I don't want another dog because there won't be another dog as good as him.

You'd be doing an amazing thing, so many people just want puppies that the oldies end up living out their last days in rescues but they have just as much love to give and you don't go through all the seperation anxiety and toilet training.

I haven't read the thread, just scrolled down to tell you about my beautiful boy. I adopted him 3.5 years ago aged 10 - the advert said 6/8 years and then his passport arrived...
I love him so much. He's such a happy boy to have a good life now and he deserves that so much. He has spurts of silly energy though does sleep a lot and is getting arthritic (as am I!).
Give an old dog a chance, I only wish I could have met my old boy years ago but he is a breed that should live well into senior years.

Oh, and he's insured through PetPlan. High excess but has been worth it when he's had non-age related illnesses. They are so good at paying out.

We took on a rescue Bichon Frise who was 8 and had a heart condition (not that we knew about her heart that at the time)
She was a wonderful dog, never lived with kids or cats before but got on with ours fine. Very cuddly and happy to walk for miles. She died in her sleep aged 10. We had her for just under 2 years. In all honesty I wouldn't do it again.

We adopted 2 older dogs. One was 8 and the other 10, both had grown up together and their owner had died. DH was asked to put them both to sleep as the family couldn't take them.

Originally we were only fostering them after contacting a lab rehoming charity until they could be rehomed together as we felt it would be unfair to split them up. We already had 2 labs and were experienced lab owners. Both boys fitted in perfectly and we decided to adopt them. Older dogs aren't for everyone and it takes time to get used to them and their personalities. The cat has never forgiven us You also have to consider vet fees and any treatment. We don't need insurance as DH is a vet. The eldest of the 2 dogs needed numerous operations for cataracts, a tumour on his spine and various non malignant tumours. The treatment would have ran into thousands if we'd had to pay for it so please think carefully as a lot of insurance companies say they cover x, y and z but don't.

We had both boys until one was 12 and the other 16. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat but only because DH is able to treat our animals. I'd think very carefully if that wasn't the case.

Yes definitely. In fact I'm more likely to rescue older dogs as they are the ones that need it most! Our rescue came to us at 7 and is now nearly 9. She is an English bulldog so will likely only live a couple more years but has had a wonderful few years with us. She hasn't actually cost us much at all so far as she rarely gets ill.

I adopted a 11.5yr old GSD lady from a rescue. She had been taken to the vet office to be destroyed as her owners were moving into sheltered housing. The rescue took her and gave her to me. She was wonderful from day one. The rescue said she ate dry food - not with us! 5 cans of tinned food per day! Not insured but a trip to the vet every 6 weeks for a skin condition and steroids.

She showed symptoms of CDRM after a few months and I had her Put-to-sleep 14 months after she arrived as her mobility was deteriorating and she seemed distressed by it. She was here for retirement, love, company and plenty of food. I think she got all that and we loved having her. I was upset when I lost her, but it wasn't the same sadness as having a longer-term dog die. I felt a real sense of satisfaction that her time with us was good for her.

I had an 8 year old black lab rescue. She lived to be 15 and was utterly adorable......the perfect dog. Go for it!!

We're thinking about an older rescue dog to be a companion to our 8 year old terrier cross. We can offer so much, and we think our terrier will be happier with a steady old dog than an energetic jumpy younger dog. Obvs we'll have to choose one which will tolerate our terrier, but he is no longer that bothered about other dogs, except cuddling up. In fact we're wondering about a lab rescue, because our terrier was brought up with labs. It's a huge step though.

Yes, our second Lakeland was 10 when we got him and he lived until he was just shy of 16. Lots of dogs go into rescue because their owner dies. People used to stop us to tell us how beautiful he was and he had his own grumpy charm.

Aside from a bit of stiffness in his legs he didn't show his age and had no need for the vet until about six months before he died, when he began having seizures.

Of course puppies are cute and sweet but they are very hard work. I've had four adult rescues. Often the hard work has already been done and if they do have any behavioural issues you know what they are.

...and I agree with dotdotdotmustdash, it was sad when he was pts but not the kind of heartbreak I had with my other Lakie, who was with me from under a year old. I was pleased he'd had a nice retirement and we were able to keep him out of kennels and give him some good last years.

Several of mine have been between seven and ten when I adopted them. The latest one was fifteen!
I don't insure them though. I could manage to find the money if necessary but by thirteen or so I refuse invasive treatments because I don't want to put them through it.
I feel exactly like dotdotdot above. The fifteen-year old walks several miles a day and is very robust at the moment. I'll feel very sad when he goes but I hope not broken-hearted - I wanted to give him a happy life for however long he has after he was badly treated elsewhere and that's what I'm doing.

'A grey muzzle and a wise eye'.

What a beautiful way to put it Horridhenry.

Always warms my heart when I see a really old dog out and about still clearly loving his/her walk even though the walk is now a really slow one.

Yes!!! we have had two rescued Staffies, both 8 when we got them and they were the loveliest kindest and best behaved of dogs. Sadly the first contacted leukaemia and was only with us for 2 years, our second was PTS earlier this week after nearly 5 years with us. You have none of that destructive nonsense you get wit a puppy and it is quite possible to find one that is well trained and has lived with a family ( though our first was a street dog and our second had been abandoned in kennels). My first dog lived to be 17 and was still leaping in and out of our estate car back hatch at 15+ so you are likely to have some years of happiness and love. Staffie one proved expensive as the cancer treatment cost quite a lot. Staffie 2 was not insured and his medication in later life was not very expensive.

Definitely! Our rescue 'golden oldie' was the sweetest, most loyal girl and more active than some dogs half her age!

I've posted before about my old git retirement home

Current residents are 12 and 9, came to live here when they were 8 each. Previous 9 year old resident.

Vet bills are higher, but in general you'll know what you're getting into if the rescue are decent. No idea about their history so could have some flash points that you don't know about, or major issues with things that the rescue may not know about if they've not been there long.

All my old gits have been fabulous. It's the way forward to me - yes it's utterly devastating when you lose them and it's usually a lot sooner than if you get a younger dog - we took in an 18 moth old girl who we lost 18 months later, yet OldGirl has been with us 4 years after getting her at 8. I love being able to give them somewhere to lounge around in their retirement, somewhere that I hope they know that they'll never be left again and that they'll be loved until long after they've gone, rather than until their human gets a new hobby

I love our old boy...

We've had him for two months now & he's an absolute joy. Trained, not puppy crazy (although he has very adorable spurts of bouncing about with a toy - doesn't last long as he flakes out) and chilled out.

His owner died & we stepped in - my eldest daughter had been desperate for a dog for years & she is absolutely brilliant with him. They adore each other. It's so lovely to see him bond with her.

He's insured affordably & he's in very good health. We don't know how long he'll be here & I dread the day he goes, but I get immense satisfaction from seeing him happy after losing his owner. I love knowing that he's latter years will be spent being loved & cherished.

Yes! Bouncy happy 8 year old lab over here. A wonderful combination of still running around on walks, and lots of sleeping. Many people comment on how young she still seems :)

One of ours (8yo grey) came to us at 7. She had one pre existing health condition that was minor but the rescue offered to cover cost if it flared up. We'd not dream of asking them for money but the offer was there.
Turns out that with good food, nice dog friends, endless cuddles, exercise and a good bed sofa she's fine! And utterly gorgeous and charms every visitor to the house.

And our old gits have brilliant eyebrows too. My very fave grey bit.