My husband and I found ourselves “dog-free” for the first time in 35 years. We always had 2, so when one passed we got a puppy, the older dog helped socialize and train the puppy, etc. We lost our older St. Bernard at age 12 in December 2019 and now the younger one died in October (age 8) of bone cancer. Our lives pretty much revolved around them, especially since Covid. We are considering rescues/adoption but every time I think about it I find myself just wanting my old dog back. Friends say we are too old for a puppy…yet I’m not sure we are ready for a rescue that might have issues, our Saints were so amazingly kind and easy going we got spoiled. Not looking for an answer, just kind of venting.
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Why not foster a dog until the dog rescue company finds them a forever home?
My D volunteers and they’re always in need of temporary foster homes.
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How about going to a shelter several times? See if there is a dog you click with. Take it on walks at the shelter, visit it a few times. That should give you a good feel for the dog and if it will be right for your situation. Fostering is also a great idea!
I know you miss your other dogs, but think of the joy you will get from another dog, AND the joy you will give the dog. It’s worth it, right?
Totally get not wanting a puppy. I have cats, but I will never own a kitten again. They are too much work. Kittens need high energy owners, and while I plan on having cats for the foreseeable future, I’m aware that I am getting older and don’t really want another very young cat that needs a lot of human interaction. (Despite what some might think, yes, domestic cats very much want and need to interact with their owners, just as dogs do.)
I think it might be just what the doctor ordered if you adopt or foster another dog. We all know how much we love our furry friends. Best of luck!
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I don’t agree that you are “too old”. That said, I can relate. We lost our last dog (beagle) in 2017 (she was 16) and have not had one since. We’re moving soon and thinking about getting another dog after we relocate.
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We found ourselves in a similar spot two years ago. So sorry for you!!
We fostered several great puppies. Then this beauty went from abandoned to rescued to fostered by us to permanent member of our family. She isn’t a replacement for our last dogs but she is awesome. We new the minute she walked through our door in spite of our conflicted feelings.
All the best filling the hole in your heart they leave.
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Oh I love this story and pic! Fostering sounds like a great idea, and I will look into that option. We also have a princess cat (was a stray, but determined to join our family after living on her own and having 2 litters that I know of) who we dote on and who would have to get along with a new addition. She was great company for my last Saint when he was sick, she stayed with him all the time.
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Maybe think of fostering and/or shelter volunteering as a tribute to your beloved dogs, giving back all the love you received by having them in your lives. I also believe there is no dog I’ll ever love as much as my current boy, he is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of dog. He was also a 1.5yo rescue when we got him, some sort of lab/standard poodle/wolfhound/who knows mix. The absolute best dog I’ve ever met. The idea of finding another dog in the future that we’d love as much seems impossible. But maybe it’s really like you’ve enjoyed chocolate cake so much that it’s your favorite, and guess what? There’s also red velvet and angel food and cheesecake and all of these other wonderful options. Best of luck!
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One other benefit of fostering is that we placed in our town two dogs prior to our keeper. In one case we knew the family and the other we met when we surrendered the dog.
We have had several group play dates and so nice to see the dogs thrive.
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My friend fostered puppies, I didn’t want a puppy, too much work. However, she had a perfect foster that she begged us to adopt. Three months old, crate trained, housebroken, 18 pounds fully grown, short haired, and calm. That was 11 years ago, she is the center of our family of 7 (and my friend still regrets not keeping her). I think fostering is a great idea.
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Don’t let people tell you you’re too old - it’s not about your age (puppies don’t stay puppies for years!) it’s more about your abilities! Do you have a physical condition already that would not allow you to walk or lift a dog? That’s something to consider. But you can also get small dogs or have a fenced yard!
No one has health guarantees - including dogs! But I do actually think having a pet can be a GOOD thing for the mental and physical health of humans!
Also rescues do not always have issues! Plenty of rescues got lost or had family circumstances change that did not allow them to stay in their original home. A good rescue is going to allow you the time to feel the pet is right for you.
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When our absolutely perfect border collie passed about three years ago, my daughter and I cried for weeks. He was gentle, calm, obedient and was the best dog ever. He was given to us by a coworker who trained border collies for herding trials when he didn’t have the desire to herd.
My daughter wanted to get another dog immediately, so we put our names on the waiting list with a nearby breeder. Our new puppy was a terror for the first few months and even my daughter was having doubts, but the puppy calmed down at about 10 months and is a great dog now at almost three years old. Not perfect, and not at all like our previous dog, but a very good dog.
