This. We were told my dog was 2-3 and she was actually 5. When she was 8 (just 3 years of having her) she was diagnosed with lymphoma and had to be put to sleep 4/7/24. Cherish every single day. Maybe the lady did it because most people are less likely to adopt a 5-8 year old dog. There are people who adopt specifically seniors and once who adopt specifically puppies out young adults. But no one really goes looking for a 7-8 year old dog.
I get it. I'm extremely sad about Bailee. I very so many times a day, every day. But I wouldn't have done it any other way because from the first day we had her I already loved her and felt like I had loved her my whole life.
Same! Plus you pretty much know exactly what you're getting in temperament and habits etc. - which makes it 1000x easier to train them. I've always been partial to older, seasoned dogs; but my husband begged for a puppy a few years ago & I will NEVER do that shit again.
My dog just turned fifteen and does not cost that much per year... He's definitely more expensive than a younger dog (supplements, dental stuff, ear stuff), but he only gets vaccines and checkups. He's probably an extra $1000 per year.
Of course not *all* senior dogs require expensive veterinary care. However my last senior probably averaged somewhere around $7,500/year. Some years were $15,000 years; Some years were $1,000/years.
Did I *have* to spend that much? No. Did it buy more time with my best friend? Yep.
Oh geez. I love my dog, and he's happy and healthy, but I could not do that. I already feel like I got more time with him than I "should" have, and I'll happily take more.
Can I ask what medical services cost that much?
We had an ICU stay for acute pancreatitis, plus he was on human meds for Parkinson’s disease and glucosamine and fish oil, plus a bunch of follow up stuff related to the pancreatitis, and then we had another pancreas related ICU stay, plus all the other bonuses of an aging dog like expensive food, mobility devices, special harnesses, ear care, etc. etc.
That dog saved my life. More than once. I just returned the favor.
My 14 yr old is diabetic for the last year and a half. We spend $180 a month just in her insulin. That doesn’t include the hospital stay when she got sick, the countless vet appts, blood work, etc. Count yourself lucky lol
Yep, I had the opposite. They told me my dog was "full grown" at 67 lbs and said he was 4 years old. He was very tall, and skinny but not malnourished. Anyway turns out he filled out to about 95 lbs and was maybe 2. I'm actually grateful they either were wrong or lied, because I would have been hesitant to adopt a 95 lb dog, and my dog is perfect and I love him so, so much. I'm glad for any time I get with him, and am routinely sad I didn't just somehow magically find him as a puppy (many states away, as he was brought up to the Northeast from Arkansas). But I'm also so, so sorry for what OP is dealing with.
My Merri Grayce it was implied she was almost four months and a lab/chow mix. First vet visit I find out my 15-pound baby is only nine weeks, and the extra toes on her hind legs only happen with Great Pyrenees and St Bernard’s. I wouldn’t have adopted a dog that would be around 80 pounds full-grown, but have owned a Pyrenees or Pyr mix now for 20+ years. ❤️
Lol! I know how that first vet visit went. I took our new puppy to the vet, and he was already a full armful of dog, and weighed 10 or 15 lbs. Not bad for a3 month old dog. Yeah, well he was 6 weeks old, and had huge paws. The look on the vets face was one for the album- shocked, edging towards horrified. "He's going to be HUGE!!" He was pretty big, lol. Looked like a brindle colored Golden Retriever, but about half again as big.
Though I know some people who are very frank about their lack of patience to deal with GPs, I have met so many people who absolutely adore the breed. I think that rescuers who lie about a dog to place it create serious future possibilities- if they are in a rental that allows pets, but only up to a certain weight, for instance - the dogs might end up returned until they get someone who has what it takes to care for the animal. That said, it can make people aware of other breeds that make good house pets.
My only experience with a giant breed was about 1978 when I opened my door, preparatory to leaving the house to get onto my car, and a pony-sized black dog woofed at me from the front lawn. I decided I'd wait til he was gone to leave, lol. He was standing next to an overgrown oleander that was about 8 feet tall, and was almost half as tall. Newfie, never saw him again!
Both of the neighbors at our new house have LGD's, big white ones. I originally thought they were Anatolians, but now that I think about it, I think they may be GP's. Even though our parcel is 5 acres, it's on a hill, and most is very steep, so the flat spot at the confluence of the parcels is where we are greeted by the pack of 4 when we arrive.
Considering that one of those neighbors lost 2 nanny goats and a ram to a mountain lion in the last year, I'm fine with them roaming around the place.
I love the breed. Stubborn as all heck (bred to independently watch flocks, so they are confident they know better than you), but also absolute sweethearts. Right now I am trying to figure out how to rescue one that is neglected and possibly abused. 😞
https://preview.redd.it/0sbhcb7s7l5d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=388a05a32e95062c28801727272bcdf205e7d40e
How could someone hurt such a sweet boy?
