Are Pups Appropriate Gifts?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Would depend on your parents.

My agility instructor said he'd help look after my dog while I was away he always said "you won't get her back", and he, or rather his family and neighbours couldn't cope after a couple of nights. She drove them nuts.

So people say they want your dog, but they might not think so after a couple of nights of a puppy trying to take over.

So have your parents dog sat for a weekend? How did that go? Are they up for puppy toilet training? What plans would any of you had if you needed to travel away without your dog - boarding kennel ok? Or not?

Don't surprise them with it. Do discuss it first. What the others said about paying for it but letting your parents manage the timing and choice.

[Teebs]

]

Im not sure that a puppy as a surprise gift is always a bad idea i know a lot of people on here that would appreciate a gift like that.

I Did.

If you do decide to get them a dog please get it from a good breeder, the last thing you want to get them is a dog that has problems that could be avoided.

I would hate for someone to get me a dog as a suprise gift! I have very definite view on what I want in a puppy and have a hectic lifestyle so don't always have time available to devote to a puppy. I have had someone give me a pony as a suprise gift... the day I had convinced my parents to let me start looking for my next horse - the pony was the complete opposite to what I would have gotten myself but there was nothing I could do about it as she was a gift

Ditto, I would hate someone to give me a puppy, if they told me what they were doing and let me pick the dog and they paid for it, then that would be ok (or not, no way i would let someone spend that much money on me! )

I told Dad when they no longer have the dog they have now, I will buy him a Bulldog, (they dont want 2 dogs) but I would never do it without his ok, and without him getting to pick the breeder/dog he wanted!

And 65 isnt old My parents are almost there, and they are more active than i am!

[tdierikx]

I have a foster pup - 9 months old - who would be fine for an older couple who would like an easy maintenance cuddlebum, but will still have enough energy to play with your little boy when he comes to visit...

She doesn't look like a wolf - but she IS cute!

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/84918 <---- her name is Zoe

We also have a couple of Papillon cross ready for adoption if the longer softer hair appeals...

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/84923 <---- Arthur

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/84924 <----- Martha

T.

[becks]

It's not just a case of how active a 65 year old - will they still be active over the next 10 years or so? What would happen to the dog if their health goes?

My dad was 65 when he took on his current dog, he didn't want a puppy (and thought his partner was mad when she bought a poodle puppy who was almost to much work for them and has developed issues), anyhoo, my dad is very happy with his dog who is now 7 years old, active enough to enjoy going to the park or beach for walks and then happy to just lie around the house the rest of the day (the dog that is! lol )

A good breeder would never sell you a dog to give as a gift to someone else.

[lanabanana]

First off, I would love a puppy as a gift but my OH never gets the hnt and I always end up getting them myself LOL

Secondly, in regards to people saying they just love your dog and they want it. I had a very good friend who was very in love with my big boy Barney. When they went looking for a dog of their own, they wanted a dog like Barney. They lived with us for the first year or so of his life so they knew him quite well. He always stayed at their place when we went away or whatever, and they always said they would want him if we ever decided we didnt (yea right).

Well, when we first moved to Oz, they agreed to look after our dogs until we would get them over. This was a period of 3 months. Turns out they didn't quite love Barney as much as they always raved about and were quit ehappy to see the back of him LMAO (they did say "we love him dearly but no, we dont want him anymore like we used to") .

[cannibalgoldfish]

Look at the second listing...

http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/mature/shiba-inu.asp

[Lyla]

I have a foster pup - 9 months old - who would be fine for an older couple who would like an easy maintenance cuddlebum, but will still have enough energy to play with your little boy when he comes to visit...

She doesn't look like a wolf - but she IS cute!

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/84918 <---- her name is Zoe

We also have a couple of Papillon cross ready for adoption if the longer softer hair appeals...

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/84923 <---- Arthur

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/84924 <----- Martha

T.

Arthur! What a stunner!

[tdierikx]

Arthur is the nicest little man - he'd be fine for a couple in their 60's too...

T.

[OSoSwift]

it is NEVER a good idea to give a puppy as a suprise gift - or any animal for that matter.

If they are involved in the process and pick the puppy and you hand over the cash, fine.

My Inlaws are in their 70's and still very active so 65 is not old.

[SpotTheDog]

I agree that a pup as a surprise gift isn't a great idea.

However the consideration with a pup and an older owner - and I don't mean to sound brutal here - is the possibility of the dog outliving the owner. Yes, of course we could all get hit by a bus tomorrow, but the possibility of impending death becomes more of a probability as you get older.

Before anyone calls me a callous bint, my own father died very suddenly on 31st July just gone - he was 76 and extremely healthy and active. He considered getting a dog at the age of 68 but my mum talked him out of it (she's not as much of an animal lover and didn't want to be tied back into the cycle of kennels etc - they travelled a lot to see my siblings).

If dad HAD gotten himself a pup and he aged 68, the dog would now be left with my mum, who wouldn't be able to deal with it on her own. The dog would be eight years old - a nice age for a healthy, adult dog, but a disasterous age for a dog in a shelter looking for a new home.

That said, virtually all problems can be overcome with planning - if you can come up with a game plan for what will happen with the pup if your parents can no longer care for it, for whatever reason, and you think they'd enjoy a pup, then discuss it with them and see what they'd like to do.

[ellz]

Puppies should NEVER be given as surprises, no matter what the circumstances. A puppy is a huge committment that people need to be prepared for, emotionally and physically.

That said, with their permission and choice of breed, a pup would be wonderful.

I've given my parents a number of older dogs because they just cannot be bothered with the puppy bit any more and it has worked out well.

And my last litter of Staffords saw one of the boys go to an older lady living on Flinders Island. Her daughter was horrified at her getting a puppy at her age (she's over 70) and made it very clear that if anything happened to her mother she did NOT want the responsibility of the dog. I put it in writing that if anything happens to Anne, the puppy (Ben) is to come back to me, along with his two older Stafford housemates (Brigid and Bran). The older dogs aren't my breeding or my responsibility but I wanted to give Anne peace of mind that should something happen to her, that her canine family would be taken care of TOGETHER for the rest of their days.

[badboyz]

http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/mature...anese-spitz.asp

[Shakti]

Friends of mine gave their widowed mother (after she had agreed!!) a gift basket of puppy items ie bed, chews etc and they made a Puppy gift Voucher for the breeder of her choice to be redeemed for one puppy! That way they got to give the gift but she actually got to choose and pick the ideal puppy for her plus there was no time frame on it so she was able to plan when it best suited her to bring a puppy into her home.