Why do so many people suggest adopting an adult/senior dog, even when you are clear you are getting a puppy?

Abbeyroad86

Anyways I am just curious why people suggest adopting an adult or senior dog?

 Because most people want puppies or young dogs and the older, senior dogs often spend the rest of their lives in shelters or are euthed to make space for the younger dogs that are more easily adoptable.  

 I would like to point out that puppies and young dogs can and do get illnessess or have accidents that result in early death.  There are no guarantees when it comes to living things of how long they will live.  Love them every day no matter how long you think you have with them.

I'm not judging you or criticizing your decision or feelings so don't take it personally.   Everyone has the right to get the dog they want.

I think it's partially due to the fact that older dogs are harder to get adopted out and are euthanized at a higher rate.

I personally work 40 hours a week, and even though I go home daily for lunch, I do not have time to deal with a puppy.  I live alone, don't have anyone to help me, and don't need the stress of potty training and chewing.

My Shari was a puppy when I got her and I was a SAHM then.  I also had a small child and together both were a lot of work (also had another big dog, two cats, and stepkids all at the same time).  When I adopted Bear, he was around a year old.  He was already housebroken and past the worst of the chewing stage.  He was a great fit for my household.

Back in July I took home an older corgi-mix whose days were numbered.  I did it because I didn't want her to die at the shelter.  I let her linger there 3 weeks before I decided to take her, but I saw her weekly.  I was scared because of her age - I'd just lost Bear a few months prior and wasn't sure I could handle it.  That little dog was with me 6 days before she went to the Bridge.  I was with her at the end and her ashes are in my home.  It felt right to take her.  I didn't think of my own heartache, I could only think of the pain and heartbreak in her eyes, knowing she'd been abandoned when she needed her person the most.  So for 6 days, I was her person.

Now I have Agnes.  She is around 14, heartworm positive, too frail for Immiticide, has heart/lung problems due to the h/w.  She has been with me nearly two months.  I don't know how long she has, but again, I did not want her to die at the shelter.  I am enjoying every day with her, despite her incontinence (which is improving).  Her personality is finally emerging.  She is happy to see me, feels better, is in better shape.  It's just a bit of love we could both offer to each other without condition. 

I had a husky prior to Shari.  Her name was Heidi.  She got hit and killed by a car at 6 months.  There is no guarantee you won't lose a puppy either. 

I think each person should pick a pet that suits their lifestyle.  If you want a puppy, go for it!  If I need a dose of puppy breath, I just go to the shelter! 

Believe me I know probably more than anyone about sick puppies.  My poodle has been sick since he was a young pup.   He will always have problems.   We;ve been told not to expect him to be around very long.   But he has already defied the odds several times.

 But what I am getting at is when you get a puppy or have a puppy, I personally feel you aren't constantly thinking the end is near, you don't feel like you are racing the clock.   I guess that is why I can't adopt an older dog again.

I guess the big reason I ask is because I see a lot of people ask about breeds of dogs and everything (no so much on here but lots of places) and almost all the time several people suggest an adult dog.   I know i couldn't do it again and I would never push anyone into adopted a puppy.  But I just wasn't sure why.

I've seen a lot of people out there especially shelter workers make people feel bad for wanting a puppy.  (Wanting to adopt a puppy from the shelter instead of an adult)

 Sometimes a person's circumstances do not suit a puppy, but may suit a more settled, mature dog.  Would you still get only six months and under, even if your circumstances were better suited to an adult dog rather than a puppy?  For many of us, it's not about "which dog will I be happiest with?", it's "which dog will be happiest with me?"

Chuffy

 Sometimes a person's circumstances do not suit a puppy, but may suit a more settled, mature dog.  Would you still get only six months and under, even if your circumstances were better suited to an adult dog rather than a puppy?  For many of us, it's not about "which dog will I be happiest with?", it's "which dog will be happiest with me?"

i will only ever adopt puppies.  I can't adopt an older dog again.  I just can't do that again.   Atleast with a puppy you have happy time together before the bad stuff sets in.   And I wouldn't miss the puppy phase for the world

 Puppies fly out of shelters like candy.  Adults like produce that is so overstocked the store doesn't even have enough room to hold it all.  Finally, seniors are like out of date milk.  Most people glance and see the expiration date is two days over the limit and never bother to check to see if the milk itself is still good.  It could be the tastiest milk on the planet, but most people only look at the tag and walk away. 

I always thought it didn't matter when you adopted if you adopt a 10 week old puppy or a 10 year old dog.  You were still giving a homeless dog a home.  But I guess there is a double standard.   I watched one of my shelter friends totally break apart one of my other friends thinking of adopting a puppy the other day.   And I couldn't understand why.  a homeless dog in a shelter was still getting a home.   And since then I just don't get what the big deal was.  A homeless dog was getting a home, why was she so harsh with her?    This didn't happen at the shelter mind you.   And that is what lead me to this post.  I started reading on dog forums and yahoo and other q and a sites and I saw the same thing over and over again.  And it boggled the brain.    Someone actually said to someone "Fine get a puppy, if you want to be responsible for several older dogs dying"   They were adopting a 5 month old puppy from the shelter and they were asking about pet supplies.

It doesn't matter.  If you want a puppy, then get a puppy.  As it is a life long commitment to the dog (or should be) I think you owe it to yourself and the dog to get the dog you really want.  Unless the person getting the puppy clearly was not in a position to meet his needs, I see no problem with it. 

