Missymoo Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 I was an old post YG, and the person did follow up with that he lived his last year in comfort before he slashed away. I remember years ago at the RSPCA..(I can't remover why I was there??!) walking past a pen and reading on the sign about the dog it's owner was deceased and family had handed it in...it was a small fluffy thing, shivering and looking totally bewildered...it still sticks in my mind today Kimmy (malt). Is doddery, has only a couple of teeth left, is grumpy and often wees and poos inside...but she won't go anywhere! Yes it can be frustrighting constantly having to clean up wee and poo, but...meh...lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 It's just heartbreaking, isn't it? I have actually gone from thinking that I'll never get a puppy but will always get adult dogs.. to being perfectly happy to just take on seniors :) Maybe my mind will change at some point, but for the foreseeable future it seems like the right option for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longclaw Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 (edited) How anyone could have left this to die in a pound is beyond me, but I suspect maybe the medical bills were adding up. I'd had her barely two months and she was gone, her little body was riddled with cancer. Shame on the a-hole that left her to die at DAS. I gave her some peace and love in her final days and she was such a delight it felt like she'd been here forever. Same thing happened with our Ziggy elkhound. His owners surrendered him to the pound saying he was 'not there to find a new home', but Norskgra rescued him regardless and we adopted him. Had him less than two months before his health declined and scans showed his body was riddled with cancer. Giving him his peace was incredibly hard and for a long time I was so bitterly angry on his behalf, that his lifelong people weren't the ones stroking his paw and giving him comfort in his final moments. I have never regretted adopting him, lovely old boy that he was, but he deserved so much better from his family. efs Edited December 2, 2012 by Longclaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianed Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Missymoo I to took in a badly breed 10 yo Maltese last year after no-one claimed her from our local pound despite being micro chipped and her photo being in the local paper. She,d been living on the streets for a few months before being caught,vacumming food crumbs of the ground. She had mamery tumors and a few teeth removed and is now living the life of a lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clover Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I am pretty 'immune' to most stuff but seeing old dogs dumped breaks my heart . I could not ever imagine leaving any of mine in their senior years, and most definitely alone in a pound or shelter somewhere. I am hoping to adopt a senior big red boofer one day in the future. Unfortunately with having a couple of older dogs myself it will not be for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavericksMission Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 It is becoming more and more regular, the poor oldies coming through the shelter In the past month we have rehomed a 14 year old, 2 x 13 year old best friends, not to mention all the other oldies. It is really heartbreaking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disintegratus Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I'm usually pretty good with going to the local shelter etc, but last time I was there I saw an elderly BC, a lovely old gentleman, the poor old fella looked so confused, just sitting there quietly in his pen with all the other dogs around him going nutso. That actually made me cry (which doesn't happen often!) and the image of that poor guy stayed with me for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I suspect that many are dumped because they become troublesome in their old age, many start to forget themselves and toilet in the house or areas where they aren't "allowed". They can become deaf and nuisance yappers when they call for attention or become lost in their yards. They become costly as they age and the medical bills and dentals are bound to add up. They lose their looks and some find old dogs unattractive and past their used by date. How anyone could have left this to die in a pound is beyond me, but I suspect maybe the medical bills were adding up. I'd had her barely two months and she was gone, her little body was riddled with cancer. Shame on the a-hole that left her to die at DAS. I gave her some peace and love in her final days and she was such a delight it felt like she'd been here forever. We have an aging rescue, who forgets himself and is generally a pain in the arse but he's not going anywhere. He'll die comfortably in his bed, somewhere in the house. I think he's got a few good years left in him. Definitely agree with this. Of the three greys I own, two are oldies- the eldest (ten years old) has a bladder that goes at the worst times (last time was literally right in front of a visitor, he was excited to see her and.. yeah), eyesight that is rapidly failing (which makes him a bit snarky around the other dogs), joints that are starting to show their age (which leads to whinging late at night if his bed isn't soft enough) and the vet bills.. dear god, the vet bills. Oh, and he's a nightmare to walk now, 500m is about as far as he can go before he gets tired and just stops dead. But having said that.. would I take on another oldie? Without a doubt, yes. In fact, I'd say the oldies are much easier to look after than puppies (which makes me wonder how some people manage to cope with puppies but have trouble with senior dogs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disintegratus Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 So true Hardy's Angel. And at least with oldies you know that their changes for the worse are because they're aging, not because they're awful teenage hellhounds who are concerned only with making your life difficult!! :laugh: I love old dogs, and have established that when I get the room (hopefully within the next 12months!!) I'm going to be constantly grieving because I'll adopt old dogs all the time. Old dogs remind me of some old people: they're unashamed and unapologetic of their bad behaviour, bad manners and bad smells! They've earnt their right to make you gag and leave the room! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pollywaffle Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 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 I am just amazed at man's inhumanity to animal/dog sometimes..this does little to reduce that amazement...terrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 So true Hardy's Angel. And at least with oldies you know that their changes for the worse are because they're aging, not because they're awful teenage hellhounds who are concerned only with making your life difficult!! :laugh: Don't get me started on teenage hellhounds I'd take a thousand incontinent oldies over one obnoxious teenager :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clover Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 There's a 15 year old little fluffy on gumtree at the moment, they have no time for her anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 A rescuer received a call today asking them to take three small and elderly dogs - one of whom is aggressive. They were rescued by a relative who has now passed away. Usual stuff - noone in the family can take them, not even 1 dog. They wanted rescue group to take them and rehome them together, when it was explained that would be most unlikely as they are 12+, the rescuer offered to help in another way and got abused and then hung up on. Most people get like that when you say you cannot take the dog because .... if you even finish your sentence you are lucky, before the abuse starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarope Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 People dump dogs for many reasons but the worst of all are those who dump old dogs. These poor dogs have been loyal pets all their lives and are treated like rubbish. When dogs get old they require on going medication and of cause special care,not to mention dental but some people simply don't want to do this and is cheaper to dump them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Switched on the radio this morning and what is the discussion !!! http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/old-dogs3a-loving-and-ageing/4406394 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9angel Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 It's hard enough seeing any dog surrended to the pound, letalone an oldie that has been a part of the family for years. I honestly don't know how people do it, but they do. I remember a few years ago just after Xmas being at the pound when a mature malamute was surrended. (from memory she was 8 or 9yrs old so still had plenty of life left in her. She was beautiful). The reason, 'she wasn't getting along with the new puppy they got for Christmas'. I was like WTF? She'd had this dog for several years and gave her up just like that because they'd got a new puppy! And as if that wasn't bad enough, she also firmly requested the dog be pts. I did try and talk some sense into the young lady and tried to convince her to change her mind, re: the pts part (as it was clear she WAS intent on surrendering) but to no avail. Pound staff could not change her mind either. I remember kneeling down and telling the mallie girl how beautiful she was and that none of this was her fault. She was led away never to be seen again. I love the oldies and have 3 here. I also have 3 teenage sibes. The oldies are much easier to care for than the pups, that's for sure. :laugh: Seriously though, I do not understand some people. Is that the thankyou they give their 4 legged friends after all the love, loyalty and companionship they would of provided them with over the years? I think it's so so sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 OMG k9angel I have just burst into tears after reading your last post It just astounds me, honestly. How could anyone be so bloody heartless Poor Mal girl Some people don't deserve the right/pleasure of dog ownership EVER. Yep & that's the thanks that poor old girl gets after years of devotion & loyalty Shame on them I don't know how you held it together K9, I would of completely lost it with the selfish bitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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