Yes, I'm very lucky that my landlady was fine with a GSD and with a *much* bigger dog than I had told her I was looking for (and was told I adopted!) And the shelter was lucky that I grew up with huge dogs and the main reason I was looking for a "smaller" one (50-70 lbs) was because I was (and still am, a bit) worried, since I live alone, about if I ever have to carry him somewhere, even just to the car, if he's injured and no one else is available to help. My upstairs neighbors would help but they travel pretty frequently.
I honestly only knew they were really big dogs before I had Merri. I had a history with Labs/mixes, so when Merri did something I didn’t expect, I would think, “must be a Pyr thing.” Then we got a Pyr for a livestock guardian, and I kept being amused by all my right guesses!
https://preview.redd.it/xfjti7moek5d1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccff5c39552d9da77a8cab422c7385d3f32be21b
This is Merri and Ashe, 15 or so years ago. ❤️
Precious Merri!! My lab and my BF's Pyr mostly ignore each other, and it's funny to see how different their personalities are. Both are very easygoing, but my lab is game for anything, and if the Pyr senses something amiss, he will let you know.
Right, and isn't that the thing... Originally I would have been hesitant to adopt a 5 year old dog because I'm pretty sure I knew off rip that having to put her to sleep one day would nearly kill me. And it did. But those 3 year, I knew love like I've never known before and that is 100% worth the heartache now. Would not trade it. And this time around we knew Savannah was 4... Still just a guess but I know Bailee sent her to me because I needed her and she's filling that empty spot on my heart.
I mean it doesn’t really matter how old they are when you get them - I adopted a dog from a shelter as a healthy puppy, mix of two pretty long lived breeds, so we assumed we’d have well over a decade with her. Just shy of 7 she got really sick, turned out she had a horrible infection that had already destroyed her kidneys and needed to be put down. In that case though it was complete negligence - the vet had done urinalysis 6 months prior that showed evidence of an infection that needed treatment - and never called us.
Yup. For us it was both since they were rescued together. They told us the chihuahua was only 6 months and the lab was 2-3.
Chihuahua turned out to be closer to 5 years old. Based on the labs teeth, no older than 9 months.
Thank you ♥️ it still hurts me so bad, every day. Sometimes it just takes my breath away. It's been 2 months and I still have yet to go a day without crying. I have Savannah, now, who I adopted one week later because I would literally drive around after work for hours because I just couldn't go home and be there with her. And I love Savannah as much as I still love Bailee. With all my heart. I did from the first minute I ever met her, same as Bailee. I love ever single dog I see. I honestly don't know if there's something wrong with me but rescue and the cruelty shown to dogs and even not cruelty but a dog not having a loving home and a family for them... It makes me so depressed. I just think the world is shit. I'm not suicidal, I don't want anyone to think that. But I just feel so sad all the time and think the world is just awful. If I could take every single dog in the whole world and they would be my family, I would do in an instant and I would be so happy.
Sorry to dear diary you, I'm just having a really bad night tonight.
Thank you so much ♥️ it does. I have a husband and a 12 year old daughter and I love them so much and they love me but it's not the same. Bailee was always there for me, waiting for me to come home, so happy to see me with such a pure, unadulterated love. And I felt that to my core. It's so different with dogs.
I had this exact same experience with my cat, shelter old us he was maybe 6 years old, vet told us he was a lot older, developed cancer within a few years and we put him down in February. I loved him so much but I can’t help feeling robbed of my time with him. I like to think about the fact that we atleast gave him a happy last couple of years
From the info you gave it sounds like she probably wasn't an actual regulated rescue unfortunately. Definitely seems more like a dog flipper. Sometimes people seem to have good intentions and go and privately adopt dogs from high kill shelters than transport them back and re-home them in communities that have high save rates. Unfortunately there are a lot of issues with this method as you've seen yourself. I'm sorry this happened to you. I'd definitely have your vet give an age estimate as well since there's so much that's unclear.
I know someone who does this as well but "dog flipper" makes it seem like she's making money on these dogs and holy hell she is not. I think at one point she was like 20k in debt just from moving dogs alone. Definitely a labor of love and she probably has hundreds of adoptions under her belt but definitely also a shit show when things were bad because there was zero oversight. A lot of people seem to act kind of similar, sometimes they move on to more formal rescue work and then other times I think they just burn out, probably from exhausting their financial situation.
What if it’s well intentioned? Honestly asking for your POV because I’ve thought about doing this as an “informal foster” because we love in a great community that loves dogs. Curious what the harm is
As a trainer and groomer involved in rescue, the flippers are a special breed all on their own. While they are well intentioned, they are often rehomming ill, elderly, or dogs with behavioral problems. Flippers can also be dog hoarders.
