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I’ve stumbled into caring for my family dog, a 3 legged lab who is very gray and very loving. Now I’m sold on having an older (5+ years) dog. Training a puppy is a 2-3 year process and old dogs are so sweet and teach you about patience and are easy to care for. Plus, dogs seem to get more vocal as they get older, which is fun
Pic of old dog with amazing grandpa eyebrows, for context
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everyone loves a puppy obviously but adopting a little old lady or a little old man is the most rewarding thing i’ve ever done i may never get a puppy
feat my senior rescue guppy who is also my soul dog
Feb 13, 2025
I adopted my dog the week before I graduated undergrad. She lived at the shelter I was working at and I fell in love. She had major leash reactivity so I would come early and stay late to make sure she was walked. I did a ton of training with her, had to pay for a knee surgery, and sought out a yard for her to relax in. I didn’t fully know what I was getting myself in to, but I would choose her over and over again. She’s the sweetest girl and taught me so much.
Things to consider: don’t get a high energy breed if you’re not super active. It can lead to behavioral issues because they’re not releasing that energy or using their brains.
Think about size. Bigger is going to be more expensive, but tbh all breeds have their issues. Smaller dogs generally live longer than big as well. You’ll need to ongoing give them meds to prevent flea/tick/heartworm and it’s 100% worth it. Yearly appointments are a couple hundred. Pet insurance is pretty cheap and worth it (re: knee surgery).
Training and socialization are a MUST. If I remember correctly I did some classes with my other dog when she was a puppy that weren‘t too expensive. It’s much easier to teach a dog good behaviors from the get go vs training bad ones out of them (re: leash reactivity). Some times you don’t know how a dog is going to fully be until you have them, but then you're committed. Which brings me to my last point- give them time to decompress. It can take months.
Here are my two cutie patootie doggies!!! GO FOR IT!!! It’s so worth it!
Oct 13, 2024
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About a year ago I woke up slightly hungover on a beautiful Fall Saturday with *literally* nothing to do, so I zombie stumbled out for coffee around noon and, long story short…accidentally adopted a three-month old almost-pomeranian puppy on the way home. Soon it was Winter and the world was cold and dark and I (tired and probably still hungover) was like, “Holy fucking shit, I’m SO sorry everyone in my life / I’ve made a terrible mistake / this dog is a fucking asshole / I’m sorry he peed on your bed and I’m sorry he ate your new shoes and I’m sorry he bites your face, Gramma.” Fast-forward an indistinguishable amount of time and incalculable number of soiled beds and he’s now a perfect little angel baby bear and the coolest living thing I know.
Feb 4, 2025
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