Dad Wants a Dog...
This is not Corgi related but I was hoping to get some input anyhow since it is about dogs.
My Dad has always had dogs. His favorite was an Australian Shepherd who he adored and took everywhere until she died of cancer when she was 6 or 7 years old. His other dog, who was very old, passed away a few months ago while he was in the hospital and I was going to his house to care for her. Now he is without a pet and looking to get a Queensland Heeler. The issue is this; he now lives alone and is currently going through chemotherapy. He's very week and barely able to take care of himself. He is also a bit of a hoarder so his home is cluttered with "stuff" making it a miserable place to live but he refuses to part with most of the things. It’s not a good living situation for him as it is.
He’s been talking about wanting to get a dog because he’s alone at his house and needs the companionship. He’s been excited about it since he started talking about it a few weeks ago which is a nice change of pace because he’s been feeling very down and defeated. I think he’s right from that aspect; a dog would be good company and lift his spirits. Dogs are great and they do help people get through bad things. The part I worry about is how well will the dog be cared for? If he gets a puppy he has to go through all the training, shots, neutering etc. It’s far too much work for him and the puppy would pay the price. He agreed he would take a one or two year old (still worried about how it would be cared for but not as much as a puppy) but he hasn’t found any adults available so he’s looking at puppies.
He’s meeting up with a breeder today who is bringing him an 8 week old female to look at. This is an awful idea. He knows it is but he’s eager to have a dog and he’s being stubborn and a bit selfish. He asked me about how often Finn has to go out when he was little so I told him about all the work of raising Finn and he said “I don’t suppose there’s anyone I could leave it with for a while” hinting that he wants me to raise it and that’s not possible.
I don’t know what to do. I want what will help my Dad but I don’t want an animal to be put in an unfit home. If he goes into the hospital again or rehab, I can’t take his dog and neither can my brothers. If anything happened the dog would have to be rehomed or returned to the breeder if he’d take it. This whole thing is a mess and I’m so torn.
My Dad has always had dogs. His favorite was an Australian Shepherd who he adored and took everywhere until she died of cancer when she was 6 or 7 years old. His other dog, who was very old, passed away a few months ago while he was in the hospital and I was going to his house to care for her. Now he is without a pet and looking to get a Queensland Heeler. The issue is this; he now lives alone and is currently going through chemotherapy. He's very week and barely able to take care of himself. He is also a bit of a hoarder so his home is cluttered with "stuff" making it a miserable place to live but he refuses to part with most of the things. It’s not a good living situation for him as it is.
He’s been talking about wanting to get a dog because he’s alone at his house and needs the companionship. He’s been excited about it since he started talking about it a few weeks ago which is a nice change of pace because he’s been feeling very down and defeated. I think he’s right from that aspect; a dog would be good company and lift his spirits. Dogs are great and they do help people get through bad things. The part I worry about is how well will the dog be cared for? If he gets a puppy he has to go through all the training, shots, neutering etc. It’s far too much work for him and the puppy would pay the price. He agreed he would take a one or two year old (still worried about how it would be cared for but not as much as a puppy) but he hasn’t found any adults available so he’s looking at puppies.
He’s meeting up with a breeder today who is bringing him an 8 week old female to look at. This is an awful idea. He knows it is but he’s eager to have a dog and he’s being stubborn and a bit selfish. He asked me about how often Finn has to go out when he was little so I told him about all the work of raising Finn and he said “I don’t suppose there’s anyone I could leave it with for a while” hinting that he wants me to raise it and that’s not possible.
I don’t know what to do. I want what will help my Dad but I don’t want an animal to be put in an unfit home. If he goes into the hospital again or rehab, I can’t take his dog and neither can my brothers. If anything happened the dog would have to be rehomed or returned to the breeder if he’d take it. This whole thing is a mess and I’m so torn.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Alice on
-
Ha, I'm sure you do have some stories. Five girls, wow!
I never wore a helmet or any of that either. I guess kids now are much more pampered and protected too. My brother and I were home alone from when I was 8 and my brother was 9 and we rode or walked all over the place, never washed our hands and ate what we wanted. We turned out ok!
I only have two older brothers (one is a half brother) but since they take after my Dad and his stubborn, can't be wrong ways, my Mom and I were always the calming influence. She too is a Libra; I'm a Virgo (so is Finnigan).