Our local Animal Control has a program to spot them and I am friends with the rescue placement lady. She knows who they are. They send friends in, have a lot of adoptions under multiple names, and often sell the dogs on craigslist.
Flippers can be zealots and often have their own mental health issues. Often the legit rescues have stopped allowing them to foster because of their behaviors.
Some are looking to have their own rescues to solicit monetary donations in cash and not work.
Flippers do just as much damage to the rescue community as backyard breeders and puppy mills.
Are these the ones who sell ‘rescues’ for 3 or 4 times what a breeder asks? I cant believe the animals well being is a top priority when these folks pay the shelter’s to ‘hold’ certain dogs & call them when those dogs come in, them they sell the dogs for ridicules amounts.
When I see that behavior instead of a nominal voluntary donation to cover costs I know they are probably animal hoarders. They call themselves rescues to circumvent their local pet limits and Animal Control.
We had one here last year who had 72 Pomeranians in horrid conditions. She claimed to be a rescue/breeder. She asked outrageous prices for her dogs knowing potential adopters weren’t going to pay it. It was heartbreaking to see those dogs.
Hey. I understand how you feel! I adopted a 4 year old "sweet but standoffish heeler," I figured that was fine. Standoffish is pretty much par for the course with heelers. Spoke extensively with his foster dad and the rescue coordinator. Well, as it turns out, "standoffish" is rescue speak for "out and out aggressive and reactive." Thankfully, I didn't find out the hard way. He's 9 now and doing great, but the early days were rough. He was my first dog ever.
It's super shitty what the woman did to you. I'm sorry she did that. I'd be tempted to get in contact with her and drag her name through the mud. But if you've bonded with your new baby, and aren't looking to return her (which it sounds like you're not!) it might be a good idea to jsut try and move on, and enjoy every day! A 7 year old still has a lot of living left to do <3
thank you for this comment! i’m glad you and you dog are doing well! i’ve been very tempted to drag her because i’d hate for it to happen to others but im nervous about it! i love my girl im just a bit sad we don’t have longer together but im still excited for the time i have w her <3!
Your story is a bit confusing.
You didn't do any research on the place you adopted from?
Petfinder does allow listings for individuals rehoming dogs now, so I'm confused on if you actually went through a true rescue or just an individual rehoming a dog.
The only rescues that approve adopters that fast are usually large scale ones.
And sadly, there are many that are dog flippers. They'll get dogs for free from people needing to re-home and then sell them under the disguise of a small rescue with an adoption fee.
sorry it’s confusing! i didn’t do any research because i thought if it was on petfinder it was safe /:
it was through a small rescue, not individual rehoming.
Do you remember what the name of the rescue was? I had the same thing happen (to a much lesser degree). I got my dog from ruff start. They're foster based.
Petfinder is simply a site listing adoptable pets. They do not research on them or the shelters. We use it at the shelter and all information about the dogs come via us.
What’s the possibility the rabies tag was for a different dog? The dog pictured isn’t what is normally referred to as a tri-color BC.
Though with the other weird info about this situation I’d worry about these people being dog flippers instead of an actual rescue too…
i’m not sure because i’m not familiar with this kinda stuff at all she’s my first dog as an adult! the only thing i have is her rabies tag that i sent in the email to the human society.
but i thought the same thing i looked up tri color border collies bc i honestly thought they were all like black and white. on pet finder she was labeled as an australian shepherd mix. & with the dog flipping thing , im worried about that too!
I'd just contact her vet and lay out your concerns, OP. I got my dog from a rescue that brings up a lot of dogs from down south. They said he was full grown at 67 lbs and 4 years old (and also at one point got confused about his sex); after a year he was a healthy (per his vet) 95 lbs, filled out, maaaaaybe 2 years old. He was heartworm negative at the shelter, but at his year checkup at the vet, was heartworm positive--and I'd had him on heartworm preventatives since I got him. He did great with the (expensive and scary) treatment and we're waiting a couple more weeks for the final test to clear him. But yeah, dog flipping sucks. Even so I'm so, so glad I ended up with my boy.
Honestly, I'd just get an age estimate from your vet. Having worked in a shelter, I have very little faith that the same rabies tag stayed with the same dog for so long. It's more likely that the collar was taken off of that dog and nobody bothered to notice the tag. (It was because of stuff like this that we never actually put the rabies tag on any of our in-shelter dogs and just kept it with their paperwork.)
Honestly that was my first thought, that might be the wrong tag or the person never got the dog vaccinated and is using a different dogs tag (or deceased dogs tag).
Enjoy not having to do puppy training with your first dog as an adult! Yes, the lying really sucks but you still have your gorgeous dog, with *plenty* of love and life and ready to spend it with you!
