I would really like your thoughts on this

Hi! I'm so grateful to have found this forum and I can tell by reading the posts how kind you all are to animals.

Here is our situation. There is a darling little puppy (we call him a puppy but he is 14 years old). He really got lonely when the young ladies he grew up with moved out to pursue their careers.

Me and dh are young seniors and do not have a dog just now because we like to travel from time to time.



Anyway his folks didn't mind him coming over so we look after him when they go away and he loves hanging out over at our house.


They have purchased a retirement home in Central


Alberta and have been up there most of this month getting it ready. Maggie has been staying with us. We go for walks, etc. he is very close to us and spends most of the holidays with us.

Now here's the thing. His family asked us different times if we would like to keep him but I always felt he loves his family of origin and it wouldn't be fair to him to change that.

His family will be leaving in about a week and they have pretty decided he isn't going with them. I think unless we take him he will be put down.

The pros. - He is a dear friend and a well behaved puppy who loves to be with us, however, we didn't get another dog so we would be free to travel and found this arrangement with Maggie was the perfect situation.

Against? He is 14 years old. How long would he last? Would he pine for his family of origin.

A kennel is 20 miles away.

Having a puppy full time is a certain amount of extra work.

If he stays with us we would be the ones who eventually would have to have him put down. H is an athlete with a good heart (in every respect).

If you were in our position what do you think would be the fairest to all con cerned.


Aside from being hard lof hearing he is quite spry.

I would love to know how you think you would handle this if you were us.

Thankyou all so very much.

Jan

 

i think you should keep him. no doubt about it. that someone is going to put him down just because they do not want him anymore is just awful. its not his fault he isnt wanted, why should he loose his life? yes he may be a senior but whatever life he has left should be a good one. that should be your mission. he may have years left or he may have a very short time....but even so, to give him the best possible life for the remeinder of his years is a reward in itself. keep him. love him.

god it makes me so mad when ppl abandon their senior dogs like old trash.

 

Keep him! He's so used to you he won't fret for his original owners. All of my dogs have had previous owners and none have ever fretted. I understand when you say you like to be free to travel, but maybe you could choose holidays where he could accompany you, that's what we did and they loved it. Great adventures for both kids and dogs. As for you eventually having to put him to sleep, that's for the future and I wouldn't dwell on it too much, afterall it's the now that counts, and if you can give him the happiness he deserves, all power to you. Good luck to you and him!

 

afterall, anyone who would have him killed because they dont want him anymore does not deserve to have him in the first place. he deserves someone who is going to love him forever and for who he is now. im telling you, if you are good to him and love him he won't be depressed for his former humans. they dont sound like they loved him very much anyway. plus if you want to go away somewhere where you cannot bring him (dogs LOVE getting to have new and interesting adventures with their humans) then you can hire someone you trust to care for him while you are gone. i know around here there's an old retired woman who runs her own business of "dog sitting".