To replace a dog, or not-and would you pay a rehoming fee of $150 for a 12 year old dog with a life expectancy of 1-2 more years?

[equine.love750]

Maybe go for a dog a bit younger (I don’t know your circumstances though, there might not be any) in a shelter somewhere close. Shelters also tend to have lower adoption fees and specials that waive the fees on dogs over 7 or 8.

We had a friend with an 13 year old dog who passed away. Her 12 year old was lonely and heartbroken until they got her a puppy (in your case, maybe a middle aged dog of 5ish?). She is now almost 16 years old and the happiest, spunkiest thing all the time. It transformed her. Good luck with your foster!

[Larksmom]

Thank you el. I have thought of that but Great Plains is basically it around here. There is another shelter across town and I got a cat that died and a dog that I discovered was immediately unsuitable.
I have spoken to the foster person at GP and was supposed to pick up a dog but the foster person was called away for a family emergency. They haven’t called back. I will give them another day or two.
And I am not poverty stricken but my income is diminished these days. And I do not want to have more animals than I can afford. (otherwise I would probably have 10 cats!):winkgrin:​​​​​​​

[Calamber]

The long and the short is yes, if the money is not a critical issue, than it is no issue. The older dogs need homes and that one touched you, I do not ignore things like that if I have an opening. I have taken in two older dogs and will again have one of my usual three as a senior. Both of those dogs were outside only dogs, although one of them would come inside, the other was very uncomfortable maybe because our house was too small but also because she was 10 years old, lost her home due to her loved one going into a nursing home, she was adopted and then house soiled, and then she was available again. She was shut down, she would not move, wag her tail or anything, but she was a German Shepherd/Collie or husky and I love them and I felt tremendously sorry for her. She was the best dog and lived 3 more years with us, loved my husband to distraction and loved children. In honor of January, give the 14 year old dog a try, please. It is a nightmare for a dog that old to be in a kennel and away from a home environment.

[Tyrus_Mom]

There is an on-line adoption match-making service called www.rescueme.org. I have gotten my last two rescue Rotts from it. You can look by breed or location on it and there are rescues and private parties. There are people representing seniors who are going into retirement homes that don’t allow them to keep their pets, people have died and left pets with relatives attempting to re-home them. It’s a great source.

[Larksmom]

@Tyrus' Mom

There is an on-line adoption match-making service called www.rescueme.org. I have gotten my last two rescue Rotts from it. You can look by breed or location on it and there are rescues and private parties. There are people representing seniors who are going into retirement homes that don’t allow them to keep their pets, people have died and left pets with relatives attempting to re-home them. It’s a great source.

I thank you so much for your comments, but I have been overtaken by a crazy train in my life, death of my cat, and problems with the new kitten. The search for another dog has been reluctantly abandoned.

[Irish_Ei_s]

I vote for waiting, please.

[CanadianTrotter]

@Larksmom

I thank you so much for your comments, but I have been overtaken by a crazy train in my life, death of my cat, and problems with the new kitten. The search for another dog has been reluctantly abandoned.

I think putting off getting another dog is a good idea in your present situation.

I’m a bit confused, isn’t the $150 for the all clear vet check before the dog is released to their new owner? If it was a younger dog that wasn’t spayed/neutered wouldn’t the adoption fee be higher than $150, to include the exam, possible vaccinations, medications as well as the spay/neuter?

Here a kitten/young cat is $195 for adoption and an older cat is $50-$60. The $195 includes exam, vaccinations, wormer, flea treatment and a spay/neuter when they’re old enough. The older cats are generally already spayed/neutered so the $50 covers vaccines, wormer, flea treatment. That’s a lot cheaper than getting a cat elsewhere, I just paid $400 to have my two examined, shots, wormed and flea treatment and I still have to pay to get them neutered at $200 a pop. It would have been cheaper for me to adopt a rescue kitten.

[Larksmom]

