Is it okay to even have a pet as you age?

[NomadCat]

This is a good question and a valuable discussion. Another aspect to consider along with everything else is that all our lives are filled with risk. Pet animals, and humans, may be killed quickly or slowly any day anywhere in the world, in large houses or in vans, in the middle of a large city or in the middle of nowhere. Think war, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, gas explosions, plague, etc. Consider the risks, yes, but understand that there will always be risks.

 

[Malamute]

... Consider the risks, yes, but understand that there will always be risks.

And for me, the rewards of having a dog far outweigh the perceived risks. Do the best you can, live your best life, you cant control everything but you can make plans to help mitigate the risk to an animal if you croak and they need care.

 

[user 22017]

And for me, the rewards of having a dog far outweigh the perceived risks. Do the best you can, live your best life, you cant control everything but you can make plans to help mitigate the risk to an animal if you croak and they need care.

I have a dog, but I don't think I can take her over the road. I took her 800 miles when I had my truck camper and it seemed she was miserable while driving. She is only 14 pounds and the truck rides rough enough that it makes her nervous. She loves riding in cars, just not my truck.

 

[MortimerEbinesr]

Sissy's about 14, we've been together for 12, she's a terrier mix, but mostly cairn, (not karen) she sleeps most of the trip, looks up when I hit a rough spot in the road or slow down, then lays back down. She has taught me the meaning of love & sharing. She calms me when I get to excited over what I see & hear on the radio or tv. She is always excited when I pick up the leash, that means she has a chance to go meet new & old friends on the 4 or 5 mile walk.

 

[Malamute]

I have a dog, but I don't think I can take her over the road. I took her 800 miles when I had my truck camper and it seemed she was miserable while driving. She is only 14 pounds and the truck rides rough enough that it makes her nervous. She loves riding in cars, just not my truck.

Bummer. I dont recall the F-250s I had being quite so rough riding, but I always had a fair load on them. I ended up with smaller trucks, (Toyota and Nissan 4x pickups) then went to Suburbans, largely because I didnt really need a truck per se and the all open inside configuration of the Suburban was more dog friendly, and they had rear AC for the dogs.

None of that works for your desire to have a camper rig and not tow. An older friend in the west bought an older Toyota small size camper rig, its been really good for her and her little dog, and shes taken a couple trips with her granddaughter and with a friend.

 

[user 22017]

Bummer. I dont recall the F-250s I had being quite so rough riding, but I always had a fair load on them.

She is better in the truck now. Part of the problem is that she can't see outside the windows. In cars she is always on her hind legs looking out the passenger window, but she has never attempted that in the truck. I got her from the pound 3-4 years ago, so I'm not sure what breed she is. They guessed shi tzu, but the vet guessed terrier mix. Vet said her breed is a nervous type. But, she is very brave! Great watch dog.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I built a platform for my beagle so he has a nice flat place to move around and sides to steady himself when looking out the windows. It's his space with his blankets and water.

I also use Trazodone to calm him down as he is a nervous rider.

 

[user 22017]

I built a platform for my beagle so he has a nice flat place to move around and sides to steady himself when looking out the windows. It's his space with his blankets and water.
View attachment 30844
I also use Trazodone to calm him down as he is a nervous rider.

I never thought of that. Jenny loves her bed at home. I could put it inside her platform/box, if I built that.

Won't having a pet prevent me from doing anything away from my vehicle for hours? If I bring her with, that means I can't do activities other than running in some place for a half hour or so. Eg. going to the grocery store

 

[Malamute]

I made a platform in the back of my Suburbans and behind the front seat about shoulder high in the pickups with extra cabs, and in the back of the 4runner so the dogs can see and be comfortable. It shouldnt be too much trouble to set one up in your truck like Spiff did.

I ended up installing a small window AC unit in the right rear door on my 4runner for summer travel and knocking around town so the dog doesnt get too warm when Im out of the vehicle. It may be difficult in a regular cab pickup. I use a small honda Gen on the rear cargo carrier for power for it. Works very well.

