Well we do buy Oreo "Doggie treats" and my Honey has even bought him a toy they can play tug of war with.
My daughter had an SOS at her kennels last week from a woman who had been beaten up by her husband the previous night , and she was flying back to the UK to escape him but she couldn't take her beloved chihuahua , so she begged my daughter to take her until such time as she might be able to find a home for her . As daughter had previously had the little dog into the kennels whilst her owners were on holiday she knew the dog well and it's a real cutie ... and agreed, but my daughter has a chihuahua of her own, as well as 6 other dogs... so she's taking it carefully introducing the new dog to her own, in case her chihuhua who is only used to male dogs around takes a dislike to the little new chee... so for the moment chee is sleeping in the kennels in the evening and getting a little careful association with the larger home dogs for an hour a day to see how it goes, they are all gentle patient dogs ..but as of yet she's not been introduced to Daughters chihuahua ..who is a little sweetie but she was a rescue and she's very much a 'mummys' girl..so she might not take too kindly to a new little one moving into her lane
I think you have to have a "gift" for doing what your daughter does. Although I would not mind one pet I could not even think of caring for more than one...and at my age and without my Honey's help even caring for one would be to much for me alone. As we age we still want to do alot of things that we know in our hearts is just not going to work anymore. I would never want to get a pet and then find out we could not take care of it the way it should be taken care of....and have to send it away from what it thought was it's forever home. So I think what is happening here with Oreo is probably the best thing for all of us during this season of our lives.
Greetings from Aeioungland. My elder sister and her partner are in their eighties ............(would have used 'octogenarians' but that has four vowels) when their beloved 'black-lab' passed on to the next kennel they decided they needed to ease up on having to walk a dog four times a day, which is what they did come rain or shine. So they joined a help-club and look after a neighbours dog once or twice a week for a whole day. Perhaps similar organisations exist on your side of the pond ? AN AEIOUNGLISH 'FALL DOG' .
Oreo is a wonderful dog although when our neighbor first got him home with her he was very shy and skitish. It was pretty obvious someone, somewhere had either mistreated or neglected him. But he has been here for awhile now and we all spoil him rotten...and he now is as friendly as can be. He definitely would be the dog we would want full time if we were up to this...but having him even on a part time basis is wonderful.
My Izzy is a total momma’s boy, which is good for me. He was about two when my husband realized that Izzy was trying to tell us that I was about to have a seizure. Now that my sons and husband are gone, it is a great help to have three to five minutes forewarning. It gives me plenty of time to stop whatever I’m doing, and I also can get myself into a position to make sure I don’t hurt myself or anyone else. He goes everywhere with me, even the grocery store. Izzy doesn’t bark unless it is to let me know that he needs to go outside, or if he thinks I might be going to leave him. Yes, he even must go to the bathroom with me. His trainer thinks he does that because he worries that I might have a seizure if he’s not there. To get Izzy certified as a support dog, he went through thee months of training before my visit to @Yvonne Smith and Bobby’s in 2015, and then another three months after we got back. He refreshes his training each year, and it helps that I have always taught my pups with hand signals. Whereever we go, there are always people that want to know if they can pet him, especially children, and he is always very patient with people. He has only growled at one stranger, and I decided to trust him, and I got away from that man as soon as possible. I think his patience comes from the fact that at seven months, I notice that he had a vision problem, and for the next 14 months he had to go through three cataract surgeries. Through it all he had to have eye drops four times a day, and I had to put pills down his throat twice a day. Now he still get an anti itch pill daily. All I have to do is shake the pill bottle, and he will roll over on his back, open his mouth, and let me drop the small pill into the back of his throat. I truly believe the Creator sent Izzy to me knowing I would be on my own, and that I would need help, and a little being to spend my emotions on.
@Ina I. Wonder It's so nice that our Creator knows exactly what we need...and often sends those things in such cute packages. You are blessed to have Izzy to not only love but to recognize when you are going to have a seizure. Having her to forewarn you about this must make things a little less anxiety producing for you. And it's wonderful that because you got her that training she can go everywhere with you too. I have enjoyed all the pets I had in my life time except the "psycho" toy poodle that my ex decided to surprise me right after I had my first baby. After two weeks with that crazy dog I told my ex either the dog had to go or I would. Since my ex had been gifted with the toy poodle by a "friend" who evidently couldn't take his craziness either...he decided to regift the pet to another friend. I didn't want to know who he gave him too and I told him to make sure he told the friend there is a no return policy. I hope that psycho toy poodle found a loving forever home with the right people for him and that they all lived happily ever after.
Every day it seems "Oreo" moves in with us more and more. I went to put some mail in our mail box a short while ago and found Oreo had "moved" some of his toys from his house to ours. And when I went to the store the other day my husband asked me to buy him a doggie brush. The other day we went outside to drink our morning cup of coffee and watch the birds eat their breakfast and there was Oreo laying down under the Oak tree waiting for us to come out. He was just watching the front door.
Sharing Oreo with our neighbor is working out just fine. Almost every morning when my husband opens the door to take his morning cup of coffee out on the porch to drink...Oreo is already there lying in the grass waiting for him. And when I come out later to go bring my Honey to work, etc. Oreo makes sure he gets his daily dose of loving from me too. It's wonderful having a pet without having the expense or total responsibility of one. We bought a big box of Milk Bone doggie treats which Oreo decided didn't have enough flavor...so my husband now makes some instant gravy, brushes it on the treats and then rebakes them in the oven. He has also basted some in a peanut butter sauce (at my suggestion) and rebaked those too. Now Oreo loves the treats and my Honey is a very happy man too.
I admit Izzy is super spoiled. Unless it’s the doctor’s office, Izzy is with me. He gets a lean broiled chicken thigh every day, and a good lamb and yams dry food. He will steal part of my morning coffee, and somehow if my water glass is full he has learned to how to sip through a straw. There are toys all over the place, which he is having fun sharing with his new little friend, Riji our new kitty. I’ve got to learn how to capture them on camera, zooming around the room. It took about a week for Izzy to realize he had received a new friend to play with, and not another munchie.