I lost my beloved sheltie 4 weeks ago to chronic kidney failure.  Despite tests, pills, diet and frequent trips to the vet she went downhill suddenly.  She was pts in our home in her own bed,  in the sunshine.  She was not quite 10 years old.  I miss her dreadfully, every day as she and I did a lot together. I know this is the downside of owning dogs.

I do have  3 other dogs including 2 oldies bless them, one is 17.  I would love to have another sheltie but am no longer young(!).  I am in good health and am used to caring for and exercising dogs.  What do you think?  I have felt quite depressed since losing my little girl.  Are any other "aged" owners out there?

Please don’t be put off by any ageist nonsense that will doubtless come your way.
My mum is 87 and we have a house full of dogs.
As long as you can manage physically to cope with your dogs, it’s  nobody’s business what age you are.
You do however need to have an arrangement in place In case the inevitable happens- this has nothing to do with how old you are- everyone who has pets of any kind should have a backup plan for their care

I'd agree with Garbo, age is relative.
I know people of 40/50 years who can't look after themselves let alone a dog, my Aunt into her 80's would have loved & benefited from the company & exercise of a dog but everyone told her that she was too old. Yet at 101 she was still walking everyday & exercising a neighbours dog & only recently passed away at 106.

Wow what a wonderful age and by the sounds of it a fit lady too

>it’s nobody’s business what age you are.

Except the breeder who decides on who they think is a suitable owner for their puppy....

Fortunately for us -My mother is the breeder. Many of the top breeders and judges in the uk are  much older than one would expect .I  certainly know of breeders and judges  that are a similar age to my mum.

We bought my current GR when I was 62 and OH was 65, she's now five - so we're older too. Keep saying to people that she is likely to be our last dog especially if she lives as long as my last one (14.5). But then I wonder if that will be so as I do so love having a dog around and she gets us out on daily walks.

Age is only a number!!    When I was down to just one, our last homebred, and he wasn't doing well on his own, we bought a puppy of 9 weeks (our Whippet).  At the time I was what some might call elderly - and we bought another Basset a year later too  - he was 4 months.   I just worked out how old I'd be when they were almost through their natural lives, and decided to go for it.   Buying in meant I had breeders to take over (hah) if necessary - unlike this those we'd bred ourselves.  

If having a puppy is something you feel you have years left for, and back up if necessary, go for it!

I would happily vouch for you to any Sheltie breeders, having known you quite well until you moved away from here. I am sure you would be perfectly capable of having a puppy, and if your circumstances changed later in the dog's life I know you would be responsible about needing to find help or anything. I'd happily sell you a puppy if I had the right breed! But the Sheltie people I know are on the wrong side of the country from you.

Does it have to be a puppy Snowflake or would you consider a slightly older dog? That way you would not have to go through the 'puppy stage' or have the worry of falling over a pup.

Age is only a number!

Bless the thought curse the reality!
.

Thank you Lucy for your kind words!  We used to meet regularly at obedience classes,  your cavaliers were gorgeous and I looked after them once or twice when you were away.  I certainly don't feel old in the least and I do have a daughter who  helps out with our dogs if we have to go away etc.  The  youngest of my three dogs is a Mini Schnauzer (18 months) who adored my sheltie.  He has formed an enormous attachment to my husband though and follows him everywhere!

An older dog would be a possibility (through Sheltie Rescue perhaps) but I did have Isla from a puppy and can remember how gorgeous she was.  I will probably wait until my old JR of 17 is no longer with us.  They do say age is just a number and I do believe that having animals (dogs and cats) keeps us going, caring for them,  walking them in all weathers etc.

My neighbour bought a Cavalier puppy when she was 79 after her old dog died. Four years later she is as fit and active as a 52year  old, and that's me!

I've never liked getting puppies, they are just a necessary evil that can be moulded into a normal dog. Like babies, puppies are better if they belong to someone else and can be handed back if they poo or cry.

Actually thinking back,  the very upsetting part of losing the sheltie  was that she was only 9 so that I lost her quite suddenly and unexpectedly.  Perhaps that is why I  am finding it so hard to get over.  Most of our dogs (and cats) have all lived to at least 14 or so.  One tough old Jack Russell lived to be 21!  When they reach old age one gets more philosophical about the thought of losing them.

As a trainer, I've seen lots of people with puppies in my classes.  I've seen some great older people, who do excellent work - they often have more time than people who are still working or raising families/children, and that time gets put into their dog and the results speak for themselves. 

Sometimes there are older people who struggle, or find it hard to get the timing right or to learn or understand the principles of training, but I'm not sure how much that is due to age and how much it's due to just the person themselves. 

As a breeder, I would definitely not dismiss an older person from having a puppy, but I'd want to at least chat to them on Skype - better still, meet them in person - so I can get a sense of how physically capable they are of rearing a puppy and how receptive they are to new things and interested in training. 

People can drop dead at any age:  Many is the person who has dutifully saved for their retirement or pension, only to die at age 55 from something unexpected.  So whatever age the person is, I try to get a sense of their resources (including money) and support network (family, friends).

I'm no longer young either!  And have a lot of dogs.  I only realise my age when I look in the mirror because I just don't feel old.

If anything happened to me I wouldn't want my dogs picked up by the RSPCA - they would never cope with a kennel and a concrete run.  And my oldies would probably be destroyed.

I've arranged that my vet would collect them all and look after them until they could be collected by the Cinammon Trust.  That way they would get foster homes (and live indoors) until forever homes could be found for them all.  I've left my house to the trust so my dogs are more than covered financially.  They mean the world to me and I could never live without a couple of dogs in the house.

As far as I am concerned you are perfectly fine to have another puppy,  having said that when I was breeding I would expect to ask questions about who will look after the dogs if you cannot but things happen to younger people too and they would reasonably expect to be able to have puppies.  My daughter homed a puppy earlier in the year to a disabled couple who are wheelchair users and they have coped brilliantly with their puppy, possibly giving more thought and training than an able bodied person who is capable of running after a naughty little one.  I sympathise with your losing a younger dog as I lost mine at 8 years old and it was a much harder loss in a lot of ways and took me much longer to be comforted by the happy memories of her.

With age comes a lot of knowledge and experience.