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Small Breed Older Dog Suitable For An Old Man's Companion?


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I had a call from someone looking for a small breed, older dog for an old man (he's 89). His granddaughter is looking on his behalf, his old dog died and he's very lonely.

Would be a good place for a senior, littley looking for a quiet berth. Grand daughter seems happy to be responsible if something happens to her granddad.

If you're got a suitable dog, drop me a PM and I'll pass on her contact details.

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He's adorable. I've developed a late-in-life affection for Poms after having a couple in foster care. I did point them to Rescued with Love, so hopefully they'll pick up on Tigger.

There's a dear little toilet trained 9 yr old gentleman called Tigger with Rescued with Love. Loves cuddles & a quiet life.

http://www.petrescue...listings/214918

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Do rescue let dogs go to such elderly people?

I can't speak for the rescue that Tigger's with .... but usually a dog is adopted to an elderly person with the condition that a family member will take responsibility for the dog if anything happens to the person. And also help out with vet visits etc.

An 89 yr old retired doctor I know of, adopted a failed guide dog labrador, as his daughter & son-in-law have stepped up to be the responsible people (in fact, they helped arrange the adoption).

Edited by mita
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Do rescue let dogs go to such elderly people?

I can't speak for the rescue that Tigger's with .... but usually a dog is adopted to an elderly person with the condition that a family member will take responsibility for the dog if anything happens to the person. And also help out with vet visits etc.

An 89 yr old retired doctor I know of, adopted a failed guide dog labrador, as his daughter & son-in-law have stepped up to be the responsible people (in fact, they helped arrange the adoption).

We recently rehomed to a lovely 88 year old lady and in fact have with permission posted her on our facebook page. She has three lovely daughters who will fit the little dog into their lifestyle if necessary or she will come back to us. If this is the gentleman I am thinking of our concern is he is in the country and a long way from us if there are problems or we need to become involved. Vets regularly refer senior people on to us who have lost their dog. Mostly they are not internet savvy so we do require that someone become the internet contact point for us and take on that contact role following adoption.

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Do rescue let dogs go to such elderly people?

I can't speak for the rescue that Tigger's with .... but usually a dog is adopted to an elderly person with the condition that a family member will take responsibility for the dog if anything happens to the person. And also help out with vet visits etc.

An 89 yr old retired doctor I know of, adopted a failed guide dog labrador, as his daughter & son-in-law have stepped up to be the responsible people (in fact, they helped arrange the adoption).

Yes I remember the greyhound rescue group I was with rehomed a grey to an elderly man here on the coast. If I remember rightly he was in his 80's and had a lot of family support. She was a shy young greyhound who loved nothing more than sitting on the lounge with him or pottering around the backyard, it was a perfect match and made an old man and a lucky greyhound very happy :)

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I homed a 1 year old poodle to an 84 year old lady, she is turning 90 this July, the dog is kept in exceptional condition, walked usually twice a day and she lives on her own. I groom the dog every 5 weeks and have done since she adopted the dog.

Don't assume anything until you know the person there are many capable elderly people out there.

Never mind the offer.

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I rehomed a 10-12 year old little dog a couple of years ago to a 91 year old man. Like others have said though - I get the family involved and ensure there is an agreement in place with them should the animal outlive the older person.

I was fortunate that it was my own vets father and like another rescues example, we did the adoption through him and I was confident that should anything happen to his father, he would readily take care of him.

I would consider the same for any other potential adoptive person though, if an elderly owners family was involved in the process and willing to co-sign any adoption agreements and take care of the animal should their beloved family member pass before the dog does.

These are brilliant homes under these circumstances. Dogs often get constant companionship, and depending on the persons health, even much more exercise and socialisation as they are often out and about every day. What a life! I wish there were more on offer!

If he was closer I would consider a boy I have in care but just too far away....

Good luck.

Edited by Just Andrea
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There needs to be a lot of family support, or that of neighbours. I don't rehome high maintenance dogs to elderly people usually, just depends. Each case is individual but everything needs to be dotted and crossed so that the dog's wellbeing is never compromised.

Unless there is someone walking the dog daily, I also wouldn't rehome a dog that needs walking either.