I spent so much last week on the most unfortunate happenings, I have realized that I can no longer afford to keep 2 dogs and 2 cats… I don’t know about the costs of a breed specific rescue, I am sure they are much higher than a regular rescue. I had no end of trouble with the local aspca. They wouldn’t answer their phones! I called over a period of 3-4 weeks and they NEVER once answered! The recording said they would call back but they didn’t. I had an appointment to go see a dog as a possible foster, but the woman in charge of fostering had an emergency, and wasn’t there. They told me she had a family emergency.That dog wasn’t available any more as she had developed pneumonia(!?) I said fine, I know stuff happens, and didn’t think much about it, but I wondered why no one could call me.
I waited another week and when I hadn’t heard from them, I again drove over, as I had called and received no reply. There were 2 dogs I was looking t to possibly adopt, and again they wouldn’t answer their phones! The one dog I was interested in wouldn’t even look at me, and kept looking around as if he were looking for a way of escape. I said, ‘No I don’t want an escape artist, just lost one of those.’ The other 2 were in foster care. I was told that I needed to speak to the woman who hadn’t called me back before, and the best way to contact her was to send her an email. I did that, and no response for another 2 days. I called, (no answer of course,) left another message, and nothing! I called the Ks location, (we are sort of on a state line, much action across the lines,) and they had one of the dogs. I made arrangements to dive over there to see this dog a coupe of days later. On that day, about 15 minutes before I was to leave she called me back and said they had just treated his ears for something, and could we please wait a few more days and she would bring him to the location, closer to my house? Yes, that would be fine.
Well, she never told me what day, ans so by Friday I was a bit concerned, and I called the shelter, AND THEY WOULDN’T ANSWER THE PHONE!!! I traced this woman’s phone # back on my phone, and called. She didn’t answer either. I called the other location, and miraculously they did answer. She said she would have the woman call me back, which she apparently she did while I was on the phone waiting. I got totally fed up, as I am trying to get a pt job at the moment too, and wanted the adoptions to get thru before I started a job, if I could even get one. I got fed up working with these idiots, and gave up on the adoption process.
I am much fonder of cats than dogs, and I feel badly for Toffee, but I have had it with those idiots. I spent a lot of money last week, and I really don’t want any more than I can afford, but sometimes you don’t know what something will cost, till you get in the middle of it. Right now, I just want to curl up into a ball, and go to sleep.
No more adopting dogs at the moment. that door is closed.

[Trakehner]

Older animals are expensive (well, they can be). Just got my rescued barn kitten, who is now 10 out of the vets…$360 a month ago for a URI, then $966 a week ago for dental work. Jeeze, give me some Ketaset and I’ll do it myself…old is expensive if you’re really looking after their health problems. I’ve seen rescue cats listed at $450 adoption fee…jeeze, don’t want to pay off their student loans. Adoptions can be amazingly expensive.

[RHdobes563]

Took in a 3 year old, 3 1/2 legged Doberman in June. According to the owner’s mother, her daughter’s husband walked out on her, leaving her daughter with two very young twins and two dogs. Daughter and twins moved in with mother/grandmother who had four dogs of her own. Daughter needed to place her dogs for free.

I went to look, saw a beautiful 18 month black female and the blue female. It was obvious that the 3 legged female had been bred. Both dogs needed their shots, and neither were spayed. When I got there, I was told that a family had called about the black female, very excited. I decided to take the blue female, who moved “ugly” (front leg missing) and stood ugly, because I believed that the only person who would take her on would be someone wanting to breed her.

Got her shots through V.I.P. pet clinic at Tractor Supply. Results of blood test said that she had heartworm, and recording said that I should take her to a “full service vet.” Vet did heartworm test, did x-rays, and told me that all I needed to do was use the heartworm medicine I had already purchased at VIP pet clinic (as dog was in very early stages of heartworm). I was told that it was okay to get her spayed as soon as possible and took her to a low-cost clinic 45 miles away. So far, I believe I had invested $800+ in this “free” dog. I am looking into a possible prosthetic for her. The first specialist vet said she didn’t have enough leg for one, but I believe the pictures/video weren’t the best, as the original prosthetic company the vet deals with seems to show a similarly “handicapped” dog. I may take the dog personally to another specialist vet which is about 3 hours away. Cost of the prosthetic, I found, is between $1500-$1800.

One of the local rescue organizations had a similar dog (bred-to-death, starved, worn down teeth, 7 year old, supposedly aggressive with strange people, female Doberman) told me that they wouldn’t consider me as an adopter, because I didn’t have a “current” vet, despite the fact that I had a number of people from my dog club who would vouch for me as an owner, and I could prove that my current dogs were spayed/neutered, had currents shots, were microchipped, and were licensed. They wanted me to have a vet that I could take my dog to in an emergency, which is funny, because NONE of the local small animal vets will come in ‘after hours.’ We have to go to an emergency vet clinic 40 miles away–I have been THERE twice. Once with a dog that suddenly couldn’t walk (she had recovered by the time I got there) who got x-rays anyways (nothing found, maybe a pinched nerve) and a cat who dislocated her leg in the V of my old fashioned table leg (cost of that was $705 for my $8 cat.)

