Oldies In Pounds Or Dumped

[CHA]

This is breaking my heart

I cannot imagine my OLD boy being abandoned in a pound just because he is old. He will be 19yrs in january, we bred him (maltese x ) when i was 10yrs before we knew any better and he is the last of that era to go. His mum and sister whom we also kept have passed. He is pottery, mostly blind and deaf, has dementia, on a bad day will toilet inside, skinny but still has a good appetite and sleeps most of his days away. He is well loved, had a bad turn a couple of weeks ago and we thought it was his time so had round the clock vigils for 2 days where all the family came back to mum and dads and spent turns sitting up with him so he wouldnt be alone throughout the night, we didnt want him to be alone when he passed.

Turned out the old battler fought it off and sprung back, but it makes me want to cry thinking of the oldies whose family dont care anymore (how you can do that to your beloved pet is beyond me). If we put old dougal in a pound it would kill him. The stress on the poor soul would do it Makes me want to cry just thinking about it.

Cleveland your family must be so lovely, this bought tears to my eyes thinking how much love there is for your little man in your family. All dogs should have that same level of love.

[Ruin Maniac]

I'd have a hard time holding my tongue in the presence of someone who surrendered an old dog for stupid reasons.

If the thought didn't sicken me even more (and given for the next year I'm working with the graves of people who were treated in such a way), I'd almost wish their family shipped them out of home when they started to become more of a chore than company. What a heartless thing to do.

[megan_]

While I don't agree with abuse, I can understand this situation happening if someone dies and they haven't made provisions for their dog (which we should ALL do, and have it in writing in our wills). Family members of mine have dogs and, if something happened to them, I would be in no position to help out. I have a FA dog who is very picky on who she likes and working full time with 2 active young dogs I just wouldn't have time for another, no matter how much I really wanted to help.

I guess the lesson is that we all need to plan for what happens to our dogs if we die or are incapacitated.

I have a house of 5 oldies, 3 on medication which is pretty exy but I wouldn't have it any other way ...

I also rescue oldies when I can and find them lovely homes - once i've got their vet work done which means I can't do it too often because your bills very much outweigh your adoption fee - i don't usually charge one but don't always say that in my ads.

[mantis]

After my Kenny passed away, I only wanted a rescue dog that was more mature. Me being older, I couldn't be bothered going through all the puppy & teenage stages.

Now I have my beautiful older lady Cougar & she is a delight. Fits my lifestyle perfectly.

[exkiwi]

The other popular option for oldies is to board them in kennels & hope they die there or the owners have to do the dirty work & yes we have been in this position on 1 too many occasions.

Some don't even go away they just hope the shock will kill them

Absolutely disgusting.

[Perry's Mum]

I just got this from the Barking Army

Hello: You have reached 123-4567, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to the following options and choose the one that best describes you or your situation:

Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home right away.

Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your 150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

Press 3 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a baby and dogs at the same time.

Press 4 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 5 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 6 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home TODAY and pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 7 if you have been feeding and caring for a "stray" for the last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it's not your dog.

Press 8 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money for your vacation.

Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10 if your relative has died and you don't want to care for their elderly dog because it doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way to work.

Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is not our responsibility.

Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog to be euthanized because I won't take it.

Press 18 if you're going to get angry because the volunteers had the audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19 if you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid and cat friendly purebred dogsthat we have an abundance of.

Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight aggression problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your neighbor's cats.

Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don't take personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this time with a different answer.

Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge, of course.

Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before your kids wake up.

Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had ten litters, but we can't spay her because she is pregnant again and it is against your religion.

Press 26 if you're lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel bad and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because it is declawed, but are not willing to accept the responsibility that the cat's behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house but you just haven't gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 30 if you have done "everything" to housebreak your dog and have had no success but you don't want to crate the dog because it is cruel.

Press 31 if you didn't listen to the message asking for an evening phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are also working and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because today is your daughter's birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 33 if your dog's coat doesn't match your new furniture and you need a different color or breed.

Press 34 if your new love doesn't like your dog and you are too stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next month anyway) instead of the dog.

Press 35 if you went through all these 'options' and didn't hear enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog while the vet mercifully frees him from the grief of missing his family.

~Author Unknown

[Mystiqview]

Christmas holidays.... School holidays.. pound numbers always increase just before people go away

Edit: We had our fair share of oldies and youngin's in the pound I was stationed at (before welfare group took it over)... and we also knew just prior to school holidays, our numbers increased. Even had a few people wishing to leave the dog with us while they went on holidays and were rather candid about it.

Others, who did the old or the sick, you knew they were sick of medications, and the accidents or just too stingy to pay a vet to put it to sleep when the council could do it for free.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Mystiqview

[HeelerLove]

One by one, they pass by my cage,

Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.

