Labrador

[User020367]

I have the possibility of adopting an 11 year old chocolate Labrador. I didn’t want a puppy as I don’t have the time to educate a puppy. I have 3 boys, 15,11 and 5. I met the dog yesterday who seems lovely, very docile loved being stroked. I work about 6-7 hours a day and sometimes my eldest looks after his brothers for an hour occasionally until I get home. Would it be ok to leave the children with the dog until I get home? Obviously not straight away as they would need to get to know each other, but I’m thinking long term. Also if anyone has a Labrador what are your experiences? TIA

It depends a lot on your children tbh, a lab that age might be well on the way to being fairly intolerant of young children.

I’d be pretty surprised if an 11 yr old lab didn’t at least have the beginnings of arthritis and that does affect their behaviour. So if your youngest is likely to be playing near the dog or wanting to interact with the dog and your oldest isn’t able to police that, it could well be an issue.

Also - what are your plans for him while you’re at work? That could impact how is he as well.

The current owners leave her in the garden when they’re at work. I was planning on doing the same

The first thing I would check is, is the Lab covered by pet insurance?

They are well known to suffer hip and arthritis issues later in life and the medication for it isn't on the cheaper side.

And (well here anyway) insurance won't start cover for a dog this age.

How is the dogs health and has he/she used to children?

@User020367

The current owners leave her in the garden when they’re at work. I was planning on doing the same

Well that’s making me wince for all sorts of reasons, but relevant to this dog.

Weather will affect any sort of arthritic type issues, cold and damp makes them worse.

When you said adopt I assumed rescue - if it’s someone rehoming their own dog, honestly, I’d be very wary.

Erm alone in the garden for up to 6/7 hours a day… straight no from me. Even with a decent kennel it is cruel and although labs have decent fur ( and come from a cold climate) the dog will get cold, damp, wet and will be miserable. Not only that, outdoor dogs may very well bark and annoy the neighbours. She is an older dog who deserves some comfort in her old age not being rehomed and left in a garden.

Like pp, I’d be very surprised if she doesn’t have some old age complaints starting and standing in a damp garden would exacerbate these issues. The vet bills for a dog of that age would probably not be small. Labs are also fairly sensitive and although ‘used to it’ she will not be enjoying the solitude for that amount of time.

You children would probably be fine for the hour before you get home, but please think carefully is it fair to rehome a dog and keep her in the garden for many hours during the day? Labs are social dogs and just because her current owners keep her in the garden for hours doesn’t make it right… in fact am pretty aghast and am not the pearl clutching type… please don’t adopt this poor dog.

It would be far more fair for the owner to surrender the dog to Labrador Rescue, who presumably (think most rescues do) will have a 'Golden Oldie' scheme that supports new owners with vets fees.

I would also think that a quieter home would probably be fairer on the dog, and on the 5 year old who is going to have just long enough to grow to love the dog before the poor thing dies.

Nice thought. It seems they are palming it off now to avoid vet bills. Don't do it unless you are minted.

I wouldnt be happy leaving a dog unattended in a garden for long periods. Several reasons - lack of shelter (unless you are going to construct a kennel and run), boredom and loneliness, the very strong risk of theft (or escape, if your fences are dodgy), possible noise nuisance, fouling of the garden and damage to the garden. Personally I can't see the point of having a dog if you have to shut it outside alone most of the time, especially as you have already said you haven't got time for training. Sounds to me as if your hands are already full with working and children. Add an old dog (who could have massive vets bills, as insurance for old dogs is pretty poor) muddying up your garden and needing attention - well, I think it might pretty soon become an expensive chore.

As others have said, your garden will turn to a muddy, dog poo festival of sludge during the winter… plus cleaning the dog down when you get in from work so she doesn’t bring the sludge/ dog poo mud into your home will be a real chore.

Also labs shed constantly so if you have light clothes, carpets or furniture do welcome a brown fuzz of hard to remove hair all over the house… including the places she doesn’t sit, go in ….. you will get through cases of sellotape just trying to remove dog hair….

You can’t leave a dog home alone in the garden for hours a day , it’s unfair on the dog and potentially on your neighbours . Why is the dog needing a new home as frankly at 11 it could potentially be an absolute money pit .

I have a 10 yo lab who is docile and easy going. I could leave her with children of that age no problem. I would never leave her in the garden though. She likes her cosy, comfy bed when we are out.

I wasn’t planning on leaving her outside of the weather wasn’t nice! I live in a very protected area high fences, large electronic gate. In the spring/summer I would leave the door open for her. I wouldn’t have an issue with that as I never lock the front door I imagine most dog owners need to work and so they have to leave the dog alone!

