by Pat Merewether

Created on: November 18, 2008

An elderly person needs a companion, not a playmate. I was very happy when my eighty-year-old father said he wanted to adopt a dog. Mom had died a year earlier and I know he was lonely. But alarm bells went off when he told me the age and kind of dog he wanted. He had his heart set on the dog he had as a kid, a Beagle; a Beagle puppy no less. Dad and the dog were headed for trouble.

Elderly or mature dogs and elderly people go together much better than puppies and older adults. Puppies require constant attention because they chew and/or eat anything they can get their little jaws on. Also, puppies rarely arrive potty trained. If you've lived with a puppy, you know that they love to sit, lay or dance directly beneath your feet and sometimes seem to be intentionally trying to trip you. Falls are much more dangerous for older adults.

Puppies require ton of energy. We've had several puppies in our home and I was in my forties and could hardly keep up. Kids and puppies are a perfect match; elderly people and puppies, not so much.

Beagles have an extremely high energy level and are very loud. They can't help it, it's in their genes. Dad lives in a neighborhood filled with other older folks. I suggested that he choose a calm, quiet, older lab or mix breed. But, Dad has a mind of his own. He adopted a Beagle puppy (what was the shelter thinking?! ) A few weeks later, Dad called and sounded tired and frustrated, and asked, "How damn long does this puppy stuff last? " When I told him it could be a year or more, he groaned. Soon after that, he returned the puppy to the shelter and hearts were broken all around.

Consult a dog rescue or adoption group as they are knowledgable and will be most helpful in helping match up an elderly person with a dog with the best personality and other attributes. These groups are excellent at knowing about all kinds of breeds and temperments.

The perfect dog for an elderly person is small to medium sized so they can easily be handled or even picked up and carried. The dog should have reached a least mid-life or older and be calm and gentle. I don't think the dog necessarily has to be elderly, as that could lead to mobility difficulties on both sides. Older dogs, like older people, have more health problems, so that should be a consideration. The last thing an elderly person needs is vet bills, or having to give a dog injections or expensive medications.

The needs of an elderly person and the pet should be considered carefully before making a final choice. I'm convinced that people who have pets are definitely happier and have a better quality of life than those who do not. However, the choice of a dog makes all the difference.

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