LPT: Love dogs but live in an apartment? Instead of hunting for the perfect breed, adopt a senior dog from a shelter or rescue.
It's definitely a good thing to be responsible and not adopt a dog who won't be happy living your lifestyle. But if the only problem with your lifestyle is that you live in a cramped apartment or small house without a yard, don't abandon hope so soon!
Pros:
1) Senior dogs tend to be low-energy dogs. Your dog will probably still enjoy walking, hiking, and playing, but will be much happier to sleep in between.
2) Senior dogs are less likely than younger dogs to have behavioral problems. Many senior dogs are surrendered or abandoned for the sole crime of becoming old (I could go into an angry rant about that, but this parenthetical will have to suffice.) Throughout the course of their lives, they are likely to have been housetrained by somebody. Furthermore, they are usually more mellow than their younger selves.
3) Senior dogs are less likely to be adopted. By giving one a chance, you are doing a damn good thing. Shelters are usually run by wonderful, caring people, but they're still miserable places for a dog to end up.
Cons:
1) Earlier death: So, yeah. If you adopt a twelve-year-old dog, it will only live a few more years. And you will be sad when it dies. For some people, though, the earlier death is paradoxically a perk. When adopting a puppy, you're committing to 12-18 years of dog ownership (and you will still be sad when it dies.) A 5-year commitment is generally much easier to make.
2) Vet bills: Health problems pile up with age. If this is a reason not to adopt a senior dog, though, it's probably a reason not to adopt a dog at all. After all, that puppy will one day be fourteen, and if you drop it off at the pound the minute it gets a white muzzle, I will find you. (That said, you know your budget. If you can reasonably expect to pay for that kind of vet care in ten years but not now, then that's how it is.) If a dog ended up in a shelter at fourteen, though, it probably also didn't get the best preventative care, like weekly tooth-brushing. Before you adopt, consider what things you're willing to pay for and what you aren't. Personally, I love dogs, but I do feel that it's acceptable to put down a dog for some serious conditions that we would treat in a human.
A few extra things to consider:
-
When adopting, opt for a dog that has been in foster care. It's hard to gauge a dog's behavior from how it acts in a shelter, but its foster parent can give you a better idea of how it acts in a home. Don't worry that this makes your adoption less of a rescue. Speaking as a dog foster parent, when my foster dog gets adopted, I'll give myself a week or two to rest/mourn and then bring another one home from the shelter. That's what I signed up for! One adoption still means one less dog living in a kennel.
-
My generalizations about dog behavior (old dogs are mellow, old dogs are housetrained) obviously don't apply to every senior dog. But I'm not suggesting that you line up all senior rescue dogs and pick one according to the roll of a die. You should still choose the dog according to criteria that determine whether it's a good fit for you... I'm just saying that old dogs are likely to be strong contenders for apartment-dwellers and others who have difficult caring for high-energy dogs. But when committing to take care of another sentient being, remember to do your research!
-
Many apartments don't allow dogs. Obviously, this tip isn't aimed at those tenants. It's advice, not magic. Please don't try to sneak a living dog past your landlord! When you inevitably have to get rid of it, the poor thing is going to be heartbroken.
-
Regardless of age, the smaller the dog, the happier it will be in a small home.
-
Dogs very often lose hearing with age. This isn't the end of the world. Here is a resource for caring for a deaf dog, and I'd be happy to discuss it in the comments.
Old dog tax. (Although Sasha is sixteen, this post refers to all senior dogs, which generally means dogs seven and older.)
