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?

@ladybee28 We are all desperate for an up-date and more photos Op😀

Just caught up with this! So pleased your lovely boy is settling in well with you. He's a very handsome chap! May you have many happy years together xx

Hey all you lovely bunch, I'm sorry it's taken a while to update you all.

Things have been busy around here!

He's settling in more and more each day –he and my boyfriend's dog have met and he's tolerating her overenthusiastic Labrador-ness with remarkable patience

We've learned that he is completely disinterested in anything designed for dogs: balls, sticks, treats, dog beds.... nothing doing. Also totally not bothered about the beach. Didn't take any photos for you all as he essentially refused to even look at the water! He does, however, like the mattress on the front terrace – it's a sun-trap in the afternoons and he'll loll about there very happily

He is also a BIG fan of standing beside a bush or clump of grass, going totally stiff and then toppling into it for a wild wriggle and a scratch... which is utterly hilarious, especially since he gets very full of himself afterwards and it brings on an attack of the Zoomies.

He's in great shape for his age – we've been going on half-hour stomps in the mountains by my house, one first thing in the morning and one in the evening, and he's full of energy. Keeping it fairly light still as I don't want him to overdo it, and I've noticed he has a persistent twitch that shows up regularly in his back leg when he's lying down. But the vet also said he looks very fit and healthy for his age.

Speaking of the vet... turns out his wild grass-wriggling left him with a spiky tuft of grass seed lodged deep in his ear canal yesterday. He was really irritated and kept shaking his head, so I took him in for a check, and they had to heavily sedate him to be able to pull it out with giant tweezers Poor fella was wobbling around like a big drunk teddy bear afterwards as I got him to the car to come home. It shouldn't have been adorable, but it was – especially when I opened the back of the car to get him out and he massively overestimated the jump and kangaroo-leaped clear over the pavement.

It's official, I'm in love.

He is GLUED to me, which I really need to work on – so far I can go to the bins at the end of the road and back without him panicking, but we're a long way off a trip to the supermarket. He has no interest in toys or treats, either, so it's not like I can ease the worry with a nice fat treat-filled Kong

And he wakes me up every morning without fail at 7:30 with impatient whining... it's cute, but I do also sometimes want to get out of bed on my own terms!

So we have some things to work on, but overall he's just about as wonderful as he could possibly be.

Any advice on keeping a treat-and-toy-disinterested dog occupied and engaged when I leave the house, or on minimising the morning singalongs, all welcome!

Some photos attached because he's so freakin' cute it can't be avoided

Aww 😍 Ruby says hello - from one rescue to another

He is so full of character. What a charmer.

Awww this made me cry!!

He’s absolutely gorgeous what a character!

What a brilliant update, he is just so gorgeous. He looks like a very clever old gentleman. He is going to bring you so much joy.

Yes, clever old gentleman is spot on, with his gorgeous whiskery face.

He looks so settled OP, and is clearly going to have a wonderful retirement with you.

Although, if he's still doing zoomies he's far from ready for a proper retirement yet.

So pleased to have an up-date. Was beginning to worry things weren't going well but so pleased it is the opposite. He looks so at home and chilled. Please keep popping back with up-dates and photos. I think there are many of us who would love to hear about his new life with you.

Congratulations op!! What a smasher!!

@pigsDOfly he definitely doesn't seem ready for retirement! Still lots of energy (albeit in shorter bursts) and full of personality.

Brace yourselves for cuteness – when he's excited (about his dinner or a walk) he stands his back feet still and dances his front feet with a big open-mouthed sideways grin and his head tilted to one side

@Icequeen01 your comment made my throat tighten up – it's SO lovely to have all of you here to cheer us on together. Very odd to feel so supported by a bunch of people I've never met, and it means the world.

Photo attached of his face today while I was putting my shoes on for his afternoon walk, and another of him getting ready for a post-walk snooze

He knows he is the luckiest ddog I think!!
Maybe give him a fb page op?. Bet he would be popular!! May encourage others to Go Aged when ddoggy hunting!