The dog is needing to be regimes as the owners are moving back to America and think it would be unfair on her to make the long trip back

Most dog owners do not leave their doors open when they are out . I feel really sorry for this dog , owners that don’t love it enough to take it with them and a life of being left alone for long periods .

Ok I’m hearing what everyone is saying about the dog being left alone for 6-7 hours a day but what do other dog owners do? Am I to believe all dog owners are at home all day? I find that highly unlikely!

As for most dog owners not leaving the door open that’s up to them! As I said I live in a secure area with high fencing, electronic gate etc!

Labradors are very sociable, we had one when I still lived at my parents' and he loved nothing more than company, other owners at the training group and walking events etc said the same. They also need a LOT of exercise and to be stimulated with activities, exercises etc, or you end up with overweight dogs who are depressed and arthritic. This is not the dog for you

@User020367

Ok I’m hearing what everyone is saying about the dog being left alone for 6-7 hours a day but what do other dog owners do? Am I to believe all dog owners are at home all day? I find that highly unlikely!

Why do you find that very unlikely? I work from home. My dog goes to doggy daycare/my dog walker comes in if I have to go out all day.

You seem to changing the narrative to fit the tone of the replies OP...

Most people neither leave an elderly dog outside (it’s not just colder/wet days you need to worry about but also warm days as dogs cant regulate their own body temperature so can dangerously overheat very quickly) Nor leave their doors open and unlocked.

I would say most of the people I know that work have a dog Walker that comes in half way through the day so the dog can get some exercise and stimulation.

We rehomed a lab and even as a SAHM with land and horses (so well used to mud, wet etc) they are a lot of work and I think you sound like you need to do a bit of research and thinking whether it be would fit your family.

On the upside they generally are a great family dogs.

@User020367

Ok I’m hearing what everyone is saying about the dog being left alone for 6-7 hours a day but what do other dog owners do? Am I to believe all dog owners are at home all day? I find that highly unlikely!

You hire a dog walker in the middle of the day as an absolute minimum, or you send the dog to daycare. It's not nice or fair to leave a dog home alone all day - they are companion animals.

Lots of people work full time and own dogs, but they pay for care, or work shifts around their partner to minimise the amount of time the dog is by themselves. You're looking at about £10-12 an hour for a walker, or £20-25 a day for daycare.

As an aside - leaving the door open all day isn't a good idea and will only blur the boundary between inside and outside - you don't want an older dog getting confused and deciding it's okay to use the toilet inside.

If you are going to leave this dog all day, you need to first take a good chunk of time off to settle him/her in. Dogs don't always settle easily with new owners, especially at an older age. You may find he/she barks when left, howls, becomes destructive (and destroys your garden), digs and tries to escape etc.

Once you know the dog is okay and happy being left, you can then start building up the time, but 6-7 hours a day is generally considered way too much. Charities recommend 4 hours per day as an absolute maximum. While many dogs will be okay for a bit longer, you can't leave them that long without someone coming in at lunchtime for some exercise and a toilet break at an absolute minimum.

but what do other dog owners do?

We purposefully didn't get a dog until DH was permanently working from home.

I'd be concerned about vet fees too - do the current owners have an existing insurance policy & would they be willing to continue this if you adopt / can it be transferred to you?

If you have considerable funds then great, but it could be difficult to adopt & then face paying out hundreds every month to manage arthritis, urinary incontinence, diabetes or some other condition because you cannot get insurance or it is a preexisting condition.

The one thing middle aged/older labs love is company. No, not all dog owners are at home all day, but they employ a dog walker or the dog will go to 'dog daycare' or they will have arranged work patterns so that the dog isn't left alone for so long. As an example, friends have a 9 year old lab, he has a room to use in the day time, but there is someone popping back in every few hours until the children are home from school and he's walked properly 3 times a day. Dad works in an industry where he can also take him with him sometimes, so no, people shouldn't be leaving dogs alone for the length of time you are suggesting, it leads to destructive behaviours particularly with bored labradors!

And yes, to add - vet fees are a big issue in older dogs. I suspect you won't be able to insure an 11yo labrador so be prepared for some hefty vet bills over the next few years.

Many older dogs suffer from arthritis which requires pain medication and supplements. Kidney failure is another common problem - again, you're looking at medication, a special diet and all sorts of scans and blood tests.

Incontinence, poor sight and hearing, and doggy dementia are also issues faced by older dogs - which means confusion (barking), snapping, grumpiness, accidents etc.

Do you really want to take all that on?

Are you prepared that the dog's remaining lifespan might be measured in months rather than years? Chocolates tend not to live quite as long iirc. and 12 years is a fairly typical lifespan.

Another thing to consider is if your garden is dog safe or do you have lots of poisonous plants or bulbs that could be dug up .