Adopting an old boy - am I crazy?

[ladybee28]

Have been toying with the idea of dog ownership ever since I settled in a new country 4 years ago.

I grew up with dogs, spent a lot of my 20s working on farms around the world, and recently moved into a rental, alone, in a pretty rural area in Spain. Now feels like it might be 'the time'.

If I go ahead with getting a pooch, I want it to be an adoption - and I'm not bothered about having a 'cute puppy'. Perfectly happy to skip that (and the teenager stage, and the chewing, and the toilet training, etc.) and just focus on settling an adult dog into their new home and building a relationship.

And now I've seen an old fellow. He's 10, but in good health. Chilled, well-behaved, gets on with other animals, happy in cars, walks well on a leash, great recall... and he looks like he probably drinks whisky, plays a mean game of cards and has some stories to tell.

Not going to lie, he seems too good to be true.

I've sent the refuge a message to find out more, but taking a step back for a second, am I being ridiculous here?

Am I setting myself up to fall madly in love with a hound I'm probably going to lose within a few years?

What are the sensible questions I should be asking myself before I let the love-mist set in completely?

I would of course get pet insurance and make sure vet bills etc. were covered, but what else should I consider before I think about committing to an OAP?

Thanks to all those of you mentioning insurance – it was one of the first things I thought of and it's good to hear all of your experiences.

I'll have a good research session today and see what I can find.

@thatmakesmehappy when you say a 'life' policy, what does that mean? (Of course I'll have a Google myself but it's always helpful to hear from a friendly human too )

And @Scattyhattie that's great advice re: arthritis. If we go ahead I'll make sure to learn as much as I can about spotting easily-missed signs of pain in dogs – I know they're not always obvious and it's helpful to hear what you've said about home adaptations.

What a lovely bunch you all are – each and every one of you has left me feeling so reassured and uplifted. Still some way to go, especially since we're still on pretty strict lockdown over here, but this is feeling good.

He looks like a very good boy

OMG he is the bestest boy and you are absolutely doing the right thing, you will make each other incredibly happy I am sure!

A life policy means that you have a set amount of cover per year eg. £2500 of cover, but that a long term condition would be covered for life, like diabetes or pancreatitis. A life policy means they will cover any condition To the max policy amount for that year whilst the policy is in play, for life, although they may increase the premiums. Some policies only cover the condition to a certain amount, ever, some cover for that year and then disqualify that condition following that year.

Hope that makes sense.

The policy coverage, eg. £2500 amount resets each year Btw. I forgot to mention that.

Morgan has a lovely face 😀 and maybe the name is like the very expensive vintage car?

Fab decision x

Oh my gosh he's so gorgeous,you should definitely adopt him.

He's so lovely, and you sound fab for considering him. The rescue I foster with really, really, really struggle to find homes for the older dogs so they often become permanent fosters. There are currently two lovely dogs who came in at 13, and are still pottering round their fosterers garden at 17 and loving life.
None of us ever know how long we'll have with our dogs, and older dogs have so much to give

@thatmakesmehappy it does make sense, thank you – and it's so much easier to understand when explained in plain language by a real person, rather than scrabbling through Ts and Cs!

Really appreciate you taking the time to explain.

I've e-mailed the refuge to find out a bit more - they're going to send over a video and answer some questions I had about the adoption process.

If everything continues to feel right, I'll fly over to visit him when lockdown lifts and see how he feels about me.

I keep looking around the house and imagining him chilling in the sunshine by the living room door, or exploring the cracks in the garden wall, or coming to say hello at the front door when I come in from the supermarket... And then I'm trying to consider all the limitations it may put on my lifestyle, and be as realistic as possible.

I've lived a very freedom-focused life for a long time –no dependents, no attachments, so this does feel like a big step and I really want to be responsible about it.

Hope you go ahead; you will be so happy giving him a loving home.

This is a lovely story and please keep us posted. This, I hope, will be me when my lovely current dog has lived her life out (hope it will be a long time yet)- by then I will be too old to get a young dog again so I intend to (if I can afford it) have older dogs so that, hopefully, they don't outlive me and I can spoil them rotten.

Any news OP? Have you got a plan yet?

@tattychicken finally.... yes, there's news and a plan!

Just got confirmation that I can go pick him up next Monday –he's got a long day of travel ahead of him (2 ferries) but it's finally happening!

I'm feeling ALL THE THINGS - excited and nervous and really hoping the poor fella doesn't suffer from seasickness.

It's been a long wait, but my boy is finally coming to his final forever home!

Sod birth threads this is the best! He is lovely. I love a scruffy chap.

So pleased for you OP. It gladdens my heart to know you’ve adopted an older dog. He will love you beyond measure 😊 I have a rescue JRT, now 13 years old and I am more in love with him than ever. Wishing you a happy future with your beautiful pooch.

Oh... 💕 I'm so glad.

Will you post pictures when he arrives?

Fabulously wonderful thread. He looks a loveiy boy. Im so happy for you both. This is my romanian foster boy who ive a strong feeling will end up being a permanent family member.

Oh this thread... I'm crying my eyes out. What a gorgeous dog.

He's an absolute beauty 😍. I hope he has a long and wonderful life with you.

Congrats on the new addition

❤️❤️❤️

So this is our new boy who we think is possibly podenco campenero. He is similar to your boy but has some growing to do!

Our collie passed away at 14 last year and had struggled with arthritis but yumove really helped to alleviate his pain if that's of any help?

He is a fabulous boy and you will have years of love and companionship from him. You're lucky to have each other

What a beauty, OP. And what a mutual good find you both are!

Pics to show his long supermodel legs...