So, of course, the local rescue organization was RIGHT to decide that I wasn’t a good-enough person to adopt their less-than-perfectly-healthy-and-socialized-dog. shrug

Personally, I have seen some dogs in very long time care with rescues because they are older, have health problems, or are a difficult to place breed. Getting these dogs “off their books” would be a financial plus for them. It doesn’t mean that they give the dog to ANYONE, but they need some ‘flexibility’ with their adoption procedure and/or cost. I get frustrated with the local rescue I mentioned because, in addition to NO flexibility, they put NO “personal” descriptions about the dogs they ARE trying to place. I mean, a hard luck story, or this dog is SO friendly, or something like that. Nope, just pictures of their many, many pitbulls.

$150 for a dog that may have been spayed/neutered, microchipped, and gotten all of its shots through a rescue is cheap. However, every day that dog is in a rescue organization’s care costs it money, and I think some of the (very) special dogs could be placed at a much reduced or free fee. My $8 cat was spayed by a vet in its area (I drove 80 miles one way for this kitten) who believed in reducing breeding populations of animals, and this cat came from a tiny county animal control which probably needed all the financial help it could get.

Just my personal experiences…

[4horses]

I would wait to get another dog too. Or pass completely and get another cat. Dogs, at least my dogs, are so much more work than cats. Plus i have not had any luck adopting a dog without getting one with mental problems.

we had Misty who would run away on a daily basis. We had Max who slipped his collar and disappeared for an hour at the state park. We were driving away before he came running back. He picked on my other dog, resource guarded the porch, and threw tantrums if you were 5 minutes late with supper.

We have a shepherd who hates other dogs but at least she loves my cats. She is sweet now but was a terrible biter as a puppy.

Our newest dog is a jack russel mixed with something bigger. She is a fainting goat. Scared of people, scared of the car, and is only happy with us in the woods. She also hates my cats, and i mean hates. This means she is either leashed or crated. Once outdoors and away from people, she is absolutely fearless. She has a terrible temper and has attacked our shepherd over toys. The shepherd loves her which is the only reason i keep her. Plus they seemed to have worked out that the shepherd is boss. She is a downward dog. All serious and depressed, especially if you take her places with other people. Really, she looks like she is at a funeral. It is almost comical how sad she looks. We try taking her fun places…like the doggy costume contest, but she still looks so sad. They have tons of dog treats too.

I actually prefer the shepherd because she is so good with the cats. She and my oldest cat are best of friends and will even sleep next to each other. They are adorable together.

The dogs have been miserable this summer. It is the hot weather and high humidity. They don’t want to be outside at all. So everyone seems to be a little more depressed. The shepherd has panic attacks if you put her outside because she starts over heating. She hasn’t learned not to run around like a fool in this heat. Within 5 minutes she gets too hot. Now they are limited to bathroom breaks and put back in. I’ve started turning them out at 10pm as that is the only time they can run around. I would like to leave them overnight but they will wake the neighbors barking.

[Larksmom]

well, you may have read my other thread about my cat. I had to pts, and thereby adopted a kitten. He is asleep on my chest at the moment. Named him Bugaboo. Circus would be better as that is what it feels like I am living in at the mo. Dobe, I know you are into Dobes, and show them and that is fine. But this summer emergency after emergency, some not even involving animals! have popped up, and I am worn out and depressed. I am actually much more a cat person than a dog, so Toffee will have to do without a buddy for a while longer. If you read the above, you will know the local pound/shelter is staffed with lunatics that won’t answer the phone or return calls.
As I haven’t had a kitten in about 25 years, I wanted one. IF he lives a full life, that will make me about 80 when he goes, you are ll better people than me so I will sign out now. [ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“medium”,“data-tempid”:“temp_54106_1536349874639_261”}[/ATTACH][ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“custom”,“data-tempid”:“temp_54106_1536349874846_857”,“height”:“68”,“width”:“90”}[/ATTACH]

[RHdobes563]

I understand stress. I recently retired, and I am finding the new lifestyle a bit overwhelming at times.

I have six cats, and two, I think, are asking to be strangled. :winkgrin: Two more are pooping and peeing in my bathtub. I actually don’t mind that, as it is easy to clean. Easier and cheaper than cleaning 7 litter boxes daily (and I may have to add more.)

And my current horse has lost vision in one of his eyes, has a growth (cancer) over his other eye, and been diagnosed with lipoma. The vet, barn owner, and I are taking this day by day, as Bee-YOOO-ti-ful (Ace is actually his name) is still eating, is happy, and rideable.

One of my best friends is totally a cat (only) person, and another friend says she will never get another when hers dies.

Life is tough, sometimes. You do the best you can for you and your animals. Something, heck, MANY times it is not what someone else might do, but that doesn’t mean that a variety of choices is not right for each and every person.