Would it be fair?

ExD please 're read the posts about retired greyhounds, it really could be the answer.

ExD ... I can definitely recommend having a small to medium sized dog. Dh and I are aged 68 and quite unexpectedly took on our labradoodle, aged 10 months, two and a half years ago. She is a lab crossed with a small poodle. We had had our previous dog, a sheepdog cross, for 17 years and when she died it was so upsetting that we vowed 'never again'. It was 15 years since our first dog died, but this little dog needed a home and our hearts melted.

When she came to us she was so fragile and so nervous of everyone she met. She has given dh and I a new lease of life and repays our love a thousand fold.

If you feel you can give a needy dog a loving home, please don't hesitate. I don't think you will regret it. We tried to think it through as best we could and this is what we thought:
1. We knew she would take love, time and training before she would totally trust us.
2. We ensured we had adequate insurance for any vet bills.
3. We thought about if we got too old to walk her and decided that if this happened we would hire a dog walker. Not necessarily everyday. A friend has her dog professionally walked twice a week and takes her on shorter walks she can cope with on the other days.
4. We checked that our daughter would give our dog a home if we both died before her.

These are the issues which were important to us. Don't worry about point 4 though as many dog trusts will rehome your dog if it ever became necessary.

We can't recommend including a dog in your life enough Exd. Good luck in your search for an amazing companion.

I would second a greyhound as they are real couch potatoes an actually don’t need a lot of exercise and if you have a secure green area or big garden 15 min of zooming round that should be enough as they do like a good run ?

An elderly lady I know was palmed off with a very active, ill disciplined rescue dog. Completely inappropriate. Fortunately it didn’t live too long otherwise I think it would have had to go back. Please don’t be pressured.

Why not a terrier. I am 73 and in January of this year bought an 8 week old Jack Russell. She is absolutely brilliant. Was house trained by 12 weeks and has slept through every night since the day I got her.
She's not over energetic and if we don't go out for a long walk I just take her out for about 15 minutes and she's quite content. Loves lots of cuddles and always wants to be near me.

I am a volunteer dog walker for The Cinnamon Trust cinnamon.org.uk/
We walk dogs for owners who are too frail to walk them. It might be worth looking at that, or a similar charity, so you have peace of mind if you aren't able to cope with whichever dog you choose, in the future.
As someone has already said, retired greyhounds only need a couple of short walks a day, but they do get very cold, so they need coats on, and they welcome being spoilt with blankets to snuggle under at home !

I'd suggest a rescue/retired greyhound. They usually have lovely gentle temperaments and are generally happy to laze around when they get a bit older. And the very short hair means much less cleaning up. A cat would be a good idea though. I have 4 and they're lovely funny companions with the advantage of no walkies. Just don't get a kitten or a very young cat as they can be a bit of a handful. Plenty of middle aged and elderly cats in rescues who would be extremely grateful for a loving home.

Most rescue centres are really careful to match the dog with its new owner. Try another one, or keep an eye on their websites. Older dogs are more difficult to rehome and rescue centres would be delighted to find you the right pet. You will never get the love and companship froma cat that a dog will give.

Another vote for a greyhound. Do let us know what you decide.

There is a rescue centre for old dogs. Just type in www.oldies.org.uk
Also, as someone has mentioned previously, there are centres which let you keep a dog and they pay for the upkeep. I haven't looked into this myself but I guess you must always have the dog available in case somebody wishes to adopt it formally. I believe it may be cheaper for rescue centres to use this policy than it is to keep open a shelter for them, especially when there are a lot of dogs available. Good luck.

With Cavalier King Charles spaniels, if they've been checked for any problems with heart and eyes, they're healthy dogs.

And yes you can foster dogs
www.rspca.org.uk/findapet/foster

When my husband got cancer he wanted a dog but was worried about the responsibility of walking it. I was working full time but said we will cope. The dog brought him so much happiness I am so glad we got him. I walked him but was taken a back by people asking me if they could walk him. There are companies that walk dogs as well. Some breeds need more walking than others so find a breed that doesn’t. I would say do your research have a back up walking plan and go for it.

Could you "register" your details with local rescue centres, RSPCA and PDSA? I'm sure they often have dogs brought in when their elderly owners have died and no one in the deceased family wants to take them on.

Lots of older dogs are overlooked at rescue centres. Give me an older dog any day. We’ve had many older dogs over the years who have lost their homes due to owners dying or going into care and not a difficult dog amongst them. There is an oldies dog rescue group as mentioned above. We’ve had many greyhounds who are fantastic dogs. They are happy to sleep 23 out of 24hrs a day. Contact your local greyhound rescue group - they know their dogs really well.

