Sounds like you haven't owned many animals or had to attempt to take over the care of someone's animals after they die. Dogs especially are particularly upset by loss of an owner, though cats too suffer from that loss. And it's.not just that pets feel badly, though they do. BUT what happens to that animal when you die ahead of them is often not good. People may attempt, as I did to take over the care of my mother's cat. It just didn't work. Her cat and my cat were both used to being the one household cat. They were both upset and bad consequences began to happen...spraying for mom's cat and refusing to come in for mine. All this on top of the loss of my mother and dealing with estate issues. I did everything I could, but it ended up as MOST situations like this, turning over Mom's cat to the shelter where that upset and misbehaving cat was no doubt put to sleep. After our last exceptional dog, we realized that we shouldn't have another one. We've seen more than one heartache of animals losing owners. One solution that doesn't necessarily solve this: adopt an elderly animal if you or someone for you can take care of that animal. It's a promise, you know, adopting an animal is like having a child in some ways. You don't just set up a situation that will be harmful or that MAY be. At 65, I found a box of 3 kittens starving to death at a park. I adopted them, thinking of myself as likely to live to 87 like my mom or 98 like my grandmother. So I made that commitment. At 75, I'm recognizing that my physical self is NOT what it was at 65. And as I am rapidly seeing older relatives and friends passing, I get that I could too. There are OTHER solutions--enjoy yourself with pets that belong to neighbors or family. Go to dog parks to enjoy being close to them. Volunteer at animal charities, vets, shelters, etc. Just think of it as karma. Maybe you'll be a cat or a dog in your next turn around. Dealing with pets of a person who has died becomes an easier item to handle "less than well" on the list of painful things to do. I suggest finding your pleasures in a way that is not at the loss of another being.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. They give you some valuable viewpoints. Yes, I have had numerous companion animals in a wide variety of situations. And having worked in the retirement community world, I have worked with numerous families and seniors who had to take care of their loved one's companion animals. And I was in the situation of having to help the dogs and cats who had to make the transition to their new home when their human parent wasn't able to give as much as they had in prior years. It can be a very difficult situation as you point out. Having said that, I think it is a personal decision and I certainly honored Libby's decision even though I didn't agree with it. Ultimately, it wasn't my decision to make anyway! Perhaps I chose a poor example of the point I was trying to make. Too often people hold off doing things they really want to do because of their age. Sometimes holding off is a good thing and other times I have seen people make themselves suffer when they didn't have to. That's all I was trying to convey and from there each person has to take what works for them and leave the rest! Thanks for commenting!
![กี่หมื่นฟ้า | Your Sky Series EP.1 [1/4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vLGjxFL6U_I/mqdefault.jpg)
At 82 - I am older - and surprisingly - wiser - but not yet WISE
Sounds like you haven't owned many animals or had to attempt to take over the care of someone's animals after they die. Dogs especially are particularly upset by loss of an owner, though cats too suffer from that loss. And it's.not just that pets feel badly, though they do. BUT what happens to that animal when you die ahead of them is often not good. People may attempt, as I did to take over the care of my mother's cat. It just didn't work. Her cat and my cat were both used to being the one household cat. They were both upset and bad consequences began to happen...spraying for mom's cat and refusing to come in for mine. All this on top of the loss of my mother and dealing with estate issues. I did everything I could, but it ended up as MOST situations like this, turning over Mom's cat to the shelter where that upset and misbehaving cat was no doubt put to sleep. After our last exceptional dog, we realized that we shouldn't have another one. We've seen more than one heartache of animals losing owners. One solution that doesn't necessarily solve this: adopt an elderly animal if you or someone for you can take care of that animal. It's a promise, you know, adopting an animal is like having a child in some ways. You don't just set up a situation that will be harmful or that MAY be. At 65, I found a box of 3 kittens starving to death at a park. I adopted them, thinking of myself as likely to live to 87 like my mom or 98 like my grandmother. So I made that commitment. At 75, I'm recognizing that my physical self is NOT what it was at 65. And as I am rapidly seeing older relatives and friends passing, I get that I could too. There are OTHER solutions--enjoy yourself with pets that belong to neighbors or family. Go to dog parks to enjoy being close to them. Volunteer at animal charities, vets, shelters, etc. Just think of it as karma. Maybe you'll be a cat or a dog in your next turn around. Dealing with pets of a person who has died becomes an easier item to handle "less than well" on the list of painful things to do. I suggest finding your pleasures in a way that is not at the loss of another being.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. They give you some valuable viewpoints. Yes, I have had numerous companion animals in a wide variety of situations. And having worked in the retirement community world, I have worked with numerous families and seniors who had to take care of their loved one's companion animals. And I was in the situation of having to help the dogs and cats who had to make the transition to their new home when their human parent wasn't able to give as much as they had in prior years. It can be a very difficult situation as you point out.
Having said that, I think it is a personal decision and I certainly honored Libby's decision even though I didn't agree with it. Ultimately, it wasn't my decision to make anyway! Perhaps I chose a poor example of the point I was trying to make. Too often people hold off doing things they really want to do because of their age. Sometimes holding off is a good thing and other times I have seen people make themselves suffer when they didn't have to. That's all I was trying to convey and from there each person has to take what works for them and leave the rest! Thanks for commenting!