Adopting an older dog?

[Anonymous]

We recently lost our Lab and are considering our next dog. I'd ideally like to work through a rescue organization, but it seems that sadly so many of the dogs are older. We hope for a playmate for our DC's childhood.

Have you adopted one or more older dogs? If so, how did you explain to your kids that Spot would only be with you for two or three years, and in the interim doesn't have the energy to play fetch or go on long hikes?

Second question, the local lab rescue organization seems like it will only let families adopt if the kids are ten or older. I understand for liability reasons, but am starting to feel like working with a reputable breeder is going to end up being our best option.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you are working with the wrong rescue. There are plenty of rescues to choose from that actually listen to what you want in a dog and why you want to adopt. While they are great pets, it doesn't sound like an older dog will fit your family's needs.

Keep looking before you go to a breeder. I did some fostering with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue; tell them what you are looking for and they will help you find the right dog.

[Anonymous]

It is so worth it! Do it OP. Older dogs need homes and they are potty trained and so sweet and grateful.

[Anonymous]

OP, we have adopted two older dogs. The first was by accident - we adopted a lab (mix) from a local rescue that brought dogs up from SC on a transport. The dog we picked was supposed to be 3 yrs old (and 75 lbs and the perfect running partner). We had just lost our beloved golden to cancer at 10.5 yrs old, and we wanted a young dog for our children (then 7 and 5) to grow up with. So the dog arrived on transport, and it was clear from the start he was not 3 (more like 8), not 75 lbs (weighed in at 96lbs - 20 lbs overweight), and not the perfect running partner because he was arthritic. The rescue said we could return him to SC if we wanted...um, no, not back to that high kill shelter, thank you! He turned out to be the most wonderful, delightful, loving, appreciative dog. He brought such a calm, loving presence into our high-energy household. He was great with the children, great with other dogs, great with our rabbit, great with everyone and everything. We had him for 2.5 wonderful years, before he died of a brain tumor. Those 2.5 years were fabulous, though, and I was grateful every single day that he walked into our lives.

One special thing he did was to serve as a welcoming presence for a whole string of foster dogs, whom we started to adopt after we saw how he had been saved by being brought up from SC. A month before our sweet lab died, we took in an 11 year old golden as a foster. Within a day, it was clear that he belonged with us too. Although we sadly only had them together for a month, it was a wonderful month of sweet white faces and so much love. We now have just the one golden, and we know, based on statistics, that our chance of having him more than a year is pretty slim. But it's been wonderful and so, so special to have his sweet loving appreciative old-boy snuggles. Like his brother (for only a month), this guy loves his bed, he loves his routines, he loves the attention we give him. He had a crappy life of abuse and neglect for way too long and now he is in heaven and so happy to show how appreciate he is.

Our children are extremely understanding and philosophical about the short time we have our animals. They get that when you adopt an older dog, they don't live forever. But a year to an 8 and 10 yr old (which our children are now) is a very long time, so even if we get to keep this guy for a year, it will feel like a long and wondeful time, as did the 2.5 yrs we had our lab. And in the process, the children see a model of taking in those in particular need. They are learning life lessons that i hope they will continue to demonstrate for all of their lives as pet owners themselves.

[Anonymous]

PP again - I meant "whom we started to foster" not started to adopt. We adopted only one of our fosters, but we took in 10 fosters over the years for anywhere from 5 weeks to 5 months at a time.

[Anonymous]

Adopted an older lab from a lab rescue. He's my families best friend. Best thing we ever did. And he was already house trained!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we have adopted two older dogs. The first was by accident - we adopted a lab (mix) from a local rescue that brought dogs up from SC on a transport. The dog we picked was supposed to be 3 yrs old (and 75 lbs and the perfect running partner). We had just lost our beloved golden to cancer at 10.5 yrs old, and we wanted a young dog for our children (then 7 and 5) to grow up with. So the dog arrived on transport, and it was clear from the start he was not 3 (more like 8), not 75 lbs (weighed in at 96lbs - 20 lbs overweight), and not the perfect running partner because he was arthritic. The rescue said we could return him to SC if we wanted...um, no, not back to that high kill shelter, thank you! He turned out to be the most wonderful, delightful, loving, appreciative dog. He brought such a calm, loving presence into our high-energy household. He was great with the children, great with other dogs, great with our rabbit, great with everyone and everything. We had him for 2.5 wonderful years, before he died of a brain tumor. Those 2.5 years were fabulous, though, and I was grateful every single day that he walked into our lives.