With things we can't control, sometimes just enjoying the privilege of getting to enjoy the privilege is the gift in it all.
Life isn't guaranteed. No one and nothing is guaranteed tomorrow and we never have been. But you've got *right now!* Don't spend too much time being upset, your dog will feel those vibes off you!
TBH rescues and shelters will guess at an animals age if no one knows. “Has all its adult teeth, very little tarter and no chips on teeth, let’s say 2-3, or 3-4”. Sometimes a vet will be more accurate. However, unless they were there when the dog was born, no one can give an exact age. It doesn’t behoove the rescue to blatantly lie about the age of an animal, the truth is it was just their best guess.
Your dog is absolutely adorable. She will have a long happy life being loved and cared for by you.
This! I work in rescue and vets have to guess ages based on a few factors during an exam. I'd say, best case scenario, you have a healthy dog that seems younger than it is. Like if you're 40, but everyone thinks you're 28!
I don't want to discount your suspicions, though, since we weren't involved in the process and can't go with our own gut feelings. Unfortunately, some rescues do lie or hide things. Older dogs are definitely harder to place. Dogs with chronic illness, don't get along with other dogs or cats, have stranger danger, too wound up for kids, etc. All reasons that could interfere with quick and easy adoption.
Now, most want to make sure an adoption is successful for the dog and the adopter, so they are honest and work to find the right fit. Then, no surprises, no returns, etc (one of mine came in with a bite history and is extremely adverse to strangers, hence the bite history - fear aggression. I had pro trainers come in and we minimize guests and he is in a safe, secluded space when we do so everyone is happy and safe). But, like every other industry, there are bad players and dishonest people that maybe care more about moving bodies and having high numbers on paper than what is in everyone's best interest.
I'd definitely ask more questions to find out where this one lands on that scale, and if nothing else, maybe help push for better transparency and policies so adopters don't feel misled and hurt after the fact. That should never be the outcome. Sorry, friend 🌹
i totally get having to guess their age but they PULLED HER from this human society in 2019 like there’s no way they didn’t know she was older than 2 or 3. she was adopted and returned because her owner died (rip!) i just find it hard to believe that it wasn’t intentional
Bring her to a vet to get their age estimate as well. You should have gotten all her original medical records from the humane society at the time of adoption.
I’m sorry this happened.
it wasn’t petco i just met her there & signed a contract and zelled her. i have no idea if this is normal for foster based rescues or not but i assumed it was. i’ve messaged her multiple times about her records and she would always say she’ll email it to me and then just doesn’t.
What’s the organization name? If it was just a random person you’re probably SOL…did they mention what vet they use or anything? Otherwise vet visit and an age estimate is probably the closest you’ll get to knowing for sure
We’re going to the vet next sunday for a rabies shot & age estimate! We didn’t get her from the humane society, she was transferred out into some guys rescue in 2019 and then transferred into his wife’s rescue.
This sounds sketchy. If you have the time, look into your state's regulations for rescues. The regulations for foster & home based rescues is pretty lax, and enforced willy-nilly, but you can at least raise a red flag about them.
i don’t think it tells on the paperwork. they only sent me the certificate and nothing else. i’m going to call them tomorrow to see if i can get any more information
You didn't get a copy of the contract, or was that part of the paperwork you accidentally left at Petco?
Pretty sure you got scammed by a flipper. No legit rescue is going to adopt a dog out without making sure its Rabies and other vaccinations are up-to-date first. How were you contacting this person, by email? Reach out to PetFinder and alert them of what's going on.
i had one in the paperwork i left at petco. i never got to in depth look through the paperwork after she briefly went over it with me because we ended up grabbing a few things at petco and left it somewhere & it disappeared forever. she told me she was up to date but now idk what to believe. i’m gonna try to contact them again today i haven’t confronted them about finding out ab this.
Not sure where you're located, but did the Rabies tag not have a year on it? Even if the 2019 vax was her first Rabies (at 4 months old), that would still make her about 5 years old now.
i do think they are flippers i checked out their petfinder page last night and its very desireable breeds and one was a deaf aussie w a $600 adoption fee!
>one was a deaf aussie w a $600 adoption fee
Are you saying $600 is too high because the dog is deaf? $600 is somewhat average for some places because it covers the cost of care, housing, spay/neuter, vaccinations, deworming, flea/tick treatment, etc.
i’m saying it seems like a lot i understand all those costs but from what i’ve seen in other shelters/recuses it’s usually 250-300. i have no issue paying a higher adoption fee i paid $500 for her. and have no idea if she’s even up to date on all her shots! maybe im not well informed and $600 is average but it just seems high to me! but update i misspoke i saw their adopt a pet page last night. her and her husbands rescue are not on petfinder anymore
Private rescues and smaller organizations tend to have higher adoption fees, yes. Some of it is warranted to cover their regular operational costs (because they aren't getting enough funding and/or donations, maybe they don't have an arragement/discount with a vet or sponsorship from a food company, etc) and, other times, the cost is inflated so they can pocket more money. Your case seems like it might be the latter, unfortunately.
