Crating and Rotating a Senior dog...

[Red Chrome]

Ok, so I may have went off my rocker, long story very short, I'm looking at fostering a 12 year old Dog Aggressive APBT. He probably doesn't have that long and I'd like to give him a good end to his life. (There is another person interested in fostering him and her home would be more ideal as she doesn't have other dogs, waiting to hear if she can do it or not.) If she can not take him, I might foster him. The thing is I work and my own dogs are crated and left loose in the house while I'm gone, they sleep with me. This senior is only bad with other males, so far. So I'd be rotating him and Judge. I don't want it to truly affect Judge much, obviously it will to a degree.

I'm thinking an Exercise pen in the spare room for the senior with a top on it, although I highly doubt he can jump it...but to be careful. Then there would be a door between him and Judge.

IDK. I don't want a senior dog to be crated too much or locked up too long either. So.....Just trying to figure out if I could make it work and be fair to him and my dogs.

Advice, opinions etc.

[JessLough]

Do you have an extra room you could dedicate to the senior? I'd be worried about crating for too long, because I know my senior needs to be able to get up and move around to stretch her joints, or she's a wreck.

Also, I know it probably goes without saying, but don't get him on the premise that "he won't be here for long, he doesn't have long left!". IIRC, that's what Adrianne thought when she got 'Moo, and, well look at 'Moo now as long as you're aware that it could possibly be a long term thing.

[houlahoops]

I would also caution against the "he doesn't have too long" mindset. They told us Mammoth was 14 when we got him...and then after we had him for six years they decided maybe that wasn't true

But as for your senior...I would think about doing a whole room, too, even if it's smallish. That way he can move around to his heart's content. Even better if it has access to outside (we have one room that has access that we don't use, but I know not everybody is set up like this).

[stardogs]

How dog aggressive is he? i.e. if management fails (which it always seems to do), how likely is he to damage Judge? That would be my first question.

I also haaaate crate and rotate and find it incredibly stressful, so that does color my view, though.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Originally Posted by stardogs

How dog aggressive is he? i.e. if management fails (which it always seems to do), how likely is he to damage Judge? That would be my first question.

I also haaaate crate and rotate and find it incredibly stressful, so that does color my view, though.

Me too...

Don't you have kennel runs for during the day? Also I trust tie downs more than xpen style barriers.

[Red Chrome]

Originally Posted by stardogs

How dog aggressive is he? i.e. if management fails (which it always seems to do), how likely is he to damage Judge? That would be my first question.

I also haaaate crate and rotate and find it incredibly stressful, so that does color my view, though.

I'd be more worried about Judge doing damage to Slim because he is so old and has a hard time getting around. But Slim apparently grabbed another dog through a crate just a few months ago in his last home.

I also...HATE crating and rotating. It is stressful and SUCKS! It is why I have not already went and got Slim.

Originally Posted by JessLough

Do you have an extra room you could dedicate to the senior? I'd be worried about crating for too long, because I know my senior needs to be able to get up and move around to stretch her joints, or she's a wreck.

Also, I know it probably goes without saying, but don't get him on the premise that "he won't be here for long, he doesn't have long left!". IIRC, that's what Adrianne thought when she got 'Moo, and, well look at 'Moo now as long as you're aware that it could possibly be a long term thing.

No extra room for him to roam in. With his health problems, he truly doesn't have very long. He is in super bad shape and has some genetic health issues that will continue getting progressively worse and there really is no treatment persay, it is a neurological thing that affects the hind end. Apparently dogs from his lines have had it.

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

Me too...

Don't you have kennel runs for during the day? Also I trust tie downs more than xpen style barriers.

I do have kennel runs but it has been super cold here and the dogs aren't left in them when I'm gone for more than 2-4 hours. The kennels are next to my house but there is no fence between them and the driveway. It makes me nervous to leave anyone outside unless someone will be home at my parents(next door) or I'll only be gone a little while.

[stardogs]

I know you want him to have a nice place to rest in his final weeks, but if he's already in bad shape and his only option ends up C&R, might it not be more humane to have him euthanized?

There are many things worse than humane euth, but I know it's not something we ever want to think about when it comes to dogs that have caught our eye.

[Red Chrome]

Originally Posted by stardogs

I know you want him to have a nice place to rest in his final weeks, but if he's already in bad shape and his only option ends up C&R, might it not be more humane to have him euthanized?

There are many things worse than humane euth, but I know it's not something we ever want to think about when it comes to dogs that have caught our eye.

I think so, too. His only option is a single dog home which the other prospective foster home would be. I am waiting to see if she can foster him or not.

[AdrianneIsabel]

I do worry about time. My dogs, like yours I assume, take up so much time that I often feel guilty about Shamoo. Her time is commonly just afterwork cuddling, group play in the yard, and the occasional solo/pair walk. If I were rotating she'd get even less one on one time which I think would be a deal breaker.

[Red Chrome]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

I do worry about time. My dogs, like yours I assume, take up so much time that I often feel guilty about Shamoo. Her time is commonly just afterwork cuddling, group play in the yard, and the occasional solo/pair walk. If I were rotating she'd get even less one on one time which I think would be a deal breaker.

This is why I have not just went and picked him up. My dogs do take a ton of time. It is ok when a dog can be with mine but if they need to be C&R'ed then it would really take time away from everyone.

I really am trying to think this through. It would be no problem if he wasn't DA but he is. So, trying to do the right thing for all dogs involved and think it to death.