Getting a puppy in your late 50s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a plan for who will take care of this dog should you get sick and die? Late 50s is too old imo unless you are getting a big dog that won’t live 10 years. If you are getting a small dog who could live 18 years, very selfish.
Puppies are like infants. They need to go outside every hour while being trained, and they don’t sleep through the night.

Most of us plan to love beyond 68! Plus many of us have family who love our pets.

I would get a dog at 80, too. I hope to never not have one (or two).

You are very selfish. My dad also planned to live beyond 68, but unfortunately he got cancer and died at 67. It is not fair to the animal to lose it's home too.

I'm sorry for your loss. You are surely aware that people die younger than 67 too. Everyone dies. Does that mean no one should have a pet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TLDR whole thread but I do dog adoptions for a living. You can't leave a 4 month old puppy home alone all day. That's cruel. Even a dog walker is insufficient for the training and socialization a young puppy needs. Dog daycare would give it socialization but not a lot of one on one training. I'd get an older dog.

People like you are the reason people Shop instead of adopt.

Is ideal? No but it’s doable and dogs are just fine. You don’t need doggy daycare. A dog walker is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you active and mobile? Also depends on the breed you are getting, some breeds are very chill and don’t do much. Puppies are a LOT of work the first 6mths and then a little less 6-12 months. Most stabilize around 12-18 months. Can you be highly present during that time frame? If so, get the puppy. If not, you could be instilling a bad foundation from the start and you could have problems for years to come. Get a dog breed based on your lifestyle, there is one for everyone. DO NOT GO OFF APPEARANCE. Commit to this dog for 12 months and you will have a wonderful family member, if you can’t well that’s not fair to your family or the dog. It’s not a stuffed animal, it’s a breathing life.

People, are you all preteens or something? Do you know anyone in their 50s? It is really rare not to be active and mobile in your 50s. DH and I are nearly 60, and don't even have gray hair. We run, we work out, we travel, we have kids in school still.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TLDR whole thread but I do dog adoptions for a living. You can't leave a 4 month old puppy home alone all day. That's cruel. Even a dog walker is insufficient for the training and socialization a young puppy needs. Dog daycare would give it socialization but not a lot of one on one training. I'd get an older dog.

People like you are the reason people Shop instead of adopt.

Is ideal? No but it’s doable and dogs are just fine. You don’t need doggy daycare. A dog walker is fine.

I think it's a genuine concern to get an 8 week old puppy and leave it home alone for 8-10 hours a day. It needs to go out 3-4x during that stretch, which either means $100 in dog walker visits a day (puppy is too young to go to doggie daycare), or a puppy that takes a lot longer to housetrain because it's used to doing its business in the house. Then the owner has to be willing to spend significant amount of time with the puppy to get it the training and socialization it needs to ensure that it grows up to be a lower maintenance pet. This is time the adults would probably otherwise be using to do their house chores and cooking. And down time. Puppies eat into down time. I'm not saying it cannot be done, just that it takes significant commitment from the owners.

I don't usually recommend puppies to people that have never had dogs, because they're 10x the work of a 2-3 year old dog. I would definitely not recommend one to someone that has never had dogs that works outside the home full time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a plan for who will take care of this dog should you get sick and die? Late 50s is too old imo unless you are getting a big dog that won’t live 10 years. If you are getting a small dog who could live 18 years, very selfish.
Puppies are like infants. They need to go outside every hour while being trained, and they don’t sleep through the night.

What? They are in their 50s. The chances of them just suddenly getting sick or dying are not that much higher than someone in their 30s or 40s.

My dad was 78 (and my mom 70) when they got their current puppy, and no one even blinked at that. They walk at least 3 miles per day, are constantly on the go (with their dog in tow), and are phenomenal dog owners.

[Anonymous]

Op, when you say onsite does that mean you work at home or out of home?
You absolutely cannot do this if you work out of home full time.
I’m nervous if you work from home given that you’ve never had a pet before.
I’m 53 and just got my third puppy (fifth dog of my life) last year. It is a lot of work! He still does stuff like finds a pen and thinks it is a stick and ruins the carpet. Sometimes he eats stuff in the backyard and throws up. He likes to go out and run aronnd every couple of hours, or go for a long walk or wrestle. He is very sweet and funny but if we didn’t put a ton of work into him, he’d be a disaster.

Also keep in mind that for large breeds, you shouldn’t fix them until 18-24 months, and most boarders won’t take unfixed dogs.

Also you absolutely will need to take him to training classes and socialize him. Remember that the friends who said they would help will Not help if your dog is an ill behaved PITA.

I love dogs and don’t think 50s is too old for a puppy but it’s gojng to be a big undertaking for someone who has never had a pet. You need to ask yourself — are you an old dog that doesn’t want to learn new tricks? Or are you looking for a new adventure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a plan for who will take care of this dog should you get sick and die? Late 50s is too old imo unless you are getting a big dog that won’t live 10 years. If you are getting a small dog who could live 18 years, very selfish.
Puppies are like infants. They need to go outside every hour while being trained, and they don’t sleep through the night.

This is a hysterical comment. I genuinely laughed when I read this.

[Anonymous]

Anyone could die at any time.

I wouldn't get a puppy just because I don't want all that work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone could die at any time.

I wouldn't get a puppy just because I don't want all that work.

I'm about to get 5 to foster. It's fun for couple weeks.
But yeah, I adopted an adult one when it was time to get a second dog.

[Anonymous]

This will shock the PP who thinks 50's too old to get a puppy, but we got our puppy in our 60's. Yes, the puppy phase is a lot of work, but it goes by fast and our dog has been great for us. We are out with him all the time and know so many more people than we would otherwise.

Dogs are expensive and travel requires planning for his care, but we fortunately have the resources and lots of time for him. I wouldn't trade him for all the world and think he has a pretty good life with us.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure anyone thinks this poster is too old. What the person needs to consider is what type of puppy they want to bring in to the house. If they are 50 and active, by all means get an active breed puppy. If they are 50 and like to sit around watching tv, going out to eat, taking leisure vacations, please get a less active breed. Puppies are a lot of work initially but the breed will determine the energy needs for the life of the puppy.