[krh21]

I asked about this before, but I find I'm still having a dilemma on what to do. I should be moving to a new city in a few months, and I don't know whether it's the best idea to bring my dog with me. He's a 12 yr old corgi, and he currently has a big yard to run in, and comes in occasionally when we can watch him but he's mostly an outdoor dog. For this reason, he's not completely house trained. We would be moving to live in an apartment, and this would require him to be inside a lot, possibly even spending several hours in his kennel if no one was home. He is kennel trained, but he might be in for a max of 2 hours, and not even every day.

On the one hand, it feels wrong to take him from the life he's used too, lots of space and freedom, and put him in a much smaller confined space. On the other hand, it also feels wrong to rehome him, as he's never lived with anyone else. But I wonder if that wouldn't be best, so he can still have his backyard, and after I moved to just get a new dog, one that would grow up used to apartment living.

What do you think I should do?

 

[DuckDodgers]

Bring him with you. A couple of hours per day is not a lot of time for a dog to spend in a kennel, and the stress of rehoming him would be much greater than the limited room. Walk him regularly and take trips to fenced in ipen areas where he can run and play. Start housebreaking him as though he were a little puppy and crate him if you can't directly supervise him. Be advised that it may suddenly seem as though he's forgotten his crate training in the new place. Many dogs get nervous and will cry when crated in a new place. They're just nervous about the new situation!
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[kelly528]

Do you have anywhere for him to go? The likelihood of rehoming an elderly dog is incredibly low; they are usually simply put down.

Besides that, dogs really just want to be where their owners are, whether that is the front yard, the backyard, the living room... wherever. It does not matter to them. Nothing is a substitute for social companionship, and with social companionship and adequate exercise (i.e. the owner exercising the dog, and not the dog exercising themselves) I think dogs can be happy pretty much anywhere.

If you don't like the idea of a crate, invest in an ex pen. A little more space for them to roll a toy around inside and stretch out.

 

[Rain]

It's not fair to re home him at his age. 10 to 1 he will be put down if you send him to a shelter and life at a rescue center is incredibly hard on an elderly dog that has only known it's family. So if you rehome him you better find a home for him yourself, do you know anyone who wants him? They'll have to want an elderly dog, that's not housetrained, and is indoor outdoor. I'm also willing to put money on a bet that your dog does not run in that big yard when you are not outside with him, I'm willing to bet he spends most of the time lying around and napping.

Dogs can and do adjust. My two dogs were indoor outdoor for years (one of them was a former outdoor dog before I got her and she preferred to be outside) I moved to a place that didn't have a back yard for them to hang out in and they had to stay indoors unless they were with me. They adjusted, they had me, they had all their familiar stuff, they had all the love, exercise, and attention they needed. Your dog will also adjust so long as he still has his family and you provide enough exercise and mental stimulation.

 

[ScaredyScarlett]

I agree. Don't give him up, bring him with you. Not only for his sake, but yours. You'll regret leaving him behind, and that's an awful, AWFUL regret.

When you get to your new place, maybe you can afford a half day of doggy daycare a couple of times a week. It was about $7-10 for a half day where I used to live.

Or a pet sitter who comes once a day. Around me here, pet sitters/walkers are about $10-15 for a half hour of play time.

And I agree, he will adjust to your new life and schedule much easier than adjusting to a new family AND a new schedule AND a new home.

 

[SusanLynn]

And I agree, he will adjust to your new life and schedule much easier than adjusting to a new family AND a new schedule AND a new home.

Yes, this!!!! Unless you already have a family member or friend willing to take your dog, please take him with you.

I'm not suggesting that you would take your dog to a shelter, but my local high-kill county shelter is filled with dumped senior dogs. It is so sad to see elderly dogs lying on bare beds or on the concrete floors. They just shut down in grief and confusion of losing their homes and families. The local rescue groups are doing everything they can to get these dogs into foster homes so that they can live out their remaining lives in comfort, but so many don't make it.

Taking ownership of a dog should be a life-long commitment. I have rehomed two dogs, but I have done everything possible to guarantee that they will be taken care of for life. The second dog, for example, is living with a close friend, and in the event that she cannot take care of him, he will come back to me.

 

[SusanLynn]

And, to add, the little dog you see in my avatar, Miles, is a senior dog who ended up in another local high-kill county shelter. He sat there in his kennel for three weeks. I guess no one wanted to adopt an eight-year-old dog. No one except for me. I intervened less than 24 hours before he was due to be euthanized.

Please really think through what you're doing if you decide to rehome your dog. You'll want to make sure that he's not dumped into a shelter at any point in his remaining years.

 

[Grabby]

You can start now to house train him. Start getting him used to living inside with you before you move.

I agree with everyone else. Take him with you. Dogs are extremely adaptable and most dogs would prefer to be with their owners, even if the move takes some adjustment.

 

[spotsonofbun]

He is getting old he will be slowing down and its probably good for him to become an inside dog, have peace and security while you are away.

Contrary to popular myth keeping dogs outside in a yard isn't more exciting for them than an apartment.

Its going to be extremely hard to find him a new home and its going to be hard for him to adjust.

 

[DuckDodgers]

He is getting old he will be slowing down and its probably good for him to become an inside dog, have peace and security while you are away.

Contrary to popular myth keeping dogs outside in a yard isn't more exciting for them than an apartment.

Its going to be extremely hard to find him a new home and its going to be hard for him to adjust.

Agreed, particularly since he's an only dog. When my dogs are around our family's dogs they'll tear across the property after each other for what seems like forever while you work. Take one of them out alone? They'll sniff around for awhile and usually find a place to relax.

The only way I would consider rehoming this dog a better option is if you had a close friend/family member that knows him well and wants him. For example, if you visited your parents every weekend with him, they loved each other, had much more time to spend with him, and they wanted to take him in. No way would I even consider looking for a home that wasn't already very familiar with him as a better option.
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[Gossamerrolo]

Taking him with you has to be less stressful for him, regardless of being in a new environment. Dogs want to be with their owners. Unless you have an extremely independent, non-people dog who needs open space most of the time(much less likely with an old dog), I can't see that re-homing could ever be the best option.

 

[krh21]

You can start now to house train him. Start getting him used to living inside with you before you move.

I would love to do that, but I'm afraid the person I currently live with won't allow me to do this.

But you all seem to be on the same wavelength. I have one friend who might be able to take him, but if they can't I'll bring him with me.

 

[PoppyKenna]

Just to weigh in, you may be surprised at how quickly he housetrains. We had three dogs that were outside "farm" dogs - they came in very, very rarely, only when we had bad weather. As they got older, we decided to bring them indoors. All three of them housetrained immediately. There were a few accidents later on, but all were explained (bacterial infection, kidney failure, and seizures - by each separate dog). Never did they go for the heck of it because they understood that they were supposed to go outside, and they were able to hold it for a very long time.

Plus, as others have said, he'll want to be with you and it's nearly impossible to find a home for a senior dog, let alone a good home. And while many dogs live good long lives, your dog is getting up there in age so any 'sacrifices' you may have to make will probably be short-term. Not to mention that most issues you could run into with him (extra exercise trips to the park, potty training) you'll have to deal with if you get a new dog, plus any surprises the new dog brings. Especially if you got a puppy.