My last ….

[muddy]

I have decided that Mungo my dog will be my last dog .
I may well not outlive him .
When I go to dog homes I always feel sorry for old dogs whose owners have died or moved into care homes .
It must be devastating for them and few people want them ( they usually come with their own health issues and the subsequent massive vet bills )

I have started to think lots of things will be my last ....
( this thought has been sparked by a new sofa - that last one was decades old ) and was like sitting on a bag of bricks

It's now in the garden awaiting the council  who have charged us £34.50 to take it away .

[Silver Tabby]

I would say practical rather than morbid, Muddy.  Nemo will definitely be my last cat - I wouldn't have the patience now to deal with a kitten, and Cat's Protection wouldn't let me have another cat anyway as I am over their age limit.  I have, however, appointed a guardian for Nemo in case he outlives me.

[Michael Rolls]

When Fleur died I decided that I didn't want to through the heartbreak again. then after about three years I started to think how nice to have company. Thankfully I didn't no way could I care for a dog now

[Raven]

This is the exact reason I didn't get another dog after Dageus. It's hard without him and I've weakened a couple of times, I don't walk every day now as I don't like walking on my own, but it's just not going to happen.

[Scrumpy]

I have often thought if replacing my last dog who was 16 years old when she died..
I see all these things on the tv and facebook.. So many dogs and cats needing homes..
 My heart goes out to a bewildered pet who doesn't understand why they are in a shelter looking through bars when they have been loved by someone who is no longer able to care for them..
I especially go for the underdog.. the scruffy dog.. the one-eyed dog.. three legged.. or just plain old..

I know I could cope with a dog.. but.. I wouldn't want to start again..
Heaven knows what I would do if I visited a kennels and looked at their faces.. and into their eyes..
I would cry.. 

[muddy]

Have you considered fostering Scrumpy ? 
You could make a difference to a dogs life if only for a short time .
The shelters all seem to be full .

[Alex]

Fostering is a good idea, but what happens when the dog finds a home and you have to give it up  ?  I'd be devastated ! 

[Mups]

Fostering is a good idea, but what happens when the dog finds a home and you have to give it up  ?  I'd be devastated ! 

Same here.   Especially if we had got close.   He might feel like I was abandoning him all over again.

[muddy]

I don't know maybe ,but dogs live for the day if they are kindly treated they will adjust .
It's sad but that's the way it is .

[Mups]

I don't think I would cope too well without a dog to look after. 
I have not got a husband/partner,  so mine are such company in so many ways, and have always kept me going through all sorts of difficult times.
I know I would not do well without them.

[Scrumpy]

Fostering!! 
I think is a brilliant idea.. And I do understand that there are pets out there that are desperately looking for someone.. but.. I don't feel it is for me..

[Mups]

Like Muddy said in the beginning,  I always feel sorry for the elderly dogs who's owners have either died, or gone into care.

These dogs have probably never known another home or owner,  and wouldn't understand why they were suddenly alone.  Everything, and everyone familiar - gone.

What's even worse, is if no one in the family wants the old dog,  they will not only have lost the person they adored,  but are then thrown out of the only home they've ever known too. 
This must be horrible for them,  even more so if their own health is not so good with likely cataracts and/or  advancing deafness too.

With no one able to explain anything to them,  they must feel so lost.