puppy power

mojofilter

Registered User
May 10, 2006
130
0
St.Helens
I've noticed that my mum perks up when we come across a dog when we're out for a walk. I know that she's lonely and that she misses my dad and I was wondering if it might be a good idea to get her a puppy (I live with her, so se wouldn't be responsible for feeding/training it etc)...

I just thought I'd throw it out there and see what the wise people on here have to say about it :)
 

dmc

Registered User
Mar 13, 2006
1,157
0
hiya mojofilter

i think thats a lovely idea, but i think myself i would try and borrow a friends dog for the day, just to see how long you mum finds it entertaining, having a puppy is such hard work, and if your mum is living with you im sure you dont want any extra work on top.:eek:
good luck with your desision though let us know what you decide!!

best wishes:)
 

BonnieRose

Registered User
Mar 27, 2006
16
0
taunton
hi,my mum has a dog and lives alone,shes deaf so won't be without him but he's hard work. She enjoys our two cats when she comes to stay. I think it's quite calming to stroke a cat on your knee whilst dogs have hard claws and don't sit still for long.-Just an idea. Best whishes Remus-the dog!
 

Jodie Lucas

Registered User
Dec 3, 2005
57
0
Eastbourne
puppy

Hi,

Think its a great idea. work in resource centre for people with dementia and when people bring animals in they really love it. Though agree with person above- about having friends dog over and go from there.

good luck

Jodie
 

Amy

Registered User
Jan 4, 2006
3,454
0
My mum still makes appropriate gestures to my dog (occasionally). The dog seems to get through to her when we sometimes fail.
Amy
 

Lynne

Registered User
Jun 3, 2005
3,433
0
Suffolk,England
Sort of agree it could be a good idea, with "BUT"s

I think a puppy, and subsequently a 'teenager' dog rioting about the place, might be a bit much. (Puppy mess, tripping Mum up, expense of all those puppy inoculations)

How about getting an adult dog from a local rescue centre; no uncertainty as to how big it will grow, already house-trained, you can choose one with a quiet nature, and I'm sure the centre staff will be pleased to help match-make with you.

Definitely agree with the suggestion from dmc - borrow one (or have one visit) for a significant period of time before you decide, or suggest it to Mum.

Good luck
 

mocha

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
176
0
89
Lancs, England
A year ago when our beloved cat died aged twenty I was devastated but decided to get a dog to give us an excuse for going a walk[besides loving dogs] We tried about 5 Rescue Centres in one day but couldn't find any we would like, so I decided to buy a Shih Tzu aged 7 wks old. My husband was entranced and the poor thing thought it lived 6ft off the floor. He was very well behaved until he was 9mths old but now he seems to have reached a naughty stage like 2-3 yr old children do.
He's been a lot of work and quite expensive with innoculations,micro chip Vet's check-ups etc.
To cut a long story short , my husband seems to have lost interest in him and I sometimes wish we'd adopted a baby instead because he has to baby-talk to every one we see, so Supermarkets are a bit of a Marathon.
By all means have a puppy if your mum can stand one running round the house at 90mph Good Luck
 
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dmc

Registered User
Mar 13, 2006
1,157
0
AAHHH what a lovely photo, he does look as though he's got a wicked streak in him, what a handfull:D
 

mocha

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
176
0
89
Lancs, England
HI everybody,
I had a fit when I saw how big the photo was, I'm new to this computing lark. If I sent a later one, he looks nothing like this now.
 

Áine

Registered User
Feb 22, 2006
994
0
sort of north east ish
mocha said:
HI everybody,
I had a fit when I saw how big the photo was, I'm new to this computing lark. If I sent a later one, he looks nothing like this now.

hi mocha ....... i had that problem the other day too. thought I was just posting a small photo of my cat and it came out emormous. i've not got the hang of re-sizing photos for use on the net either :)
 

sony

Registered User
Jan 28, 2006
37
0
Armagh, Northern Ireland
Hi Mojofilter,

Just thought I'd add my opinion (&photos!) I would advise you against a puppy but advise you towards an older dog (as someone has already done). About 4/5 years ago I had been in hospital for a very long time and when I got out at christmas, my Mum allowed me to go to our local dog rescue place and get a dog, I got a little cross-breed, she has never left my side since and got me through my illness. Like a guardian angel! Anyway, it transpired that the young dog we thought we had bought was actually quite old - at least 10 years old according to the vet!! But she is still going strong. The point of the story is, my Granny adores the dog (Tiny), she sits up on my Granny's knee and my granny strokes her saying "Haven't you got lovely silky ears"!! It really contents her. And because Tiny is quite old, she's happy to just sit about and be petted!

On the other hand, we also got a Yorkshire terrier puppy 2 years ago, and although my granny thinks it's lovely, she doesn't like her as much as Tiny, mainly because she's hyper!! She also gets under everyones feet so is a real health hazard! Therefore, I would advise you to go for an older dog as it would be better for both your mum and you, it will do you the power of good to have a doggy companion about!

Sorry, this has went on a bit! Good luck with the dog-hunt!

Love
Sonia
xx

P.S - DSCF0125 is Hollie (the yorkie 20months old) and DSCF0541 is Tiny (the crossbreed of undisclosed age!!)
 

