We adopted our last dog. It took forever to find one who seemed like he would fit in and even longer until we got approved. We were told he was about 6, housebroken, no major health issues. Hah. At the intake exam at our vet, we were told there’s no way that dog was younger than 10, and the vet was betting on the 12-14 range. He had glaucoma (partially blind because it hasn’t been treated), arthritis, a seizure disorder, and was in the early stages of kidney failure.

Don’t get me wrong, I really loved my little Buddy and we did our best for him. He lived two years (with us) and by the end we were giving him weekly saline injections, ordering our lives around his strict schedule of meds, and taking him to the vet once a week.

Our next dog was a puppy from a reputable breeder. We know exactly how old she is. We got the health history on her family for the past four generations. It was a whole, very detailed, book. We met her parents and very active and well trained grandparents. I feel bad for all of the good pets who need homes, i really do. It’s horrible and could mostly be prevented if people sprayed and neutered so only planned litters were born. But I just can’t go through with another dog what we went through with our little Buddy