I did rehome an 8 yr old Maltese dog to a disabled person a couple of months ago. The neighbours walk the dog every day and the former foster carer stays in touch all the time. My dear friend who is a groomer has that part of it sorted. It's a wonderful match, made in heaven. This little dog was a surrender from an elderly person who'd been given the dog 2 yrs before and hated it. Luckily I got there as she was about to make the euthanasia appointment. Sounded like the devil incarnate as she described all the wrongs this dog was doing. I wondered what I was getting. He actually turned out to be one of the very best dogs I've ever known ...

Edited by dogmad
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Do rescue let dogs go to such elderly people?

I can't speak for the rescue that Tigger's with .... but usually a dog is adopted to an elderly person with the condition that a family member will take responsibility for the dog if anything happens to the person. And also help out with vet visits etc.

An 89 yr old retired doctor I know of, adopted a failed guide dog labrador, as his daughter & son-in-law have stepped up to be the responsible people (in fact, they helped arrange the adoption).

Yes I remember the greyhound rescue group I was with rehomed a grey to an elderly man here on the coast. If I remember rightly he was in his 80's and had a lot of family support. She was a shy young greyhound who loved nothing more than sitting on the lounge with him or pottering around the backyard, it was a perfect match and made an old man and a lucky greyhound very happy :)

Apparently greyhounds and some other large breeds are a very good match for the elderly. We assume that a small dog would be best but the fact is they can get under the feet whereas a larger dog can actually support the person's mobility - they can lean on them :) Of course there are elderly people who can cope with a high maintenance dog and plenty of youngsters who cannot. Gosh I am a lot younger than that and I find grooming a pain. But personally at that age I think I would rather adopt a very low maintenance dog.

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Thank you everyone for the suggestions, I'll happily pass them on. The granddaughter contacted us on her granddad's behalf, but they are local to us, so if we'd had a suitable dog would have been handy.

On further conversation, the gentleman has decided he'd like a small dog with a shorter coat, his last dog was a Chi X Foxie.

As Andrea said, as long as there is a family member willing to take responsibility if necessary, either to keep the pet, or bring it back to us, homes with older people can be excellent homes. Many elderly people are still fit and healthy, and having a pet can be of enormous benefit to their health and emotional well being.

We'll always decide on a case by case basis, but wouldn't reject a home simply on the basis of age.

Mita, we had people come and look at one of our dogs ... they were very active retired people, but the wife's frail, elderly mother lived with them. The husband really wanted a big dog, but they were concerned for the elderly lady. After a couple of visits to a couple of dogs we suggested a Greyhound, so they went off to GAP, found a lovely Grey who was not only big enough for the husband to be happy with, but was good for the older woman because she could use the big dog as a prop for when she was a bit unsteady on her feet.

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Yes I remember the greyhound rescue group I was with rehomed a grey to an elderly man here on the coast. If I remember rightly he was in his 80's and had a lot of family support. She was a shy young greyhound who loved nothing more than sitting on the lounge with him or pottering around the backyard, it was a perfect match and made an old man and a lucky greyhound very happy :)

:cry: - lovely story, Stans Mun.

Apparently greyhounds and some other large breeds are a very good match for the elderly. We assume that a small dog would be best but the fact is they can get under the feet whereas a larger dog can actually support the person's mobility - they can lean on them :) Of course there are elderly people who can cope with a high maintenance dog and plenty of youngsters who cannot. Gosh I am a lot younger than that and I find grooming a pain. But personally at that age I think I would rather adopt a very low maintenance dog.

Despite saying this would be a wonderful opportunity for a littly, in fact, I believe that larger dogs are better for elderly people. Little dogs tend to sit behind feet and turning too quickly sees them flying across the room - LOL.

Dangerous for them and for the person.

It is all in matching the dog to the person.

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I wasn't actually suggesting a greyhound in this case just answering Rosetta's question about adopting out rescues to the elderly. As others have said it can be a fantastic home with the right support and give such joy to someone. I hope if I live to that age I will still be adopting greyhounds. There will be a lucky little dog out there for this gentleman, as DD said it's all about matching the dog to the person regardless of age.

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