Getting a puppy in your late 50s

[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.

[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.

How rude. Life expectancy is around 78, they could even outlive a small dog. Young people are not immortal. What a weird comment.

[Anonymous]

So we have people we know in their 50s get a puppy. They are no considering rehoming it, probably will. These are active 50 year olds. They just forgot what it was like to have a puppy, the work involved, the lack of sleep, less ability to go out and do what they want, etc. This is what scares me when older folks who are active but have set habits want to get a puppy and haven't had one in a while. No one is saying that 50 year olds can't keep up. They must consider the temporarily puppy year and also the energy level of particular breeds. Some breeds are easier to co-exist with than others depending on lifestyles. Honestly, this is where a nice 1-3 year old rescue would have been perfect for the couple.

[Anonymous]

If we were to start putting age limits on people who are allowed to have puppies, there would be even more of them at the shelters waiting for homes. Then when homes couldn't be found for them all, they would eventually be euthanized.

[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.

Wrong. Totally wrong. The dog will be aging and dying when they hit their 70s. Until then it's the perfect time for empty nesters. My late 70s dad has 2 dogs who outlived his wife, my mom. Walking and taking care of his dogs have been crucial for him to avoid loneliness and give him a reason to wake up every day.

My MIL died unexpectedly in her 60s and literally half a dozen people offered to take her dog. You can have backup plans and it will be okay.

It’s not good for the dog. Ya know the living being that is most affected by this idea? Any words for them?

[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.

People like YOU are the reason why so many dogs misbehave and get tuned into shelters because of the practically guaranteed issues that leaving a 4 month old baby alone all day. WTF Of you can’t actually take care of a living animal then I guess you shouldn’t get one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are getting a 4-month old puppy later this month and we are in our late 50s. What are we getting ourselves into? We never had a pet before.

We are both working onsite, and kids are out of house, how much will this impact our lifestyle? We plan to travel at least two or three times a year internationally. We have friends who said they can help, but with a puppy it’s a lot of work.

You do not work from home. Friends? Depends on the dog and if not a great dog that will dry up fast. It's not like you're in your 20's or 30's guilting your parents to help. Most puppies from breeders go home shortly after 8 weeks. weeks 9-10 have taking out every 2-3 hours for pee and poop. By 4 months you get sleep through the night meaning usually 11:30-5 am ish.

People with puppies/dogs have relied on local relatives or dog walkers or doggie daycare when they are working onsite. Some dogs are a burden to all but the "furbaby" owner- relatives get stuck but friends, daily dog walker or doggy daycare bail.