One special thing he did was to serve as a welcoming presence for a whole string of foster dogs, whom we started to adopt after we saw how he had been saved by being brought up from SC. A month before our sweet lab died, we took in an 11 year old golden as a foster. Within a day, it was clear that he belonged with us too. Although we sadly only had them together for a month, it was a wonderful month of sweet white faces and so much love. We now have just the one golden, and we know, based on statistics, that our chance of having him more than a year is pretty slim. But it's been wonderful and so, so special to have his sweet loving appreciative old-boy snuggles. Like his brother (for only a month), this guy loves his bed, he loves his routines, he loves the attention we give him. He had a crappy life of abuse and neglect for way too long and now he is in heaven and so happy to show how appreciate he is.

Our children are extremely understanding and philosophical about the short time we have our animals. They get that when you adopt an older dog, they don't live forever. But a year to an 8 and 10 yr old (which our children are now) is a very long time, so even if we get to keep this guy for a year, it will feel like a long and wondeful time, as did the 2.5 yrs we had our lab. And in the process, the children see a model of taking in those in particular need. They are learning life lessons that i hope they will continue to demonstrate for all of their lives as pet owners themselves.[/quote

Bless you and your family! You've described perfectly how I feel about senior dogs and all that they contribute to our lives. Due to our children's allergies, we weren't able to rescue any dogs while they were growing up but have since adopted two senior shelties. Pure love!

[Anonymous]

We lost our lab a few years ago to cancer and tried to adopt through the breed rescue groups, but they were reluctant to let us adopt any age dog because we had young children (despite the fact those children lived with a lab their whole lives).
We ended up finding a great lab through Lucky Dog. If anything he was a bit younger than we were looking for (people still ask me if he is a puppy and we've had him for 2 years). He had lived with a foster in the DC area, so they had a pretty good read on his personality. He has been a great dog, and Lucky Dog was really easy to deal with.

[Anonymous]

Have you checked out Homeward Trails? A lady at my office just adopted a 6-month-old Chow mix from them and apparently had a wonderful experience. Good luck!

http://www.homewardtrails.org/

[Anonymous]

Lucky Dog and Homeward Trails are both groups. We got our baby (1.5 when we adopted him) through Rescue Angels.

The Washington Animal Rescue League has a lot of dogs of various ages and breeds needing homes. Washington Humane Society, too, just to name one other.

I'm so sorry you lost your lab and I wish you the very best in finding a new furry friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We lost our lab a few years ago to cancer and tried to adopt through the breed rescue groups, but they were reluctant to let us adopt any age dog because we had young children (despite the fact those children lived with a lab their whole lives).
We ended up finding a great lab through Lucky Dog. If anything he was a bit younger than we were looking for (people still ask me if he is a puppy and we've had him for 2 years). He had lived with a foster in the DC area, so they had a pretty good read on his personality. He has been a great dog, and Lucky Dog was really easy to deal with.

21:23 here. We adopted and fostered through Lucky Dog and also through GRREAT (golden retriever rescue education and training). If you want a lab mix, Lucky Dog certainly has plenty coming through. For a pure-bred, you might talk to the Lab Rescue, but we found them difficult to deal with (they would not work with us if we were also looking to adopt through golden rescue, for example). GRREAT has some dogs who can't be placed in families with children, but this is when a dog has been a stray and they don't know about the dog's history (or if the dog has a history of problems with children). Otherwise, for us when we fostered for both LDAR and GRREAT, a family with children was desirable, assuming they had realistic expectations for how much time/attention/money a dog required and had room in their lives and schedules for a dog. Of the dogs we fostered, I would say half went to families with children and half didn't, and it all had to do with the needs and personalities of the dogs.

[Anonymous]

We got our Lab mix through Lucky Dog, too. We got him as a puppy but Lucky Dog is a great organization and has dogs of all ages. Check them out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is so worth it! Do it OP. Older dogs need homes and they are potty trained and so sweet and grateful.

They are not often potty trained--which is why they were given away. And they could be crankier and bitey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is so worth it! Do it OP. Older dogs need homes and they are potty trained and so sweet and grateful.

PP, you're thinking of "older men" not dogs.

[Anonymous]

Luck Dog is THE WORST. We had a bad experience with a woman named Brenda? She was hostile to our children and would not let us adopt any dog. After 4 months of trying, we finally gave up and went to a breeder.