"You're running into the things that make older dogs tricky for some situations. Stairs are often a problem for the bigger dogs as they age; so many of them get arthritic. My rule of thumb is that for a dog over 60# a staircase of more than 5 steps will be a problem at some point. There are exceptions, and some breeds suffer much less from the problem, but it's very very common. Slippery floors are another problem, but much more easily solved: scatter rugs help a great deal, keeping the hair under their pads trimmed off helps too. Unless the dog becomes really unable to use his back legs they normally can learn to manage the floors as long as you give them some stable places in the beginning for up/down purposes. I have Pergo everywhere and have never had a dog who couldn't handle it, though the first week can be tricky.
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Fostering is a GREAT thing but probably not right for you in this situation. While you might find a younger dog to foster who could climb the stairs (you'd want to test that first before committing), you might have little way to know if the dog could stay alone. Many dogs cannot, and when they are recently abandoned (whether left at a shelter or given away by their owner) they are most insecure. If you take in a dog who is frantic, tears up the place, barks continually, or can't possibly manage all day without peeing on the floor.... you'll be miserable and the dog will have to move. Reality of rescue is that we almost never have open spots to move a dog into quickly, so it's a real mess. I hate to be discouraging, because we all are eager for new fosters who love dogs, but it's just not for every situation."
While we are doing updates, remember the bowlathon contract? I only ended up paying Jayson $15, which really ended up me buying him lunch. The lesson? Jayson sucks at bowling, almost as bad as I suck at vows.
Last August, I took an aestheticism-like vow of no-internet. Most of it was due to not wanting to pay $100 for digital cable and internet, but part of me wanted to see how long I could go without it...the Sprint Hero Android phone was only sort of cheating. Then came the decision to start looking for a dog, which meant I couldn't work super long hours anymore, which means in order to work from home, I needed to consider internet...long story short, I recommend Earthlink.
Finally, humor me just a little bit more. Last December, there was growing concern of my growing fat ass. I had hit 221lbs post-Christmas, up from 202lbs post travel. Six months later at the physical to celebrate my 32nd birthday, I was up to 226lbs and the doc had given me a challenge to get to 196lbs. I laughed in his face (true story).
Anyway, nearly one year later: 195lbs and 30lbs lighter, I'm back at my high-school weight and down 3 sizes (damn, it feels good to be a gangsta).
God bless fiber.
Is it wrong that I think the dog fostering comments are totally ridiculous? Personally, I think you should just get a dog...but really, when I think about it from the "older dog's" perspective, I'm sorry for them. What's the alternative...they'll be living in a cage for up to infinity...or, learning how to manage your hardwood floors. If I were the dog, I'd deal with the floors and a loving home.
My two cents...also, I have to tell you, I've recently thought very seriously about canceling my cable (altho not internet). I feel a major shift in the universe, but it's true.
And your opening salvo for the visit convo was heard and ingested. Let me throw out a word to you...how do you feel about "February"?
Posted by: Katie P. | November 28, 2009 at 08:49 PM