As I keep reminding myself. We are all
different

I M 84 now
My beloved Sheltie died 3 years ago I still miss her terribly always had dogs and cats
Shortly after she died dh nd I got a rescue cat
A very small kitten I had fed her etc

Last year dh died
Then lockup (just saying )

My cat has kept me going
So miss having a dog
Keep wishing but I know cost and care combined is me being selfish
So that is just me

We are all different
Oh I have small fish in small aquarium now following gd
And of course grandsnet

I second the idea of a greyhound. We have two, our third and fourth, like a little exercise but not too much. Especially when it is raining they prefer to stay in. Very gentle, loving dogs who just want a warm bed, a cuddle, lots of spoiling and, of course, their food. They are past the puppy stage so are quieter. A good rescue would match you to one perfectly. Do go for it.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

They are great company and I'd be lost without my little one. When I rescued my her, I had to sign a form that I would return her to them if I couldn't have her anymore. Plus there are a lot of dog walkers around or maybe a neighbour could get it out for a bit of a walk. There's loads of older dogs looking a home as they are often overlooked and they would be quite happy having a dander round the garden.

We once had a beautiful Labrador girl who had been rejected from the guide dog training programme due to her eyesight not being perfect in one eye. She was about 14 month old when we adopted her, and she lived many happy years with us until she reached 12, and finally crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. She had a few mishaps along the way, mainly caused by her walking or running into things on her left side due to reduced vision, but she was the most faithful and Loyal companion you could ever wish for.
My Daughter, who was a teenager at the time, now has a family and a Labrador girl.of her own. Again she adopted a rescued dog, but from someone local this time who was unable to take their pet with them when being rehoused due to a Marriage breakup. Again you could not wish for a better behaved dog, so loving and faithful too. It must be a Labrador trait though, as she too has had eye problems for the last couple of years which started around the time she turned 8 years old. She's fine around the house, and in places she knows well, but we first noticed it when she started to jump into the Hatchback of the car before the hatch was open for her to do so, resulting in her banging her head.
She now has a younger housemate, an 8 month old Cocker Spaniel girl, but she's crazy, acts first and questions later, so boisterous that she's just had to have surgery on her knee joint, where the get has spotted further hereditary problems in her hips which will require surgery at a later date. Thankfully they do have pet insurance, but it costs them £40 a month for the Spaniel alone.
I'm not planning to have another dog due to my own mobility issues, but if I did, I would probably go for a small smooth coated Lapdog, much less to clean up after them when out and about, cheaper to feed, and you can easily pick them up and carry them in a shoulderbag if needs be and you train them to do so! Much less of a distance needed to walk them too. I quite like the small Chihaua smooth coated Girls, or even something my Grandaughter has, a fully houstrained Jack Rabbit, who thinks he's a Dog!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202011/medium-587936-monty-me.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202011/medium-789148-clipped-monty--1.jpg

I would consider a Chinese Crested Dog. They come in 3 types: very long double coated Powderpuff, which I wouldn't recommend for you so much just because of the amount of grooming; Hairless, who have no fur at all except on their head, paws and end of tail (they're gorgeous!) and "Hairy Hairless" which is not showable but just as sweet a dog. They are small, so, so loving, loyal and fun. They also make great hot water bottles! As to excercise, mine have always been happy with just a play and poop in the garden if I'm not well enough to walk them - and they don't like the rain so would prefer not to walk in that! I could put you in touch with a lovey lady in Wales who does a small amount of rescue (Iryna Bush) if you liked - I travelled from Aberdeenshire to Wales to get my wonderful current boy and it was so worth it - or there is a national breed rescue www.chinesecrestedclubofgb.co.uk/
Here are a couple of pics of my Hairy Hairless, Monty both in his full coat and when trimmed to look like he should have done except for greedy breeders. (He was put up for rescue because he turned out not to be show standard .. they don't know what they missed, he's the perfect dog and I say that as one who has had 30 years in rescue and up to 14 of my own different breeds/ cross breeds at a time, all of whom I've loved unreservedly.) Monty has kept me from suicide since my husband's death from Covid in May.

poshpaws I'm so sorry about your DH
Oh my word - Monty is absolutely gorgeous!!

He looks like a beautiful Fraggle!

Another vote for a greyhound. Much less likely to trip over a big dog than a little one!

Can I please, please, please put in a plea for a rescue dog?
No offence to the owners of pedigree dogs but “cute” puppies are changing hands for thousands of ££££ these days and the incidence of those awful puppy farms is still shameful.
However loving or lovely some breeds are, they can be too much of a handful for an older owner - most terriers, labradoodles, most spaniels, Alsatians, collies , most working breeds in fact - the list goes on. Wonderful dogs but they need lots of exercise, stimulus and dare I say, an active owner.
If OP had a bad experience at her first attempt to rehome a dog I would argue she did not go to the right Rescue Centre.
Don’t go to the local pound, however sorry we are for the many dogs they have, but contact a rescue centre which will find the right home for one of their dogs.

Having made the decision, now that we know we won't be office based full time in future, to adopt a dog from a rescue, we have been researching dog rescue places.

Not had any success yet, due to restrictions etc, but I know we have come across a few rescues which are looking for "end of life" adopters, where they say the dogs just want a warm home, a comfy bed, cuddles, and maybe a garden to pootle around in if they feel like it.

Of course, I can't now remember WHICH of the rescues were looking for this kind of care, but likely places like Last Chance or Many Tears

I think it would be wonderful for both you and a needy (as in - in need of a home) to be united. Definitely don't give up on the idea.

And good luck