I just booked a flight for a week in April. She told me she needs something LIVING in her house. She asked about a fish. I said you can’t pet a freaking fish. We will see.
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Your mom looks great! My mom will be 91 next month and not only still drives, she delivers meals on wheels!
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Your Mom is AWESOME!! 
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@ThreeWishes I am so sorry for your mom. I can see the bond she had with Milo, from the pics you posted.
My 94 yo Mom lost her dear, elderly Belgian Shepherd 2 months ago. She was heartbroken and last time she lost a dog, when she was 80, she went into depression. Fortunately, this time around, she lives with my sister who has 2 dogs (a Picard and a Chihuahua mix), 2 cats and 4 horses, so losing Florane was easier on her. She now sleeps with my sister’s small dog, who’s in heaven to finally be allowed on a bed. 
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If she is not adamantly anti-cat, a kitten might work. No chance of comparing to past dog and less care issues. And watching kitten antics always brings a smile!
I am reminded of a neighbor who had a JR for around 16 years. They knew each other inside out. After he died, her son gave her a JR puppy. Both of them had forgotten what a JR puppy is like! He was forever getting loose and tearing around the neighborhood, in addition to his in-house mischief. She was distraught that she couldnt manage him. Eventually they found a JR fancier who took him to a more appropriate home.
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Cats come with litter box duties for the owner. @ThreeWishes Mom may not be into that.
I’d be concerned that she could trip over a small dog since she isn’t used to them.
Fish in fish tanks are lovely to watch and you do have to feed them so there’s that. You know they depend on you. Fish tanks do take maintenance and fish are not terribly long lived for the most part. Your Mom may find out that she enjoys a having a fish tank.
Let her take her time. Good luck. Such a difficult situation for her ( and you.)
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Thank you to you and everyone who took the time to respond. My Mom is definitely not a cat person. Never has been. She actually did mention a fish 
.
Her main concern seems to be what happens if she has to downsize and sell her home/property. That a big dog wouldn’t work in a condo or tiny house.
That and worrying she will suddenly have a health issue and no one to care for a pet.
It’s really just been kind of a sobering realization as I also age. I am mid 50’s. So in my mind this probably will be my last 2 horses? And maybe I have another dog or two in my future? When you have large dogs I suppose you factor in a decade plus for each? And should always have a backup plan.
Thank you again for your advice. Sincerely appreciate it.
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A bit of a rogue suggestion, but any neighbours who have been called back into the office with a sad pet at home?
I would love for your mom to come and dog sit my beasts while I’m stuck in the office. Win - win. More pet timeshares need to be arranged, or at least suitable shared custody arrangements!
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That is a great idea. As well as the suggestion for senior foster. She needs time. I really really believe both would be amazing options. I’ll let her tell me if that’s what she thinks is the plan.
My Mom has good genes. Both her parents and grand parents lived into their mid 90’s. And self sufficient. 🤷. Anyway. My biggest concern is her being lonely. She will never move down to Florida. She detests this state. She finally made it to the place she loves.
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Senior shepherd rescue.
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It’s important for her to be in a place she loves. My granma made it to 97 yo and she was healthy and self sufficient until 96, she loved staying where she grew up, surrounded by cousins, sisters, nephews and old friends even if she usually lived with my mom in another area, she often went to her original home. So if your mom is happy there I believe that is a good thing. Hugs to your mom, she must be really heartbroken losing such a wonderful friend. She’ll figure out what to do by herself but being a dog person myself I don’t think she’ll resist. I was full of very rational toughts about it myself, now I’m leaning more towards WTF and looking at greyhounds’ rescue profiles
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How about not a small dog but not a giant one? Something under 35-40 pounds.
Our vizslas and my mutt are not huge but you aren’t going to trip over them because you didn’t see them.
Or… what if your new found brindle ditch dog goes to her house (apologies, im not recalling his name)? He seems like a good natured fellow, you know his personality so that’s not a gamble, much of the training is already done…
Rta: Maybe that’s a crazy suggestion, but at her age I wouldn’t want to risk a rogue personality or crazy high energy getting her injured.