Ladybee, he's super gorgeous! What a lucky fella he is, do keep us updated

Thanks for coming back OP and the lovely pictures. I showed DS your thread and we were very pleased when you got him home safely. When I saw your post last night he was thrilled to get an update, there is a branch of the Morgan Fanclub in this house.

Oh I'm so happy to see and read all your updates. He looks so very content and happy and I adore his eyebrows

I'm so in love with your boy! You have done such a lovely thing Op making sure his twilight years are happy and full of fun. He is one lucky boy. Thank you for posting some more photos. Keep them coming 😀

I adopted a ten year old Lab once. We had two fab years. I was heartbroken but I wouldn't swap the time I had wjth her.

Wow, I'm in love 😍

OP, I had to rehome my Mum's elderly dog when she had terminal cancer (I couldn't take the dog myself as worked away a lot.) Rehoming her was the hardest thing I've ever done - but the fact that we know she went to a good home was a huge comfort to my Mum during her last days.

Just think how much peace of mind you've given the original owner. They will be able to rest easy. It's a wonderful thing you've done. ❤️

Hope you and your new buddy have years of happiness together

Please, if anybody's thinking about rescuing a dog, who may be an older one, check out this link www.tia-rescue.org/sheffield-13-neglected-greyhounds/

Three of our four rescue sighthounds have come from Tia, and to see these ones is breaking my heart. What we know from our first adoption in 1998 is that Tia are a place that you can trust when you take on one of their dogs. Our latest was adopted last year and this year he turned nine. Prior to that our previous oldest adoptee had been three. Our latest boy was raced in Sheffield and was very successful; he didn't belong to this pack but the idea he could have been is so horrible.

Greyhounds have their own quirks, and I wouldn't advise them as a typical 'pet' (although perhaps we've only got the random ones . But, as a dog, they're wonderful.

@BatleyTownswomensGuild that must have been so hard. Unfortunately I heard that his original owner passed away 2 weeks before I picked him up –but that he'd seen photos of where I live and knew Morgan would be well taken care of. I'm sad that he didn't get to see these new photos of him in his new home, but at least he knew.

@ticktock19 I love his eyebrows too!

@Lurleene - new photos attached for fanclub HQ

@fivedogstofeed an update on his breathing as I remember you were so reassuring that first night – it seems there was more to it all than stress. He's still panting at abnormal times, when it's not hot, and especially at night, and seems to struggle sometimes to breathe normally when he's lying on his side.

I took him to the vet (again!) to ask them to check him out and they've noticed some bronchial inflammation which might be simple bronchitis or could be fluid on the lungs. So we're on a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and we'll see what happens. He's not coughing, which makes me wonder if bronchitis is really the most likely option, but I'm trying to stay patient and wait and see.

Yesterday his new bed arrived! And despite him not liking ANYTHING to sleep on except cold, hard ground, he does seem to like this one! Photo attached of him looking VERY puppylike the first time he tried it out. As I type this he's stretched out on it with his head dangling elegantly over the side wall

It's funny –sometimes he really does look 10 years old, and at other moments he makes a babyface and despite the eyebrows and sideburns he could be 10 months. Nobody seems to know what breed he is (lots of guesses about a Shepherd / terrier cross) and he's seemingly ageless too.

So full of love.

Oh just look at his eyes in the photo of him in his new bed 💕

@ladybee28 I have been thinking about Morgan and your first Christmas together so wondered how you are? It took me a while to find this thread again and it was lovely to look at the pictures. I hope all is well with you and your boy.

Thanks for bumping Lurleene! I remember it too, so glad to see it in my notifications.

How are you getting on with him ladybee28? I posted upthread in a different username saying my old boy was at my feet. Well, 8 months on and my old boy is still asleep at my feet! I do love an old boy.