what to do with retired workers?

[kelpiegirl]

After reading the posts on high volume breeders, another question that has popped up, is what do folks do with their retired working dogs?

 

I ask this because I know that there are several folks out there who have to retire dogs due to old age, or injury, or any myriad of things. But, they have younger dogs to work/train. Is it better to rehome the dog to it's own family to grow old gracefully, or to keep the dog kenelled? Not all will be kennelled, but what about those that already have a house full? I would love it if there was a list of homes out there who take retired working dogs, and let them live out their lives with a someone who made their needs the focus. What do you all think?

Julie

[Katelynn & Gang]

Retired or not, my dogs are my dogs.

 

I'd never have to heart to rehome a dog I've worked with for nine or ten years. So they'd live out their life helping me with small things to keep them busy and sleeping on my bed at night.

 

But its a very good question.

 

Katelynn

[juliepoudrier]

Ditto to Kate. Retirees are one reason I have so many dogs. I do try to give the retirees small jobs when I can. One of my semi-retirees was actually given to me to learn from after her original owner retired her the first time.

 

That said, if you have a retiree and know of a great potential home for that dog, especially a home that needs a trained dog to do light stock work or a "schoolmaster" to learn from, then I think it's ideal to rehome your retiree into such a situation. For me, though, I would rehome with the understanding that the dog could not be passed along again if the new home for some reason can't keep the dog--it would have to come back to me at that point.

 

J.

[Annette Carter & the Borderbratz]

I don't have any retired working dogs and the observation I have to make here may not apply but then again it may so I'll share.

 

I once knew an elderly lady (passed on now), a breeder of shelties, she was a fairly high volume breeder though nothing like I have seen in some BC breeders. She would obedience and conformation title most of her dogs but she'd also place them in homes at around age 8 or 9 once they would lose their usefulness as a breeder. I truly believe that she became disconnected with the process of life because once her dogs reached a certain age she sent them off to live in never, never land where they never get sick and die (in her mind). She ultimately never had to cope with the final loss of her old friends and this I think made it easier for her to overbreed because "good dogs don't die, they go to new homes".

 

Not that rehoming retirees for the sake of teaching someone new (who is a wonderful home versus letting a dog sit in a kennel) isn't a wonderful idea but I think that people should certainly keep a retiree now and again in their homes for a softer life and to keep themselves connected to the natural circle of life-I realize that death happens on a farm all the time but on larger farms I suppose most of those deaths are not necessarily the farmer's devoted friend and worker.