-
-
I went and met the puppy last night. She's a little nervous being in a new place with new people but she warmed up to me fast and in no time she was napping on my dad's lap. He loves having her there. He knows it's going to be a challenge but wants to try his best to raise her to be a great companion for him. When I got there he didn't have food or anything for her yet. I went to the grocery store and picked up some food, treats and shampoo (she's already dirty) and today I'm going to get her a collar and a Nylabone since she's wanting to chew everything.
I talked to him about her shots and such and he said he called the local low cost clinic and plans on taking her in today or tomorrow for more shots. I made sure he knew that she would need shots frequently for the next couple months. He isn't sure about spaying yet but he has time to decide on that.
My Dad thinks breeder (if you can call him that) is not a very good one. He said the puppy was dirty when he got her and he was told the litter was out in the back yard and had not spent time in the house. The breeder handed her over and didn't mention anything about feeding or what to do with her. Maybe my dad can at least offer her a better life than she's had so far. When I left my dad was getting ready for bed and making a spot for the puppy to sleep next to him. :) So far they are ok and my dad is definitely getting joy from having her.
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. :)
-
Permalink Reply by Judi, Dawn, Soffie & Griffyn on
-
Great Alice.... we were thinking alike on this one!!
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
She probably will have a much better life with your dad! I must have missed something...what is she? Dogs don't care about there conditions and will love you anyways...just help your dad make sure that all the bad stuff she could get into is not laying around. I bet this will really help him as he will have a reason to get up in the am and companionship for when his family isn't there! Animals do wonderful things for people who are sick and they give them a reason to live and to hope!!!! Does she have a name yet?
Good luck! Did you figure out who's getting the dog if he has to go to the hospital???
-
-
The puppy's name is Molly and she is an 8 week old Queensland Heeler (or Australian Cattle Dog, whichever you prefer). I'll have to put a picture of her up just so everyone can see the little one causing all this fuss. :)
I had a feeling she would be good for him and I;m glad to hear all of you say the same thing. :)
We did not figure out what would happen if he went to the hospital and likely won't until the issue comes up. I don't have a yard so I can't. Our apartment complex doesn't even know about Finn. My two brothers have yards though so hopefully one of them would, otherwise if he will be in assisted living or something very long term, she would need to be rehomed.
-
-
Thank you. :)
I haven't asked him yet how her first night was. I'm going to bring him a collar and a Nylabone when I get off work today. My brother was over there at lunch today and said she was eating pizza! He said he took it away and gave her her own food. When he told my Dad she shouldn't eat that he said "she likes it" and smiled. Ha ha, I'm glad him and the puppy are making each other happy.
It is common practice to bath a puppy before sending it to it's new home. Finn came washed, brushed and nails clipped. I don't know what kind of breeder this is, probably not a reputable one. Sounds like just some guy who has farm land and a couple Heelers and decided to make some money off them though he didn't charge as much as one would expect. The puppies were in the back sleeping in hay. My dad thinks she might have flees because she keeps scratching. I told him he should just take her for a check up before trying to bath her with flea shampoo. That seems like it would be harsh for a puppy.
-
-
Haha.... the pizza thing reminds me of Jack Nicholson's character in the movie As Good As It Gets. I think he let that little dog eat about anything and always kept a stash of bacon in his pocket!
-
-
Actually I don't give my pups a bath before they leave.They are in my house and I learned long ago from another breeder that this can be tough on them...this breeder had lost some dogs and it was the ones she had bathed. I inform the new owners of this but they aren't living outside they are in my house and just as clean as my other dogs. I do know of breeders that do bathe their dogs but these are also outside not inside pups...
-
-
In that case it makes sense, but if this breeders pups were all outside and obviously muddy and dirty it would have been nice for him to wash them.
-
Permalink Reply by Michelle on
-
We used dawn dishawashing liquid on our puppies after they reached about 5 weeks of age. Fleas do not like it and you can not use flea shampoo on pups.
-
-
I don't think she has fleas. I've determined the reason she was scratching so much was because of her collar. I took it off and she quit scratching and as soon as I put it back on she was back to scratching. I had fogotten how much Finn scratched as he was getting used to wearing a collar. Mystery solved!
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
