Considering getting a dog

[Wishimaywishimight]

DH and I are both huge dog lovers but neither have had a dog since we have been together, for practical reasons. We both work full time, long enough commutes that we would be out of the house 10 / 11 hours per day so a pet was not possible.

We have both worked from home full time since March 2020 and are likely to be doing a mix of office/wfh from September 2021 onwards. We will not of course make any decisions until we know what is happening in that regard however if it transpires that there will be someone at home every day or nearly every day (on any day we would not be at home we would organise day care) we are seriously considering looking to adopt a 'senior' dog from a rescue centre.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips on what sort of breed would suit our home? It's just the 2 of us at home, no children. We are quiet enough people, at home most of the time, garden is small-ish as is the house so we would be looking for a small breed. We live in a suburb where there is lots of green space, nearby parks for walking.

This is all a bit of a 'notion' at the moment since our working situation has yet to be confirmed.

Has anyone else adopted an older dog? We do understand that there would possibly be health conditions to be dealt with, and there would be expenses involved and are prepared for that.

You could also consider a greyhound if didn't mind larger as they're generally lower energy (some exceptions) and like to sleep a lot of the day. The garden size doesn't really matter when will be getting exercised out on walks although they do take up more sofa and car space & cost more. I was working full time when I first adopted and would nip home in my lunch, I went for a pair as I felt happier with them having company while alone, sure they'd have hated daycare after about half hour when wanting to nap.

7+ is considered senior which doesn't always reflect energy levels, especially in small dogs. I took on my lurcher as a foster when she was 6/7 and is now 15 , she's pretty healthy apart from her arthritis, thankfully is insured. Some conditions can be really expensive, rescues do sometimes offer on a long term foster arrangement so will help with costs. Do your own research about what costs, work involved and future outcomes are just so your fully aware and know suits your life & funds.

www.oldies.org.uk/

@Scattyhattie Many thanks for the tips. I think we are probably best suited to a small breed, it's what we are both most familiar with although I have heard that greyhounds make wonderful pets.

It's such a big decision to make although we have been inching toward it for years. Given our working hours we hadn't really thought it would be an option until retirement (we are in our 50s) but the wfh situation will hopefully allow us to bring it forward somewhat.

We do understand what a responsibility dog ownership is and will definitely looking more into the implications before taking it forward.

Small, middle-aged dogs are not necessarily low energy - a Jack Russell at 8 or 10 may well need more input than a show-line lab half its age. So if you want a quiet dog, consider the likelihood that a dog that is nervous and quiet in kennels might revert to type once it has settled in.

I'm a massive fan of terriers, but they are lively, can be very barky and tend to be stubborn and single-minded. Whippets are very nice dogs if you want a breed that is chilled and clean and quiet.

If you like the look of spaniels, be aware of the show/work split in cockers and springers. Any dog bred with work in mind will be lively and driven, even in middle-age. We had a working line gundog who didn't really start to show many signs of age until he was 10 or 11, and even at 12 would happily run 6 miles with DH.

In your shoes I would look for a bonded pair of rescue ddogs...lots of duos on Dog's Trust website etc...
We got a dpuppy last year as have small dc. Will hopefully be able to get rescues later on.

id go for an older dog that doesnt need loads of training or constant attention. Mine was seven when I got her and shes amazing. We have such a lovely bond, and shes so chilled

Thank you all for your advice, you have given me more food for thought. We will be doing a lot more research and thinking this through before committing.

Have a look at the Senior Staffy Club - staffies are surprisingly compact and fab little dogs despite their reputation!

Another option OP is to foster for a local rescue which doesn’t use kennels. That’s how our dog ended up with us (she was adopted then came back and they asked if we wanted to keep her). Then you can get a sense of what kind of dog suits your lifestyle. Only problem might be using daycare for a day but you could talk that through with the rescue if necessary.

Dogs Trust have 91 dogs over 8 years old listed at the moment, that makes me so sad :(
www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/dogs/filters/~~~~~n~~?age=5

But yes, do lots of reading on breed traits as @GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman points out, small breeds can be a lot more high energy, even when they're older, than a larger breed.

Read lots of profiles of all these different rescues as well. Some will be easy and slot right in with you guys, but some will have behavioural challenges which may mean you need to make changes and sacrifices to your lifestyle (i.e. still need work with house training, or have old age bladder issues, so time to make sure your house mostly has easy-clean floors!).

Also a big terrier fan here with a similar setup to you. Small city garden, but access to loads of parks. I've got a JRT and a JRT/Beagle mix and the setup suits them down to the ground. They're not big fans of just haring around the garden, they really like interesting mooches around town.

Mine are 6 and 4, no crazy puppy energy anymore, but they still need a decent amount of exercise. I've been working from home for 18 months and they've mostly contentedly snoozed next to me with the odd appearance on a conference call.

Don't mistake small for easy! Lots of smaller dogs are very high energy and need just as much (if not more) exercise than larger dogs.

Also, if you walk the dog enough (1-2 hours a day is ideal for most)
then the size of your garden is pretty much irrelevant. Don't think that just because you have a small garden, you need a small dog.

I would think about what traits you want (or don't want) from a dog. So things like barking, exercise needs, grooming needs, aloofness with dogs/people, prey drive, are they a breed prone to separation anxiety or destructiveness, are they greedy, what health issues are they likely to have, do they shed a lot etc, then pick a breed that fits the traits you want.

For example, we wanted a breed that was low maintenance in terms of grooming (ie. none), that needed a decent amount of exercise (but not too much), that loved people and was good with children, but that wasn't too big as they needed to be controllable by DH's parents.

We went for a beagle and he's a perfect fit for our family - because we thought about what we wanted and picked a breed that fitted our needs. The mistake I see many owners make is they say "Oh, x breed is really cute, let's go with that" and they don't think about the daily needs of the dog. If you can't give your particular breed of dog what it needs, don't get it - it's not fair.

My DH and I both work FT but work from home a couple of days each between us.

DDog goes to daycare twice a week (he loves it) and honestly it hasn’t been that tricky.

Just make sure you have a headset - ours likes to get his squeaky toys out when on a conference call!