Cut off age for owning a puppy Discussions

As others have said, you just don't know what's going to happen...whether you're young or old. However one reason I'm keen to have my big dog now is because I'm young and fit enough to cope with a large dog which might not be the case once I'm an older woman. It's a personal decision IMO and one that while opinions may differ, can not be determined by other people as to what is "right or wrong". My grandparents stopped owning animals in their early 70's as they felt they weren't able to adequately care for them anymore, but yet I knew of a man in his 90's still walking his young pup twice daily without fail!

That is 32.4% not 324%. And how many of those are puppies or young dogs? Because you said

and now you are just saying "dogs".

My youngest sons girlfriend works at Battersea dogs home and the thing she found most upsetting wasn't people giving up dogs because the owner had died or become too ill to cope, after all that's just life. The most upsetting aspect was people giving up dogs because they simply didn't want them any more, they couldn't even be bothered to make up an excuse. They were simply fed up with the dog and wanted it gone

Sad as that is, even that is better than the way unwanted dogs are "disposed of" here, where they are driven to the nearest Moshav, Kibbutz or Army Base and just dumped.

Over here a lot of unwanted dogs are either abandoned on the side of the highway, where they run the risk of being run over or shot by their owners. I can think of at least eight dogs in my village alone who've been shot for no apparent reason!

Update on Ruki she is going to be trained as hearing dog, a family came into rescue home looking for lively dog to be trained up as a hearing dog for their 10 year old son to give him more freedom.

Ruki will be starting her training hopefully after the Bank holiday, Ruki as to be checked out by vets, to make sure she's not deaf herself first, this will be done on Friday & then she will go to the deaf training school.

yes this makes me sad. Ive currently fell out with my friend as she handed her own dog to the dog warden saying it was a stray she found in the street. i told her that was stupid as if she had handed it in to rescue herself she could have given a history that would help the rescue with him atleast. Now they going in blind if the warden even hands him over to rescue im not 100% sure what happens after the 7 days. She just cant be bothered with him anymore as hes a sbt and to much for her to handle and he has behaviour problems because shes never trained him. hes only a year old.

Good news for Ruki - fingers crossed that her training will go well so she can help the little boy.

Sounds like there might be a happy ending to the sad story. Hope it all works out.

That's a disgrace. I hope he ends up in the type of home he deserves.

Agreed! However, I do fear for a SBT in a pound

My rescue home is a non kill home, we take in dogs that are on death row, plus dogs taken by police in raids.
We don't judge people when they bring in their unwanted dogs, but I do have to leave reception, when they say can't cope with having baby as well as dog, I got into trouble once when I told couple to go & leave their baby in children's home then they be able to keep their 9 year old dog.

I just don't get how people can be so bl00dy heartless tbh.

I just find it so sad that rescues are being used as a dumping ground for what has become a 'throw away society'.

im so mad at her. I would have driven her to one of the bigger rescue centres in Warrington and i told her they wouldnt have judged her. I even said if she had let me know i would have taken him myself if she didnt want to.

Me to. I was on pdsa a few weeks ago and more than half the dogs were sbts. Hopefully the fact hes so young will help him.

Thats how i feel. Im not even sure what our dog warden does with dogs "found on the street" after the 7 day hold. I see him in our local vets a lot and i know hes a nice man and trys hard. But my friend that works at vets says he hasnt brought this dog in so i havnt a clue whats happened to him

just got this of my local council website. So my friends dogs is at city dogs home in stoke by the looks of it

Stray Dogs

• Report a lost or found dog

We collect straying dogs that are being held by members of the public and safely keep them for a maximum of 7 days for collection by the owner (subject to the payment of a fee).

Returning of stray dog: £60.00 (maximum stay of three days at holding kennels.) Dog release fee including kennelling from City Dogs Home: £90.00 (maximum stay of four days prior to being considered for re-homing)

We operate a non-destruction policy for any dog not reclaimed, and work with partner organizations to get the dog re-homed.

Great news for Ruki. I do hope the new home/life works out.

I have thought a little bit about what I will do when I am older. My youngest dog is 3 years old, and he will hopefully have another 10 years, leaving me in my early 50s. If I am still fit and able, I will definitely look for another working line GSD pup, but if I feel like I might want to take life a little bit easier then I will look for an older WL GSD who needs a home.

No one can predict what is going to happen in life, but I think so long as you prepare for what might happen there is little else you can do.

If I were to die first, then I know my husband would look after my dogs. If he were to die however then I would probably need to find good working homes for the sheepdogs, as they life for work.

I have volunteered in GSD Rescue for the past 15 years or so, and it is easy to become frustrated, jaded and depressed at the many dogs that end up in kennels, confused and distressed, dumped by uncaring owners who just can't be bothered with them any more There are, of course, also the genuine cases, where one has to feel as sorry for the owners as for the unfortunate dogs.

There is an old man of 94 who goes around our park with his two dogs A mother & daughter Shih Tzu. He lives with his daughter but he's out at least 3 times a day with these two dogs. Granted its only a slow stroll now but as he says it gets him out of the house. He lost his last dog last year & at Christmas he said to his daughter "Well i'm very disappointed that I didn't get a dog for Christmas" so they ended up getting these two rescues for him. I know his daughter will take the dogs on if anything happens to him - but knowing him he'll still be around to get his telegram