I had a lapse in judgement and adopted what I thought was a border collie a few months ago as a companion to our other dog. He is about a year younger than her, but doesn’t act like a border collie at all - mainly stubborn and not sensitive like a border collie. I think he might be a spaniel border collie mix. He is very gentle and goofy though, so even though he wasn’t what I had expected, I really like him. He is very happy and wags his tail a lot unlike most of the four border collies we’ve had.
My mistake was thinking I could deal with two young energetic dogs at my age - they have caused me to fall twice while taking them into doggie day care because they love to go and pull on their leashes in their excitement. So knowing your limitations is a good thing. (I have found a head harness that has helped a lot).
Not sure where I’m going here, I guess just saying that each dog is different and will give you joy (and trials) in different ways. Here’s a couple of pics of my double trouble.
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I hate when people say they are too old for whatever. That is up to you to decide. I have several dog friends who are well into their 80’s that have pups. One has a smooth collie pup and the other has a corgi. You have experience with Saints. If you want another, go for it. We got a new pup last year and he is keeping us fit. We walk two miles twice a day now. I don’t think we would be getting this exercise without him
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My father started adopting older dogs at some point. The risk profile is generally a bit different than for other dogs who end up as rescues. None had issues - all were “orphaned” by an owner’s death or forced move to a pet-free environment. They were all well-trained, kind dogs. (At one point, he learned that a dog he had had come into the shelter with a companion so he went back for that one too! The dogs weren’t as excited about the reunion as he was, btw… 
)
He really appreciated not having to do the puppy training. It also meant he didn’t have them as long. But as an observer, I think both the dogs and the human appreciated what they gave each other.
Which is to say that if you aren’t embracing the challenge of a puppy, dogs at the other end of their lives might be worth looking into. They are notoriously difficult to place…
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I think it’s great to adopt older dogs, many of those who became homeless due to the passing of their owners.
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I lost my dog at age 16 and read that many people have trouble getting another for awhile. I dog sit for a family and when their old dog died, they waited a year.
When I was grieving (and yes, grief for dogs can be intense!) I would go every week to the local animal shelter and hold kittens. I couldn’t handle the dogs yet because they made me miss mine! The cats helped a lot.
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My younger dog was a three-year old rescue and she is a love. Not all rescues have major issues - she came mostly trained and became attached/loving to me very quickly. She does have anxiety/abandonment fears but those have lessened significantly over the past five years and were never so bad that they got in the way of daily life. Pretty sure she just ran free in her former life, so had to train her to come back when I called and stay/sit when she saw another dog when we walked in the woods off-leash (I only make her stay/sit if the other dog is leashed - otherwise I let them play). But she was more than half-way there in training anyway - obviously someone had loved and trained her at some point. Anyway not trying to talk you out of a puppy - trying to decide if I have one more puppy in me after my 14- year old guy goes (had him since a puppy and he’s still in great shape so no immediate decision to be made there) - but just making the point that many rescues don’t have real issues and make great members of the family. My rescue is a total love without a mean or aggressive bone in her body. My purebred who I’ve had since he was a puppy has snapped and bit several people over the years (mostly kids who deserved it 
but still). You never know.
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I never trust a dog with more prestigious and distinguished lineage then my kids. That means total muts!!
So far it has worked well neither the kids nor dogs have bitten anyone.
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I think a St Bernard puppy would definitely be a LOT of puppy! I love puppies, but I think I am going to downsize with the next dog we get. We lost our 60lb pointer mix in 2020 and have been dog free for about a year and a half now. My sweet as sugar cat is very happy with us being a cat only household. I think she wouldn’t mind if the other not so sweet cat went away too, but they are companionship for each other. They are frenemies, though, and not BFFs.
Leading up to our dog’s death I had it in my head that when our she died we would be dog free for a few years and do more traveling. Getting dog care while we travel has always caused me a lot of stress, but we have not done so much traveling in the COVID era. I’m still holding off on getting a new one, but I do love seeing all the puppers when I take my daily walks.
I loooove my kitties, especially the sweet one who is truly the prettiest, sweetest cat you will ever meet. You can pick her up anytime and she doesn’t mind. Doesn’t even mind the vet. Just very very sweet and chill.
BUT there is something different about the relationship with a dog. I’d love to have a smaller more midsize dog (say 30lbs) that could travel easier after we get some big trips done.
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In his defense he is a small dog (cairn) who came into the family when my D was only 4 and got occasionally manhandled by kids who thought he should join in their games. This was especially problematic when he had a long-term back injury from age 3 for a couple of years. He’s actually a very sweet dog, but definitely a snapper when startled or forced into games he wants no part of. But otherwise I agree with you!!
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Please know I was kidding!! Certainly wasn’t suggesting either my dog or kids are better then your dog😀
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