Dog for elderly person

ve

Hi, my Grandfather (God Rest Him) passed away 2 weeks ago today. I had the privilege of growing up in his house for the bulk of my childhood and in to my late teens. During that time we always had a dog and he was a massive dog lover as is his wife and this appreciation of dogs and animals in general fed down through the generations of our family. His wife (my grandmother) is still physically and mentally able, and has expressed a will to get another dog, as the family has been without one for the past 3 years. The last dog died of old age and was not replaced due to my Grandfather being physically unwell.

The last two dogs were Cavalier King Charles and were both trained and very well integrated with our family. My grandmother would like to get another one of those, but our problem is that she wasn't the one who trained our previous dogs and agrees that she needs to get a dog that is already trained (even if it is a year or two old). So IMO that really limits our choices to get a dog for her and is the reason why I'm posting here today. I don't live there anymore but would call around most days, so apart from that she is on her own and should be considered the authorative figure for the new dog.

I've been through the likes of donedeal.ie looking for a dog for her, but the majority of dogs on there are pups.

Any advise as to what we should do?. I would imagine it will be sometime in May where we will get her a dog, and I would like to do a bit of research before we go ahead.

Thanks

MAB83

Hi ve.

From personal experience with my own grandparents, jack russells are great pets for elderly people. Would you try on dogs in distress or looking in dog pounds? Plenty of older dogs there that would be toilet trained. I'd say dogs in distress would be your best bet as they would know the dog's temperment and if it's been toilet trained, is good with other dogs, children etc. Best of luck and sorry to hear about your grandad.

ve

Wow that was quick. Thank you very much for your reply.

Yeah we had thought about getting a Jack Russell as our next door neighbours had one and they're lovely also. I think it's probably for sentimental reasons my grandmother would like another Cavalier, but we're having a proper chat about it at the moment so I'll mention the JR option to her again.

My own parents rescued a 2 year old Brittany Spaniel X Labrador 7 years ago. The dog was very nervous and unpredictable at first, and showed signs of being seriously mistreated by her previous owners. It was believed she escaped from her previous owners and was then knocked down before we took her in. Anyway she is on the floor beside me here as I post this and has turned out to be the happiest and well mannered pet we've ever had, full of character and loves certain types of piano music. This dog though would have been too much trouble for my grandmother.

Can you recommend any good websites where I could visit on my quest for such an appropriate dog? (for advice or sales). Thanks again.

abouttobebanned

Definitely jack russells

easyeason3

Animals ireland is a good place to start looking. You can see pictures of the dogs & they will also give a very good description of the dogs personality, likes, dislikes, whether they are house trained etc.
There's always a good selection of dogs that are adorable & in need of a good home.
Best of luck with the new pooch!

MAB83

ve wrote: »

Wow that was quick. Thank you very much for your reply.

Yeah we had thought about getting a Jack Russell as our next door neighbours had one and they're lovely also. I think it's probably for sentimental reasons my grandmother would like another Cavalier, but we're having a proper chat about it at the moment so I'll mention the JR option to her again.

My own parents rescued a 2 year old Brittany Spaniel X Labrador 7 years ago. The dog was very nervous and unpredictable at first, and showed signs of being seriously mistreated by her previous owners. It was believed she escaped from her previous owners and was then knocked down before we took her in. Anyway she is on the floor beside me here as I post this and has turned out to be the happiest and well mannered pet we've ever had, full of character and loves certain types of piano music. This dog though would have been too much trouble for my grandmother.

Can you recommend any good websites where I could visit on my quest for such an appropriate dog? (for advice or sales). Thanks again.

www.dogsindistress.org - the work they do is great and they could find a very suitable dog for your grandmother as the dogs are in foster homes so they know their characters, bad habits, how they are with people, if they bark too much etc. I think it's always more rewarding to get a rescue dog too (As you already know ) than to buy one. I hope she finds the perfect little dog to brighten up her life again. Dogs can be a life saver for older people, they keep them going sometimes. I know my grandmother would be lost without her little Jack Russell, it's the reason she gets out of bed in the morning. Best of luck

ve

MAB83 wrote: »

...it's the reason she gets out of bed in the morning.

It's more or less the same over here too, my Grandmother needs some(one/thing) to look after. She was a nurse back in the day, so that care giving side of her never went away.

Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it.

boomerang

Whereabouts is your gran living, ve?

The homes needed section of Irish Animals would be a good place to start.

There are precious few Cavaliers in rescue looking for new homes, but you could contact Karlin, who runs Irish Cavalier Rescue, based in Dublin.

Bear in mind that most rescues will be anxious to match your gran with the right dog for her size of home, mobility, etc. They'll know the temperaments of the dogs in their care and will give good back-up and advice. As part of the rehoming process, they'll probably send out a volunteer to have a chat to your gran at home, see where the dog will sleep, if the garden is escape-proof, etc. Don't let this put you off as it's in the best interest of the dog - and your gran!

Jack Russells may be small but they are extremely active and alert little dogs and they need to be kept occupied. They can be intolerant of children so bear this in mind if there will be grandkids calling to the house.

Clare Bear

Funny, all the Jack Russells we've had have been great with kids, all most of them have wanted to do was sleep! They're great watch dogs though. I'd agree with a Jack Russell for your Gran too, great little dogs for older people.

EGAR

I am getting in a 1 yro male (neutered) JRT the end of next week. He is house trained and very well behaved. Fully vacc'd, wormed and microchipped.

If you are interested then contact me (East Galway Animal Rescue = EGAR) through the main EGAR website: http://www.egar.org

ISDW

I know that everyone's advocating a small dog, but I know of a 12 year old red setter that is looking for a home. Unfortunately his owner (an elderly woman) died of cancer recently. He doesn't like young dogs, or children particularly and is looking for somewhere to spend his retirement years.