We are both 65, we have lost our beautiful dog. 65 is too old for a puppy, isn't it?

[Slowslowreader]

It's not now I'm worried about. We are both well and active and wfh. It's 10 and 15 years time. We have been offered by friend and local farmer a beautiful little collie (as we had before) from his new litter. We know the parents and grandparents, they are gorgeous dogs. But what when we grow old? There is no family to take them on. We could afford a dog walker, but even so, we would be old. My father had dementia by late 70s. It could be me.

Go for it. My mum is mid 70s and has just looked after a puppy for a year for Hearing Dogs. You are spring chickens and hopefully your health will continue to be good into your 70s and beyond.

Life expectancy for you is another 20 years, probably better, given that you are currently healthy and active. Are you really going to spend all that time just waiting to die?

This. And if you do it will drag miserably & feel like 40 years.
Retirement gives you more opportunities to enjoy whatever you want to do & more time to give to & enjoy your pets. Let’s be realistic here, some one in their thirties could adopt a puppy & die before it did, accidents happen, illness like cancer can strike before old age.
I always think of my dad, he had a saying…” Don’t do the things you enjoy ( actually in his case his words were don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t go with fast women [ bit of a character he was] ) You won’t live any longer but it sure as hell will feel like you do”. He lived by this ( apart from the fast women(I think 😂) & died six months after his last working collie aged 97.

My FIL is 80 and regularly looks after our six year old dog - he walks him alongside his scooter. Our beagle is amazing company for him and if we don't need him to have him, he complains and asks to have him anyway