65 degrees is my comfort point for leaving the dog in the vehicle without the AC being available, thats with windows open a bit and hopefully a breeze and/or shade if available.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Won't having a pet prevent me from doing anything away from my vehicle for hours? If I bring her with, that means I can't do activities other than running in some place for a half hour or so. Eg. going to the grocery store

There are things that you will not be able to do when you have a pet. Some places have very strict laws about leaving a pet in a vehicle. There are enough mean people out there that enjoy messing with others that will call animal control the minute you leave your vehicle (happened to me).
If your pet can't be seen from the outside and is quiet you can get away with more but you still have to be sure your pet is safe.

When I have to leave my dog for a little while (never hours) here are a few things that I do:
- I have a big sign on my dashboard that says

Concern for my dog?​

Call: My-Cell-Number​

Interior Temperature Remotely Monitored​

- Temperature sender is visible
- Water is clearly available
- A fan is circulating air.

 

[Jraulpilot1983]

I killed my pet three weeks ago. Through the vet. It was time. But ... barely? I don't know. It's still crushing me. I am confused in my heart about that. Cried all the time, weeks later still do sometimes. People talking about dogs feels like an attack on my heart. I am sometimes scared at the thought of another pet, and that this time, in my years, it may be me leaving too soon instead of him. And then my passing will be the coffin for both of us. My disappearance will probably be incredibly merciful compared to his if I am out somewhere on the road. What would he do? How long would he suffer? How could I in good conscience subject him to that?

Is that just what people do? What I do? Sacrifice another for myself? A soul I have fully committed to love? I don't want to depersonalize it ... is that who I am? The soul that casually adopts another soul and then abandons it?

I feel like I am at the precipice of deciding whether I will live entirely unloved for the rest of my life, so I'm squishy about having another pet. What is he or she going to do if I get that glowing angelic heart in my home and my heart and then keel over and leave that soul with that terrifying empty hungry thirsty nothing with no rescue likely?


How do you all square that practical and spiritual reality with yourselves?

I find that there is almost no discussion of this over years of reading here confusing in itself.

I would recommend a "talking Cockatiel" or Parrot....and do not cut their ""wing feathers"".
If you find yourself in "demise" just Open the Cage.

 

[Catalyst1]

I have a dog, but I don't think I can take her over the road. I took her 800 miles when I had my truck camper and it seemed she was miserable while driving. She is only 14 pounds and the truck rides rough enough that it makes her nervous. She loves riding in cars, just not my truck.

It may actually have made her carsick. They can't tell us the vehicle makes them feel nauseous.

 

[user 22017]

It may actually have made her carsick. They can't tell us the vehicle makes them feel nauseous.

You could be right. I've been watching her more closely when we go for rides to see if there are any triggers. When we first get in the truck she is up on her hind legs looking out the passenger window, but once I start the truck she stays seated. In a car she rides mostly standing up looking out. Hoping I crack the window so she can stick her head out. The passenger side window in my truck doesn"t work Maybe she figured that out, lol.

 

[LeftTown]

I was absolutely not a pet person during my Second Act. My furkids are all young and I expect to be judged.

They have guardians, just as people make arrangements for what will happen to their human kids if they die unexpectedly. Of course the furkids' new pet humans get any leftover money.

I didn't expect to love my oldest, I just needed/wanted some sort of protection and companionship on the road, I didn't want to date, and I didn't want to be a "crazy cat lady" any more.

Didn't do a darned bit of good; the pooches love the current feline at least as much as I do.

I figure if I outlive them and can afford the veterinary care, which absolutely includes euthanasia and is not inexpensive at all, I would probably do better with rats than alone.

They are very social, but they have much shorter lifespans than dogs, cats, and rabbits. They also travel well, are extremely intelligent, and can be very stealth.

Yeah, I've got to get past the ick factor of the hairless tails and what the normals will think of me; "crazy cat lady" was good training if I am able to go through with this vague plan.

But humans are social creatures, like dogs, rabbits, and rats. If you look into the historical basis of such terms as "ostracism" and "scapegoat", as well as the biological mental health effects of all this social distancing, maybe you can be a little less quick to judge yourself.

