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?

This is such good news, I'm so excited for you both! I'm sure he's going to adore his new home.

@MrsOosh77 Awwww, he's gorgeous 😍.

Great news!! Thanks for the update and fingers crossed he arrives safely.

Op he looks gorgeous! We look forward to seeing photos when you get him next week!

Oh my goodness!! He's coming home to you

I cannot wait to see pictures and hear how he settles in!

@MrsOosh77 THAT is a gorgeous pup – I especially love the half-in, half-out bed position

I'm already tying myself in knots about his travel day on Monday; his first ferry from the other island with the woman from the rescue is from 7am-12, we'll meet on an island in the middle, and then he and I get on the next ferry to my island from 4-5:30pm, and then a 30 minute drive home.

Poor boy is going to be so tired and confused...

But... After such an epic journey, he gets to see out his days in luxury with you.

Our boy travelled across Europe to get to us and I am sure he must have been stressed and nervous but now he's with us he need never go anywhere without us again. Small sacrifices for huge gain.

Your boy will be fine once he's with you. Wishing you years of love and friendship xx

We adopted a twerp who was eight, now nine. In all honesty I don't know why we took him on. He didn't, and still doesn't, want anything to do with humans, or anything outside his previous racing background. He will never be a 'pet'. He was a very successful racer, then a breeder, and the fact he was dumped on a sanctury once he'd outlived his usefulness is all wrong. So, although he's not a pet, I'm glad he's (despite being an idiot) living out his life with us. He's gone from a working life, and being dumped, to lounging around on sofas and beds, being fed treats and ignoring us but living his middle-aged years in comfort.

@somm

We adopted a twerp who was eight, now nine. In all honesty I don't know why we took him on. He didn't, and still doesn't, want anything to do with humans, or anything outside his previous racing background. He will never be a 'pet'. He was a very successful racer, then a breeder, and the fact he was dumped on a sanctury once he'd outlived his usefulness is all wrong. So, although he's not a pet, I'm glad he's (despite being an idiot) living out his life with us. He's gone from a working life, and being dumped, to lounging around on sofas and beds, being fed treats and ignoring us but living his middle-aged years in comfort.

Is he a greyhound? Sounds familiar...

I especially love the half-in, half-out bed position

Our greyhound used to do that. We used to say his spaceship (bed) had crash landed and he’d been flung from the wreckage. He rarely looked comfortable but he definitely was.

If you’re not crazy now, dog ownership may well push you over the edge (I still sing the Dinner Song 3 years after our last dog died...)

Please be aware he could take a long time to settle in. I've got two relatives who adopted their dogs, ones taken 6 months to settle in the other has been here 3 so far and he's much more settled than he was not still not totally settled.

Yes, thisismytimetoshine, he's definately a greyhound :-) Extremely successful racer, but God knows how he ever dragged himself out of his bed to do some work - doesn't seem to know how to open his eyes.

On a serious note, if anybody's looking to adopt a dog that acts as a 'pet' I wouldn't recommend an elderly ex-racer, if they've spent all their time in kennels. Even after a year or more, our twerp is still scared of so many things and doesn't require human interaction, except for the basics, eg feeding, walking, and sleeping on your bed. However, if someone's looking to give a hardworking, previously profitable, dog a comfortable retirement once they've passed their usefulness to the owners, please do it. Just don't be surprised if they leap into the air and dash away if they're standing near a cardigan that slides off the arm of the couch, or if you shift a box two centimetres when they're standing next to it (idiot :-[).

So glad you're having him, he's gorgeous. We took on a 10 year old who had lived a terrible life. It was so satisfying to know that the latter part of his life would be happy and free of fear.

Here's hoping he had a long and happy retirement with you.

Can't wait to hear how he's getting on!! Safe travels for Monday 🐾🐾

Haha, somm, I knew it! I've got one

@ladybee28 I have just read the full thread and was SO pleased to hear you decided to give him a chance. He is absolutely gorgeous.

THANK YOU for adopting an older gent, there are few people who are willing to do so. I hope you have many happy years with him.

My heart is so happy, Morgan gets to come home to you. Good luck with the journey and I cant wait to see pictures of his gorgeous face when he comes home.

Any news???

This is so lovely and I’m so glad you have. He is gorgeous!!

Just found this lovely thread. Hope you have him home with you now. Can't wait to have an up-date and hopefully some more photos!

We rescued an old boy, and only had him for around a year. I don't regret a minute of it, and am happy that he enjoyed the last months of his life. Go for it, and good luck.

Oh - I've just read the rest of the thread. He's gorgeous, and I'm sure you are going to love each other Happy Days!

Hey everyone - just popping in for a quick update... he's home

We had a very big day yesterday and both got home completely exhausted...

It was roasting yesterday, and when I got onto the ferry I was told he couldn't stay in the car nor be with me on deck - he had to go in the 'kennels'.

By kennels, they meant a metal locker with a caged front, no grip on the floor, and located right at the back of the ferry on the left hand side, above the engines, and in the spot where most movement was felt – and the water was choppy. I couldn't stay with him, either - I had to go up on the main deck.

In this heat, with no way of staying stable, it was like putting him in an oven getting thrown around - I was out of my mind with worry. Spoke to multiple staff and got them to check on him, but didn't fully trust any of them to say anything other than 'he's fine'.

Luckily it was only an hour and a half on the boat - and then 20 minutes in the car to get home, where we both fell asleep on the floor .

Going to take him to the vet in the next couple of days for a general check-up; his breathing is very rapid and he often pants, even when he's resting and it's cool.

But other than that, after a rough journey, we're settling in OK!

He woke me up this morning with a very waggy tail and lots of kisses, which was a lovely way to start a Tuesday!

Have only had the chance to take a couple of pictures so far - more to follow in days to come

So happy to see this update! I followed your thread in April and have been keeping my fingers crossed for the two of you. Lovely to hear that he is with you at last!

He's gorgeous. His breathing will settle - it's a stress reaction. I've seen really stressed dogs keep up the fast breathing for a couple of days, but most will be fine after the first night.