Dog for my grandmother

[stansmith96]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hello,

I've been willing to get my grandmother a pet as I had seen her really friendly towards my rottweiler puppy which was given to a friend who has a farm so it could have more free space. Now, I think that it would be nice to get my grandmother her own dog but I do have some concerns. It should be an easily domesticatable breed as my grandmother cannot afford to waste a lot of energy on playing with it or training it. Still, I want it to be able to protect itself and my grandmother from other dogs and possibly suspicious strangers. Can you advise me a breed please?

 

[gypsysmum2]

Getting a dog to "protect" someone is not really a good idea. If you are expecting the dog to attack other dogs or suspicious strangers then you are expecting it to be aggressive. An aggressive dog is a dangerous thing to own. Your grandmother or other members of the family could be in danger from an aggressive dog.

Most pet dogs will alert us to the presence of a stranger near our home and if that is what your grandmother needs then she might like a toy breed. They are bred to be companions rather than to work for a living. The Kennel Club website will list all the breeds that come under the toy breed heading. Do not be fooled by the word toy as some of them can be very strong characters. Some that come to mind are Papillon, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, Toy Poodle, Dachsund.

Although your grandmother admired the Rottweiler that you owned, those kinds of dogs can be very hard work to exercise and care for. Your grandmother may be fit now but a dog may live for fifteen years.

If your grandmother has not had a dog before then a puppy may be too much hard work for her. Most toy breeds have rescues that occasionally have dogs looking for homes. Take a look at the Cinnamon Trust. They sometimes need foster homes for pets belonging to the elderly. This might be a good introduction for your grandmother. A visit to a rescue centre like Dogs Trust or Blue Cross might help her to find a dog to suit her. The staff can be very helpful. Staffordshire Bull Terriers make lovely pets if they have been brought up to be sociable with people and other dogs.

If you decide, after all the searching for a suitable dog that it is not something your grandmother could cope with then why not think about a cat as a companion.

 

[JoanneF]

And - sorry if I am reading too much into this but the fact it is almost Christmas and you have already chosen to give a puppy away - please do speak to your grandmother first to make sure she wants a dog. Rehoming is of course sometimes necessary but better avoided.

 

[Biker John]

Gypsysmum2, I would point out Shih Tzu's are not classified as Toy Dogs, in the UK they are in the utility group. Other than that I agree with all you and JoanneF said

 

[stansmith96]

You misunderstood. Protective as in my grandmother wouldn't be able to protect the dog herself from other street dogs and my Rottweiler was given after it grew up and started to find my garden too small.

Also, the Rottweiler was given way before Christmas it has been over 6 months

 

[dogmatize]

I just wanted to add that people who are unsteady on their feet are more likely to fall over a smaller dog . My mother was a nurse specialising in geriatrics and she often saw patients who ended up in hospital this way

If I had to I would recommend a medium sized dog at about knee height.However I feel strangely uncomfortable about your situation- the use of the phrase street dogs makes me wonder what country you are in.

 

[gypsysmum2]

If your grandmother is in danger from other street dogs then having a dog with her could make the situation worse. Lots of people think that a dog will "protect" its owner. I am afraid that the dog is merely protecting itself. The owner is just back up.

Whatever breed is decided upon it should be bought for the joy of owning a pet and for companionship. Any thoughts of using the dog to protect people is stepping into very dangerous territory. As I said earlier it would mean that the dog would need to be aggressive. If this were the case then the dog, and your grandmother, could fall foul of the Dangerous Dogs Act.