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.