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She sure has. She gets the run of the house separate from the other dogs. She really enjoys her peace and quiet and prefers not to share her beds (yes, multiple, she rotates very systematically) unless it’s with her favorite cat. She recently went through a wicked vesitbular event that gutted us and was a cruel reminder that our time with her is limited.
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Cancel the flight out and take her Tiger. Then fly back…just a thought.
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LOL My dad had one you could pet! He (not really a pet guy) inherited my brother’s goldfish when he lost interest and it lived for YEARS. Eventually, Dad could reach into the tank and Flash would swim right into his hand to be moved for water change. He could even stroke his side as he ate. Dad said if he got another one, he was going to name if Fluffy.
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Just wanted to put another plug in for a retired racer as it sounds like they might meet most/all of her requirements! I have two and they are hands down the easiest dogs ever. Points in their favor:
- They come in a decent range of sizes depending on what your mother is looking for. My graceful female is tiny at 55-60lbs, while my male is the quintessential “big bouncy boy” at 85lbs. Same with personalities- my female is quite clever and learned tricks very easily. My male, well, he’s very handsome and I adore him.
- They require minimal grooming and exercise. While my two love a good 10 minute mad dash about the yard, they currently have been sleeping for the last…6+ hours, only moving to rotate between dog beds and the couch. Their GPS trackers tell me they “rest” 20 hours a day . Their coats vary in levels of shedding- my male has a thin coat that barely sheds, while my females has a bunny like coat that does shed (but certainly less than a shepherd!).
- Because of the above two facts, they can make excellent apartment dogs should your mother need to downsize, as long as she was willing to take them for walks. They also don’t tend to be very barky, and are used to being crated on the track. Some can take awhile to learn how to use stairs though, so that is a consideration.
- The greyhound community is extremely tight knit and works together to make sure the hounds are taken care of. All reputable adoption groups will happily take a grey back and rehome, should the worst happen and your mother pass before the dog, or it simply prove to be not the right fit.
Other considerations- they are sighthounds and training a recall is possible, but very difficult. Free range on an 18 acre property might prove disastrous if it’s not fenced and they take off after a critter across the road. They are also in short supply at this point, with the shut down of the FL tracks and the ripple effect that had, available grays are few and far between these days. A senior rehome though, might be just the thing she is looking for.
As you can tell, greyhounds are something I am quite passionate about! I love mine to bits and am always telling people what wonderful pets they make. I’m more than happy to answer any questions if you have them!
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Do grey hounds respect invisible fences ? She has a couple of acres of her property that is cleared and is invisible fenced. The rest is heavily wooded and not fenced for dogs. The invisible fence was professionally installed and worked for both her last two large dogs.
As for Tiger being a candidate for my Mom. Mmmmmm probably not. He becomes a very good boy after about 4+ hours of running around like a nut in my fenced barnyard. Without that he’s a hellion. it’s also become quite obvious that, although he has a very sweet temperament… That dog has been through some things… And not very kind things. I think in a couple years, he would be a perfect dog for her. But not now he’s got some learning and some maturing to do.
Thank you all again for your stories and input. I am completely loving the fish that liked to be petted lol.
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My Oscars (members of the cichlid family) enjoyed being petted, They’d swim to the top of the aquarium and raise up out a little bit, asking for attention (not just food, lol). If I put my hand in, they’d swim back and forth against it.
They’d also play tug o’ war with me (I used a wooden dowel), and they would throw things out of their aquarium, for their amusement. Highly entertaining, intelligent, relatively long-lived fish.
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Flash probably defied the odds on that. He was a 1 inch 25 cent feeder goldfish originally, that grew to almost the length of Dad’s hand and I think we figured he was about 20yo at the end. Apparently he tried to commit suicide a few times bc more than once Dad found him on the kitchen table. At least one was witnessed so we know he leapt out. We’d put him back in the tank and he’d keep going. I thought he’d live forever.
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