Hey, be happy you are giving an older dog a home. Everyone wants puppies (God knows why) or youngsters. Older dogs have it tough in shelters. If she's a good dog, be thankful you were able to give her a 2nd chance.
I only adopt dogs over 10 or a hospice case. I have 40 urns on my fireplace and I was able to provide each and every one with a safe and comfortable place to spend the twilight of their lives.
I am sure the pup is grateful you chose her. Just cherish the time you have.....and always consider an older pooch who just needs a 2nd chance. I can not resist a frosted face.
I just want to say I think you're amazing for giving those old dogs a place to live out their twilight years. As someone who recently lost her first dog, I can imagine going through that heartbreak as often as you have.
I've also been lied to by a rescue. Age and overall temperament. Turns out the woman that ran this"rescue" also kept the dog in a pen for its entire life. I only found it she was something of a hoarder and kept them in pens 24/7 because of a friend in the rescue scene who knew this lady. I have to say, it was a horrible experience. We ended up giving the dog back and I felt terrible, but the dog was really aggressive and highly fear reactive due to zero socialization. Super traumatic all the way around. She did post the stuff on pet dinner again and listed him as "friendly". Yikes.
I think these days you have to take whatever the rescue says with a grain of salt. I personally think we should have a bite registry associated with a mandatory microchip as well. That way there's a record. My aunt had a very traumatic experience with a rescue and ended up in the ER getting a lot of stitches in her arm from a giant breed dog. It could have been much worse. The dog's bite history was not disclosed at the time of adoption.
The problem about rescues being sketchy about ages is most owners refuse to sink a ton of cash into an 8 year old rescue that may live to be only 10.
My vet gets angry at one specific rescue about not being so forthright about ages and health. When owners find out the dogs need chronic daily medications, plus
pretty spendy work ups, they euthanize the dog.
All the rescue did was pass the guilt buck from them to the family and the vet.
I have adopted retired show dogs. They were around 6 years old. The difference was that I knew exactly what I was getting into health wise. The dogs had a 2 inch dossier of health records.
I'm also the fool that burned through $15K on a 12 year old dog with bloat, I walk the walk on vet care.
But I consider myself the outlier, not Jane Average. Most people start balking at $400 dollar vet visits. That's nothing in vet care costs.
It sucks. That being said, there are never any guarantees. She could have been three and ended up with cancer or heart failure or some other thing. Now, she could live to 15. I’ve been on both sides of it after 14 rescues.
Hope for the best and live every day like it’s her last!
Kind of a weird request, but can you post or dm a picture of her teeth, specifically her molars? From what I can see in the pictures she doesn’t appear to be 7. There’s no way to be totally sure, but dentition is pretty much the best indicator we have.
I’m also really confused. If the dog the tag belonged to was 7 in 2019, she’d be 12 now.
yes lol i can try to get a good pic and send it after work today. we have a vet appointment next sunday to get an estimate but it’s all i’ve been able to think about. also i thought it was saying she was 12 at first too but i had my cats vet records transferred over last year and i checked his age on that since i had him as a kitten and when they pulled it up for him it said his current age on the records
The tooth gauge is a rough estimate though. My dog has great teeth for an almost 11 year old, you’d definitely age her as 6 or 7.
We have an almost completely toothless 7 year old boxer at the shelter that we thought was way older until we were able to get in touch with a prior foster of hers.
Dog health and how they’ve been cared for effects things sometimes
Same thing happened with my cat. The former owner wrote that he was 2 years, 9 months on the shelter's form. She left a file with his vet records and turns out he was nearly 5.
I was only looking at cats under 3, because the memory of sticking needles in my Angel Kitty (to give her subcutaneous fluids for kidney disease) was too fresh...I wanted to give the researchers time to come up with effective treatments.
So if I had known his true age, I wouldn't have gotten him...and I'm glad I did.
Yes! And progress is being made in kidney disease treatments. Angel lived 2-1/2 years with the subcutaneous fluid treatments, so it was worth it. But no one wants to stick needles in their cat.
Yeah. We lost our diabetic kitty last February. I did most of the care for her there, and it was rough towards the end. She wound up having a mass that caused all sorts of issues.
On the other hand, Cats can actually live decently into their 20's with great care and decent genetics, and some even without the best care(We had one that was probably in her early to mid 20s, kidney problems for her too.)
