Thanks for that link. I am about to leave my aging service dog for several days. He will be with someone he knows and has travelled with in the past, but at her place. I hope he will be ok, but I also hope that if he's been looking for a way to leave without me...he is over 15 now...that he will feel free to do so.

Hi, JD...

What breed of dog is your Service Dog? What is he trained to do for you? Will you be getting a replacement dog? What is his name and what has he enjoyed most in his long life?

How will you know if he "wants to retire"? I guess if he experiences this as a relaxing time where he has not gone fretting himself sick with missing you? Or if he does not refuse to let you leave without him - glued to your leg, blocking your way out the door?

As I plan on getting my own Emotional Support Dog (I plan to move downstairs first, for our stairs are very unsafe), I have been spending a lot of time at http://www.PetFinder.org looking at area shelter dogs.

I am going to get an adult because you can then know the dog's full personality. (if someone is reading this, you can see my thread on testing an adult shelter dog for suitability).

He/She will also have to be already house trained. And can be trained to use wee-wee pads in emergencies like dust storms and heavy thunderstorm downpours and icy sidewalks.

I have been thinking about just how old an animal I should get. A dog as large as a Irish Wolfhound most often dies at 7 or 8. A Dobie or Shepard is aging at 8, and seldom alive at 14, while a medium dog lives longer, and the toy dogs are the most likely to live til 18. Older dogs need less exercise, but are likely to have failing vision and sometimes inside accidents. They may need assistance getting in and out of vehicles where before they leaped about.

I want an animal that I can expect to have with me, in relatively good health and condition, for at least 5-6 years.

I want a short-haired dog that doesn't shed badly, that can be kept up with a hound mitt, that dries quicly after a bath and doesn't require 4 to 6 of my bath towels and a half-hour with the blow-dryer!

I want a dog to sleep on my bed, and I know very tiny dogs can be injured by falls from beds or the backs of chairs or couches.

A medium sized dog will be able to give me a longer exercise walk and keep me out longer, and jump up in a vehicle easier and not get seriously chilled during cold weather.

I want a flashy, charming or attractive animal, because having a dog that attracts attention to him/herself helps force me into needed interaction with other people. People walking an ugly mutt get looks of pity or outright disgust , not people coming up to ask about what kind of cross breed you have or if they can pet the dog!

The dog will have to be happy living inside and, given my age and habits, must get along with relatively little exercise and not be too bouncy and rowdy (for more than a short while at a time!).

I am considering so many factors in choosing an animal, but I am willing to wait to find a good match. I have to be a very responsible pet owner.

Thanks for posting....
Teri

I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I just had to put my dog down Saturday... and I'm overcome with grief.

When I first picked him out, I had already read all the books on all the breeds and determined the top two breeds for my needs and my personality, along with how well they could be trained to help. Now I will have to go back through training with a new dog...which is very difficult physically and emotionally.

The trainers usually advise that at age 8 you adopt your dog out and get another one, since their lives and assistance capabilities begin to go downhill then.

I couldn't let go of my dog at 8 years, and indeed kept him almost twice that long! He was loyal to the end... always wanting to be with me etc. He wouldn't retire. I stayed with him to the end, too.

The larger breeds do have hip dysplasia usually, which limits their time. Mine didn't have such a problem until the very last years.

I hope the dog you need comes into your life, like mine did for me. TC JD