Way past his time, he can't run and play.

They then shake their heads slowly and go on their way.

A little old man, arthirtic and sore,

It seems I am not wanted anymore.

I once had a home, I once had a bed,

A place that was warm, and where I was fed.

Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail.

Who wants a dog so old and frail?

My family decided I didn't belong.

I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.

Whatever excuse they made in their head,

Can't justify how they left me for dead.

Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,

The younger dogs get adopted away.

When I've almost come to the end of my rope,

You saw my face, and I finally had hope.

You saw through the grey, and the legs bent with age,

And I felt I still had a life beyond this cage.

You took me home, gave me food and a bed,

And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.

We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low,

You love me so dearly, you want me to know.

I may have lived most of my life with another,

But you outshine them with a love so much stronger.

And I promise to return all the love I can give,

To you, my dear person, as long as I live.

I may be wth you for a week, or for years,

We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.

And when the time comes that I must leave,

I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve.

And when I arrive at the bridge, all shiny brand new,

My thoughts and my heart will still be wth you.

And I will brag to all who will hear,

Of the person who made my last days so dear.

-Authour Unknown-

Oldies are the best.. we just adopted an 8 year old Blue Heeler after his old owners abandoned him and he couldn't fit in with us and our girl more perfectly. There is something special about adopting a dog in their older years, especially if they haven't had the best life before you.

[Perry's Mum]

There certainly is - my first dog Amber was an oldie and she was perfect - all my future dogs will be oldies - I think I am going to open a home for retired and rescued working dogs.

[Liath]

We adopted another dog from the pound, she was around 1 year old. We ended up taking her back because she terrorised my older dog. Maddie was there first, no way would i get rid of her

[Hunny]

I got a 13 year old Staffy out the pound a few years ago, I took one look at her photo and said she was coming home with me. She was so overweight, a bit deaf, a bit blind, had the weirdest bark... but such a sweet soul. The owners had left her and another dog with a friend and just never came back, as she couldn't keep them, they ended up at the pound. The other dog was a young springer spaniel and was snapped up right away..but nobody wanted an old staffy. I thought she wouldn't last more than 6 months, and thought I'm make them happy for her.. but our dear old Rosebud got to 16 years old before eventually being PTS. She loved kids, but used to take on the horses..even though she could hardly see them!

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Had two emails tonight - one person wanting to rehome two 13 yr old Border Collies and another one wanting to rehome a 7 yr old Labradoodle ...

[Atanquin]

god i cannot read this thread its to sad i wish i could take all the poor dogs that end up in the pound young and old all i hope for is that they at least find a great home or at least a loving foster home to live out their last days.

[hortfurball]

I got to the end of page two and had to stop reading before I burst into tears. Oops, too late.

How anyone could dump their oldie is beyond me. I just can't understand why everyone else doesn't think of them as a treasured old friend the way we do.

[MarieEvans]

Dumping a dog would be an easy way out for most people because it would save them the trouble of having to drive to kennels. But if I had an old dog, I'd rather take care of them myself and just wait for them to go peacefully. I would never wish to be an advocate of putting down dogs. It makes me feel bad.

[tdierikx]

I actually spoke to a person who said it was cheaper to let their dog wander and be taken to the pound for 2 weeks than it was to board same dog if they went on holidays... I definitely had to hold myself back from saying what I thought about that... I just reminded them of all the diseases that a dog can pick up in the pound and hoped they at least had the dog's shots up to date...

Some people just don't look at their dogs the same way that we do... more's the pity... *sigh*

T.

[BC Crazy]

Gosh T.... Just when I thought I'd heard it all...

I don't know how people who think that it is "O.K." to treat their dogs so badly can actually sleep at night. Blows me away. I am just mortified

& so deeply saddened that I can't visit this thread as often as I'd likes too, just way to sad for me

Edited December 11, 2012 by BC Crazy

[Simply Grand]

Oh gosh, perry's mum, the rescue msg post had me furious then teary, Blueylove that poem had me balling

I'm another one who can't understand how people can have so little care and respect for pets that WE CHOOSE to have, they get no say in it yet still trust and devote themselves to us.

[Missymoo]

Lol my oldie is currently deciding she doesn't need to go outside to poop!! . Old fart, bless her... Now where are the baby wipes and carpet cleaners again ;)

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Lol my oldie is currently deciding she doesn't need to go outside to poop!! . Old fart, bless her... Now where are the baby wipes and carpet cleaners again ;)

Off topic Missymoo but you need to make sure you remove the scent of poop/wee properly with vinegar/water or Napisan/water mix - it has enzymes!