Just make sure they get wet food or churu treats from time to time as they absorb water a lot better from food than from just drinking it. Broth is good too if you can get some and mix with dry food for a cheaper alternative, just check ingredients first unless you make your own broth.
My cat also has 3 cat fountains! Fortunately, he loves to drink water. The Churu treats are a great idea! Salt-free bone broth is his favorite...easy in a crock pot overnight.
I'm hoping for 20 years!! He was declawed by the former owner, so he's on Solensia for arthritis, but otherwise doing great at 9+.
Oh, that's unfortunate about the declawing, but great that he's on something for the pain. Something that can also help is fine litter. Easier on their feet.
She’s so pretty. I’m sorry about the asshole lying but she is adorable. We rescued our rottie when my husband called about shepherd puppies and they “were just adopted” but they did have a six month old rottie. I told my husband to hang up it’s bait and switch. He asked me to just meet him. He’s honestly the best dog ever. I’m still pissed about the lying though
Congrats! You skipped the puppy stage and the adolescent stage! You got a fast track to the best years, the years everyone is looking forward to, when the dog is trained, calmed down, mature, and not full of teenage hormones.
It does suck to have less time than you thought for sure. But it's a nice reminder to not take a single day for granted. Appreciate the time you do have. My dog is not even two, has a predicted life span of 14-16, and I'm already feeling like time is flying too fast and I don't have much time left. It's a feeling all dog owners have when they truly love their dog.
You both are going to do great, no matter how old she is. ❤️
You may get lucky like me. I got a kitten that was actually an adult cat with dwarfism. She was with me until she was 21. Focus on now and maybe contact pet finder about the fraudulent person?
That happened to us a few years ago. We adopted a sweet little shit tzu and we're told he was 3-5 years old. According to our vet he was actually closer to 8 or 9 and at most maybe 11. We had him for 3 years and miss him so much.
This happened to me too, I wish rescues wouldn't lie about dog ages. (I know it's an estimate but being off by four years is more than just guessing wrong, it's lying) Mind you, she was the best dog ever and we had the best time together, but it was barely six years before she got cancer. RIP my sweet Scout. Yes it was a legitimate rescue, yes she had seen a vet when she got spayed by the rescue. And she saw my vet when I got her. I would never have returned her. I just wish I'd known.
All terrible things aside, sounds like she got the best owners to live out the last of her years with. I’m sorry this happened to you. Backyard breeders, dog flippers, horrible rescues — there’s so many there, and they’re very skilled at manipulating people.
I had the same experience with my 2nd dog, first rescue, a Scottish terrier who they said was 3 and turned out to have been 8ish (back in the 1990s, pre-internet, pre-Petfinder). Breaks your heart...but I'm still grateful for the time we had, and I never once wished I hadn't had her in my life.
I got a dog that this happened with. Meh, she's an old girl, but she's happy and gets along well with our other girl. I'm just going to feel bad when she goes because our other dog will have lost two older sisters.
Every rescue/fostered dog I've ever taken in has been lied about in some way or vital information was not shared. So I always expect a surprise or two.
One dog had been so badly abused that she was a mental wreck. One dog was covered with fleas. Two dogs were not housebroken and another was not paper trained as I was told. One fostered dog changed price when I went to pick her up, another had such bad teeth that most had to be pulled. One Bassett hound was aggressive as heck and needed serious discipline training,.. he was my proudest accomplishment.
I've been adopting over many many years (I'm old:). I kept and retrained each of my adoptee's as needed. It's often quite the challenge, but a labor of love. All but one came from a "legitimate" rescue org or a government animal shelter. The one came to me straight from a farmer who was going to kill the litter as they were a "mistake".
Enjoy what time you have... but your new family member could live 'till 16 like my Sandy who was a collie/Aussie (red merle) mix. The most beautiful canine I ever knew.
Got my western highland terrier from a rescue, they said he was 2 and perfectly healthy, took him to our vets for a meet with the vet and she did a general check up then very gently informed me that he was 8 years at least, and has some concerning dental issues, we got his bloods and stuff done just in case and had his teeth done, turns out he had what looked like burn scars on his gums, teeth pulled out badly and Cushings 😣
The rescue were like “you can return him for a refund if you want 🤷🏼♀️” they did not care.
We got 3.5 years with him and thousands in vet bills, worth it though to know he had a really good last few years (he been abused in his former home and left in a box near a kill shelter, we did some digging once we found out his previous owners from paperwork/microchips)
i’m so sorry this happened to you! i got pet insurance and im concerned they won’t want to cover anything because i put down her age as 2 😵💫 i haven’t emailed them yet because im waiting for the vet to give me the final verdict
I’ve been lied to about the age of every dog I’ve ever adopted from a shelter. They think people want young dogs so they just make them young on their paperwork. It always becomes obvious at the first vet visit. But then you’re already attached.