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mojofilter

Registered User
May 10, 2006
130
0
St.Helens
Thanks for all the advice :)

It looks like I'll be going on a dog hunt in a couple of weeks time (I have 3 weeks left to get my projects done for my B.A. so I'll have to find a dog after I've handed all of my work in :eek: )

Thanks again,

mojo (aka Paul)
 

Áine

Registered User
Feb 22, 2006
994
0
sort of north east ish
size matters

Hi Paul,

Just thinking about sony's yorkie's. It's worth thinking about size of dog. The little ones seem so easy to trip over. I'm a little prejudiced having had a great dane :) Of course big ones can knock you over. It's not always true that the bigger the dog the more they need walking - it seems to go more by breed than size. Will you want a dog that's big enough to offer some sense of protection, or one to sit on someone's lap and be stroked? It's always worth thinking well ahead with a pet. What when you've got your BA? Will you want to get a job and move away? etc etc Of course those dilemmas are decreased a little if you get an older dog.

Oh, and the other thing .... I don't know how you'd go about this other than ads in local shops, but I've come across several people recently who would love to have a dog but are out at work all day. Friend musing recently about possiblity of "dog share" - being able to take dog to someone for the day and collect it weekends and evenings. Might a part time dog be an option?

best wishes

Áine
 

Kriss

Registered User
May 20, 2004
513
0
Shropshire
A "dog share" sounds like a brilliant idea or maybe a rescue centre would make a loan arrangement?

I would be very cautious about committing to a new dog full time - even an older one and probably not consider a puppy at all.

My Aunt had dogs all of her life but when she first became ill I dread to think what the dog went through, thankfully in this instance, her decline was rapid. When Aunt was admitted to hospital and then directly to a care home her dog came to live with us. She was a lovely little thing, very placid and gentle but getting on in years. She never seemed to recover maybe in some part due to pining for my Aunt but seemed to mirror Aunts health problems from simple confusion to being doubly incontinent!

My Dad was also a dog lover (its in our blood - big softies the lot of us) but Mum found it very difficult trying to manage Dad with a dog to watch out for as well. Sudden health crisis' call for rapid responses and having to make arrangements for a dog sometimes without any notice only adds to the stress e.g. being stuck at the hospital and having to consider how to get home to let the dog out/feed him etc.

Please give it a lot more thought before you make a commitment. You may well find that Mums attention span will reduce and her "interest" will fade. Maybe a cat might be a better option? They are far more independent but most (and again by choosing one from a rescue centre you will proobably be able to make a better selection) love to curl up on a knee and be stroked.
 

Lucy O

Registered User
Jul 4, 2005
26
0
advice re dogs?

Following on for query re puppy. My mother, who has had dementia for 7/8 years, has a dog who initially she was very attached to and the dog loved her back - they were inseparable. Unfortunately now, although my mother tries to communicate with the dog - ie tries to stroke her, to call her to her (mummy is usually unable to speak now), our dog tends to ignore her and walk the other way - obviously upsetting for my mother. Mol, the dog, is very affectionate to myself and my mother's carers. Any suggestions about how I can make the dog more attentive to my mother?
Lucy O
 

Lynne

Registered User
Jun 3, 2005
3,433
0
Suffolk,England
Hi Lucy

Lucy O said:
Any suggestions about how I can make the dog more attentive to my mother?
Lucy O

My initial feeling was "you can't", the logic behind it being the dog senses something amiss, and its natural reaction is caution.
However, most dogs keep their brain somewhere between their nose & their stomach, so you might be able to re-introduce Mol to Mum with barefaced bribery.
Something tasty (which for a dog usually means savoury smelling) like little cubes of cheese in a poly bag in Mum's pocket might generate some interest. (This assumes that no one else gives the dog treats!!)
 

Kayla

Registered User
May 14, 2006
621
0
Kent
Dogs as companions

My Mum really loves dogs and had one herself for seventeen years until he died. She is very fond of a soft toy dog. Her Nursing Home allow dogs to visit so I sometimes take one of my dogs to see her. She loves their visits but some of the nurses are afraid of dogs. My dogs are Golden Retrievers and quite large.
Toby is calm and very obedient in the home and they are getting more confident with him and are even stroking him. Molly gets very excited as she loves people and I have to work hard to keep her calm.
Mum enjoys seeing Toby, but he gets bored quickly and becomes more interested in sounds outside the door. Molly really interacts with Mum and will put her head under her hand so Mum is forced to stroke her. I've noticed that on Mum's good days the dogs take far more interest in her. When she is having a bad day and seems more confused the dogs seem to keep away.
If I take both dogs along (with my husband's help) they are more interested in each other and it all seems a bit overwhelming in Mum's room. The staff have commented that when I've brought the dogs in, Mum has been much more cheerful and focussed. They are four years old, so are quite young,but not puppies.
I've found dogs are very therapeutic for my mother and some of the other residents are keen to stroke them too. I suppose some patients might be afraid of dogs if they have never had one of their own.
 

Dave W

Registered User
Jul 3, 2005
268
0
63
Bucks
Sheer Bribery

We've had the same problem with Mum's dog not being so keen on showing an interest in her any more (the dog lives with friends of mine now, but we take her to see Mum and vice versa). Cupboard love works well with almost every dog (especially one of a iet, as it was hugely overweight where Mum fed it 11 times a day, forgot and fed it few more times).

Dog treats under her chair, in her coat pocket - work pretty well for us. We have to keep an eye on how often to stop thedog getting hugely obese again, but dogs and eating seem to be a very fortunate combination for these particular circumstances :)
 

Canadian Joanne

Registered User
Apr 8, 2005
17,710
0
70
Toronto, Canada
We've had cats & dogs most of the time. My mother was always interested in petting dogs brought into her nursing home but in the last year or so seems to have lost interest in animals.

However, she is has been baby-mad for the last 3 years or so. She was never that much of a fan when she was well (except if they were related to her). So it's been quite a turnaround in her attitude. Strange how this disease goes, isn't it?