Rescue dogs advice please

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oldie48

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Our lovely but aged border terrier has a growth in his nasal cavity, we are waiting for the results of a biopsy but I fear the worst. although he has a good quality of life ATM I don't think we will have him for much longer. Our other BT was pts two years ago. I can't imagine not having a dog in the house but we can't have a puppy as we have my very elderly MIL living with us (100 next year) and I would worry about her getting knocked/tripped over. For the same reason we'd need a reasonably calm dog.
We are an active couple in our late 60s, have our daughter's young Vizla stay quite frequently so would need a dog that is well socialised and could cope with a visitor who is a bit people focused! We also have young grandchildren come to stay. We are happy to consider older rescue dogs but having looked for quite some time none of the dogs in our local rescue centres fit the bill. My husband loathes Jack Russells, not helped by a neighbour with 2 that bark constantly, we don't want a big dog as many of our walks require us to lift a dog over a fence etc and although my older daughter has the most delightful staffie, I'm personally not a fan. Having had BTs with selective hearing, I'd like a dog that is trainable to good recall. Where do I start, suggestions gratefully received. I'm in no rush as would not wish to bring another dog into the home whilst our BT is with us but thinking about the future helps!
 
OP I am in a similar quandary. I have just seen what looks like a really suitable dog on the oldies rescue site, they list older dogs in various parts of the country, I think a lot of them come through Roumania, but that's another thorny issue. The one I have seen is a long way from me though and I would find it difficult to travel there and they possibly wouldnt rehome out of their area anyway. Might be worth you having a look. oldies.org.uk
 
whippet? Small enough to lift, very steady and quiet in the house, in fact usually asleep! As a breed they adore people and other dogs, and both mine have good recall although some dont. They and various crosses come up in rescue all the time.
 
Have a look at some of the breed specific rescues, things like Spaniel Aid UK, Whippet Rescue UK etc. In fact think of a suitable breed and add Rescue UK and pop it into Facebook and see what comes up!
 
Thistle said:
Spaniel aid often have oldies come in who are still fit and well
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A friend of mine has had two spaniels from them, and regularly shares their posts on Facebook and I have seen several over the last few months that seem to meet OP's criteria.
 
Leo Walker said:
whippet? Small enough to lift, very steady and quiet in the house, in fact usually asleep! As a breed they adore people and other dogs, and both mine have good recall although some dont. They and various crosses come up in rescue all the time.
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I've got to agree with you on this. My whippet is only nine months old, but she already is fairly calm around the house, does get a little excited at times, but is very good around my elderly mother. Once she has gone for a walk and a quick zoom around the fields in the morning, she is pretty happy to sleep and cuddle all day! As for recall, I think that is down to training more than breed a lot of the time. I think an older whippet or lurcher might fit your bill - ideally you would want one from a rescue that fosters dogs in a normal home so they can give an honest assessment.
 
Look up the Oldies Club. All their dogs are over 7 - they are always looking for foster homes as well - and all their dogs come from homes in the UK
 
An older Westie could be perfect - ours were calm, sensible, always up for a walk and not yappy at all. When our old lady got too old to do the full dales hikes that she used to love, my parents would let her walk until she got tired, then they'd put her in a backpack with her head poking out and she loved it!

I don't know this rescue personally but it could be somewhere to start - http://www.westierescuescheme.org.uk/

Good luck and well done for rescuing! We have a rescue German Shepherd and he's the love of my life :)
 
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