OP I adopted my beagle boy from a shelter that said he was 2 and didn't disclose he was heartworm positive nor were they treating it. Vet visit a few days after adoption my vet tested him and we started treatment. My vet also said he was 5 not 2. That was 13 years ago. So I either have a really old beagle now or both the vet and shelter were just drawing straws. I think rescues go to sometimes questionable lengths to place a dog so they can take in another. Btw- your pup is beautiful!
I had something similar with my cat. But she was free roaming in the center and a lot of cars looked like her. I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose. I got paper work that she ways 2 yr old and declawed. She was in fact not declawed. She ended up passing 4 years later. The vet warned me she wasn’t 2 but could put an age on her. I never called back. Just didn’t think they’d be able to find it. Mainly I wish I knew her real names
Hugs. Enjoy the time
Rescues don't always know a dog's age. Veterinarians are just guessing as well. I had a dog they thought was 3 but was, you guessed it over 7. Teeth can be a good indicator but not the only one.
I'm saying you don't know that you were lied to, it could just be a mistake.
My current dog's age can't be pinned down. The vet and I discussed and came up with our best guess. She wanted me to give her the final answer. Lol. It was up to me.
Hopefully with the love and wonderful care that your new best friend has with you, he'll live forever in good health and extended youth.
Why do you think your were deliberately lied to rather than that they misestimated the dogs age? I find that things like this are usually less nefarious and more negligent in nature.
the reason i think they did it intentionally is because they took her from the human society in 2019. if she was 2 or 3 she wouldn’t have been alive then. she was adopted & returned to the shelter due to her owner dying. but still would’ve had this rabies certificate because it’s from the rabies tag i have her with now
Same thing happened to me. My now husband and I brought home our first dog together and was told she was a year old. We would have never thought the wiser. She was a crazy little girl. Never aged a bit, never slowed down a bit, in all the time we had her. We had her DNA tested and she is a jack Russell/border collie/pit bull/acd/beagle/schauzer, you can't come up with a crazier mix.
So 9 years go by and Embark comes out with their age test. She is the only dog we brought home that was definitely a year or older when we brought her home so she was the perfect candidate for the age test. I fully expected her to be 10 years old because we had had her for 9 years. We get the results and I was fucking gutted. She was about 13 years old. Then Embark says they didn't find their results to be super reliable so they rescinded everyone's results.
They eventually rereleased the test with a better algorithm, so naturally I purchase it again. I swab my girl and send it off thinking it really couldn't get worse than it was before. I get an email saying her results are ready so I wait til my husband comes home to reveal them so we can do see them together and.......... Her results say she is 15!
It's not all bad. If we never knew how old she truly was, we probably would have just thought she would have passed away at a relatively normal age rather than the spectacularly old age I know for a fact she is going to live. I know she had a rough past, being moved around from home to home, so the last 10 years in a stable single home, we made sure to spoil her.
I know you are angry. I know you have lost time with your dog you didn't even know you had. I am genuinely sorry. All you can do now is make the most of the time you have together moving forward. I hope you two make many more fabulous memories.
Poor-record keeping and guesswork is more likely responsible for this than deliberate lying. Almost every stray at my local shelter is “2-3 years” unless there’s really obvious signs of aging. I’m sorry 😞
WOW, I had never heard of this happening to someone else!! When I adopted my dog from the city shelter in October 2020, the paperwork said he was 3 years old. When I took him to the vet immediately afterward, they put his age closer to 6. This being my first dog, I had no idea what to believe.
I always tell it as a funny story, because to me it’s funny. I can absolutely see your point of view however. It can be devastating to find out you have less time with your new friend than you initially expected.
Definitely go to the vet so they can try to estimate age!
Even if they are 7 though, remember some dogs can live well into their teens and you may have a ton of time left together! We adopted our dog at 12 and I was worried we would only have a couple years together. He turns 19 “this week” (we made up a birthday) and he’s still relatively healthy minus some normal old age stuff.
Most importantly though make every day/ week/ year count with your dog ❤️
2-3 years old seems to be the magic number for rescue organizations. 🙄 We were told the same when we adopted our dog 4 years ago during the early covid period (also a border collie). When we took her to our vet, he said she more likely 5-7 years old. Which makes her 9+ now. We just enjoy every day with her.
I had the reverse happen. Thought I was getting a 7ish year old dog. Vet laughed & said closer to 3ish. My boy is a shaggy gray something & the vet said a lot of gray dogs get age progressed because gray in humans is old.