Any domesticated pet is better off in a home than in a shelter (or dinner plate, if we're talking rabbits and small "snake food" pets)

 

[Dingfelder]

I made two options one I asked a neighbor/ friend if he would take my dog and two I asked a couple of rescue people I like and trust if they would take her and keep her. If she lives since she has a heart condition. In exchange I am leaving either whatever I have (money) when I die or a large chunk if I have more than expected (I don’t have kids.) As I get older I absolutely will not get another dog if I can’t find someone I trust to take her. I have a disabled brother who can’t care for himself so to me I don’t care if it’s a child, an animal or a disabled family member once I become responsible for that being I have to make plans in case I die. It’s horrible to leave something out in the world who can’t care for itself.

I killed my dog too. Almost 14 months ago at the vet and it hurts every day. He wasn’t ready mentally but I couldn’t bear seeing his physical pain and drugging him up every day so he was barely conscious. It was the hardest decision of my life.

His story before I got him was unbearable and I only had him 14 months and he was the dog of my heart but I trust that I did the right thing by him because I let him go even though I didn’t want to. I wanted him to be free of pain. I hope I gave him a good life that he never had before. I’m sure you did the right thing by your dog. The least selfish thing.

I appreciate what you've said here. Thank you.

 

[GotSmart]

Around 1995 I was gifted a kitten. Sweetie gave me Boofy, and Boofy gave me Tigger. Three generations owned me. When Tigger was 18, I found a tiny kitten eating with the raccoons. A week later Guida was a house cat. A couple of weeks later along came Tony. Everything was fine until I needed surgery. Then Tigger at 19 brings home a kitten. He passed away a couple of months later. So now I have three cats and Camila has a rescue dog.

Companion animals have a way of finding the right people. Live for today and enjoy your fur owners. You just might live longer.

 

[CosmickGold]

I feel like I am at the precipice of deciding whether I will live entirely unloved for the rest of my life, so I'm squishy about having another pet. What is he or she going to do if I get that glowing angelic heart in my home and my heart and then keel over and leave that soul with that terrifying empty hungry thirsty nothing with no rescue likely?

GET ANOTHER PET TO LOVE!!! (...and be loved back.)

You just need to download an app on your phone that checks in with you each day and asks you to reply. If you fail to reply, it calls all the people you set it up to tell your pet is in trouble, so they can come to your pet's rescue. Here is a blurb about one such app:

"Kitestring is a simple, free and overprotective web app. First, you enter a list of emergency contact numbers into your account. Whenever you want the app to look out for you, you let it know that you’re going on a trip and when you plan to return. At that time, the app will send you an SMS to check up on you, and you simply need to reply to confirm that you haven’t died. If you don’t respond, the app then alerts your emergency contacts."

You can set it for how often to check up on you. And of course, you need your phone or another device to give the GPS coordinates to where you and your pet can be found.

 

[Dingfelder]

GET ANOTHER PET TO LOVE!!! (...and be loved back.)

You just need to download an app on your phone that checks in with you each day and asks you to reply. If you fail to reply, it calls all the people you set it up to tell your pet is in trouble, so they can come to your pet's rescue. Here is a blurb about one such app:

"Kitestring is a simple, free and overprotective web app. First, you enter a list of emergency contact numbers into your account. Whenever you want the app to look out for you, you let it know that you’re going on a trip and when you plan to return. At that time, the app will send you an SMS to check up on you, and you simply need to reply to confirm that you haven’t died. If you don’t respond, the app then alerts your emergency contacts."

You can set it for how often to check up on you. And of course, you need your phone or another device to give the GPS coordinates to where you and your pet can be found.

Thank you for that idea and the specificity of your information.

 

[CoyoteG]

Be in today.
The best way to do that at most ages is with a companion.
Dependent companions depend on you to have a plan or a contingency plan should it come time to part and you are unable to provide care.
Love does not discriminate age.

 

[LargeMarge]

... confusing in itself.

.
I just turned 70.
I have much more to offer than at 60, or 20.
I think my decades add to everything I can give to our 19yo doddering half-wit of a RedHeeler, our 10yo RedHeeler, and the kidlet RedHeelers just starting with us.
.
.
An aside:
re -- our 19yo Heeler
Would termination be convenient compared to keeping her leashed so she won't stagger off into some hole someplace?
Convenient compared to lifting her out of the rig for 'go outside'?
Convenient compared to waiting to find her still and cold some morning?
.
Probably.
I suppose I am mired in sentimentality.
Some habits are hard to break.