No one is slighting you for your prefernce.  Look at it this way - a lot of older dogs won't walk out of those shelters.  Puppies, by virtue of their cute wickle faces, are already almost guaranteed a second chance.  The older ones need every champion willing to lift them up.  If it helps even one of them get their second chance, or even a forever home, it's worth it to recommend it to everyone, even if that person appears set on a puppy.  Just in case.  For the dog's sake, it's worth a try.

Me personally, if I was going to go to a shelter or rescue and adopt a dog, I'd take an adult or older dog.  They usually don't have any problems adopting out puppies.  But, the older ones sit there.  And, I've seen where those poor dogs after all the good years they've given sitting in a cage in their "golden years".  I'd want to offer a spoiled life and proper care.  Of course, you are right, it's a shorter time but I think knowing that he/she didn't sit in a kennel or die alone would make up for that FOR ME.  I understand it's not for everyone. 

That said, there is no guarantee for a long healthy life with any age. 

Adoption is adoption.  I'm certainly not going to hassle anyone who chooses to adopt.  The cold hard fact however is most people want the puppies.  That is why people spend much more time bringing up and trying to advertise checking out the older animals.  The puppies generally don't need help getting picked.  One wiff of their puppy breath and they have the silly humans wrapped around their little paw. 

Making someone feel guilty about adopting a puppy however is just plain stupid.

Abbeyroad86

Anyways I am just curious why people suggest adopting an adult or senior dog?

Because most people don't even think about it. They get on that one track mind thinking of, "I wanna puppy! I wanna puppy!" without thinking what a puppy really means; poop/pee on the floor, chewing, jumping, barking in the middle of the night, etc.

The fact remains that an adult dog or senior dog would fit many lifestyles- people who just want a companion to lounge around the house and maybe take to the park or for a short walk- 10,000x better than a young, energetic, puppy w/ no training or socializing- which many people don't want to do- ever would.

I adopted Apollo knowing he's an adult, maybe even an older adult (he has lots of white on his muzzle and is sometimes slow to get up at night), but it's the *BEST* decision I ever made. I didn't want to deal w/ all the puppy stuff at this point in my life.

 I recommend an older dog, when a persons circumstances/patience level would be better suited to an older dog. My Mom adopted her dog at 6 mos. I went through a breeder for our dog and brought her home at 10 weeks. Honestly, I love puppies - don't get me wrong - but next dog I'd like to adopt an adult. I want a dog that is physical developed, over the insane chewing phases, preferably has some house training under them, and is not a spastic puppy with the attention span of a gnat. Puppies are a LOT of work (not saying an adult dog isn't), but there are many drawers to adopting an adult. Sometimes a person is just better suited to bring an adult dog into their home.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Quite frankly I worried about Ari at 5 mos. of age when she got really sick and went in for emergency surgery. Theoretically we could have lost her then. I've met some really fantastic senior dogs. Maybe when my own life slows down, I wouldn't mind bringing some seniors to my home to live out the rest of their days (however numbered) in comfort, surrounded by a human who cares that they cross over the bridge comfortably, knowing they were loved. Then again, I have a special fondness for seniors of the human variety too.

willowchow

Of course, you are right, it's a shorter time but I think knowing that he/she didn't sit in a kennel or die alone would make up for that FOR ME.  I understand it's not for everyone.

Me too.  That, and surely it is quality of time that matters, not quantity.  And that it doesn't matter how long you have had the dog for.... when you care for them and love them and they get under your skin, the heartbreak is no less even if you have had them 15 years rather than 5.  If anything, it may even be MORE for some people....  You could argue that the longer he is by your side, the more of a culture shock when he is gone.  "I don't want them to die in just a few years" is probably the oddest reason for getting a young dog I have heard, not least because no dog is guaranteed a long life.

I don't have a problem with people getting puppies if that's what they know they want and it's appropriate for their lifestyle.

I often suggest an adult because I hear people saying so much misinformation about puppy vs. adult.  It's not true that a puppy "bonds" more strongly or more quickly.  It's not true that you can't get a purebred as an adult.  It's not true that raising a dog from puppyhood will prevent "issues" like resource guarding, fear, reactivity, aggression, etc. It's not true that a puppy will automatically grow up to be more reliable around kids (or the other dog, or the cat....).

Also I see a lot of people that want a puppy but just are not in the right situation.  For example I know this couple that keeps insisting on getting an 8 week old puppy but they both work all day in a different town with no ability to come home and let the dog out, plus a longer commute to and from work.  They have no fence and their house is newer or parts have been remodeled by them so they are still in that phase where they are obsessed about keeping it clean and in perfect condition.  This would be their first dog so they have no prior experience with dogs and puppies. IMO this is just not a good situation for an 8 week old puppy.

Now I will never adopt a dog out of guilt or pity, no matter how bad or sorry I feel, and I will not attempt to guilt others into rescuing adult dogs.  For me a dog is too much of a commitment for that sort of emotional impulse.  I simply purchase or adopt the dog that is appropriate at that time.  My first two dogs were adults but I did not get them just because I wanted to save adult dogs.  I talked to a rescue group and a breeder, and both matched me to the same dog who happened to be 3.5 years old.  If their match had been a puppy, that's what I would have got.  When I got Nikon I was looking for something much more specific, from certain dogs/lines and a specific type, so I bought a puppy from those lines.