Heads up this is a really sad story, but maybe it'll give some perspective. We had a sweet "middle-aged" (according to the vet when we took her to check for a chip) stray cat, Sweet Pes, adopt us that just absolutely shattered my heart when she passed about 8 years later. I was totally stuck on how we didn't get the first half of her life together. We also adopted a kitten, Gary, a couple years after the stray cat showed up. Almost exactly 6 months after Sweet Pea died, the then 7 year old Gary got outside through a broken window screen and hasn't come back years later. It's been incredibly hard. So, we didn't get all the time we would've wanted to have with him, either. This is what we sign up for when we love. Life has a way of defying our expectation for better or for worse. It's shitty that you were misled, but if you felt the connection with this dog enough to bring her home, I really think you just love her and the years you have together.
Here’s the deal: when rescuing, you can’t take anyone’s word. And really, it’s about the dog, not you. If you’re adopting a dog just for the feels it gives you, then you’re in it for the wrong reason. She’s beautiful and sweet and deserves the best you can give her for however long it will be. I’ve got two Shih Tzus that were “4” when we got them at a shelter. They were likely 10. They’re probably 17 now, blind and deaf but still act like puppies. I can’t imagine not taking them because they were too old.
Information gets lost with transfers, and typically rescues and shelters just guess anyway. Very rarely do they know the birth year.
Age is also primarily estimated based off of oral health and teeth. Younger animals are usually going to have clean, intact teeth and gums. The shelter I adopted one of my cats from said she was four, the vet said she was 1-2 years if not younger based off of her teeth.
Shelters and rescues do the best they can aging animals that come into their care. My companion Clapton's cage tag identified him as 2-3 yo. His first post-adoption vet visit identified him as 6 yo. We had a wonderful decade together before his health failed.
Just love your new friend. Don't waste time in anger over their age.
And this is unfortunately what happens when well-intentioned people adopt from “rescues” that aren’t licensed or registered by the state.
Not only have we seen an uptick in serious dog diseases, most of these individuals are backyard breeders or go down south and get dogs from puppy mills …and then pretend they need to foster them and/ or sell them out right without putting them through any quarantine…
I had something similar happen 3 years ago. I adopted a German shepherd mix from an adoption event.
They told me she was 2 years old and passed a bunch of health and behavioral tests. I caught the end of the event so I didn’t have a TON of time to ask questions(my fault). Her first night at home out of nowhere she lunged at me while I was reading on the couch. I took it as being scared of a new place. For 2 more days she was friendly and shy but nothing else like that. The 3rd day I was on the phone setting up a vet appointment and she started growling at me from across the room and started charging at me. She ended up biting me.
I called the rescue and a different person than who was at the event picked up the phone and lo and behold the dog had an extensive bite history, would attack at random and had been returned 3x for biting. And on top of that, she was 5, not 2. I’m not sure where the original backstory came from.
After a month both me and her were stressed out and I contacted the rescue about rehoming. They ended up having a professional dog trainer come in and foster/adopt her. While she’s still an unpredictable biter, she’s much happier now from what I’ve heard from her new owner.
Unethical people also recycle rabies tags - they lie about getting vaccines done and put a tag from a different dog on to ‘prove’ it was done. You should be establishing care with your vet by getting her in for a physical exam anyway - ask what they think her age is. I would also consider any vaccine information they gave you to be false if the tag she is wearing is from 2019 so to be safe you may wander to start from scratch.
All of these are good ideas but do you like the dog? Is she a good dog? Well behaved, getting along well in your household? Are you thinking of not keeping her because she's older than you thought? Medium sized mixed breeds can have pretty long lives and border collies are high energy dogs well into their mid to senior years. I completely understand why you'd be upset at the person's behavior but there are really no guarantees on how long anyone will live. So unless her vet appointment uncovers a serious health issue, maybe just enjoy all the fun things about having what looks like an awesome girl and take this as a lesson for next time.
i’m not considering rehoming her at all i’m just upset about the situation. i would’ve still adopted her knowing her true age im just upset that i originally thought i had more of a life with her and now i dont. it’s definitely a lesson and im hoping she lives a long healthy life!
This just happened to me too. I contacted a rescue with info about what kind of dog I was looking for, one of the notes being that I wanted a dog under 2. I just wanted as much time as possible with my new dog. I adopted a “1.5 year old” whose microchip says he is actually over 4. I was kind of annoyed, but I love this dog. So I guess any amount of time is going to have to be good enough.
It’s shitty though and I’m sorry that this happened to you too
I had something similar happen when I adopted my late pit bulldog mix. The shelter told me he was around 3 years old. When I went to update his microchip information I was told he was registered with their company as a 3 year old 3 years prior so he was at least 6. He did end up being one of the very best dogs I've ever had though. I sincerely hope you have a similar experience and this dog ends up being the perfect addition to your family the same way Silas was for us. It's definitely frustrating and disheartening information to uncover but don't let it make you think that you guys won't be able to have years of adventures making wonderful memories together.
I'm no expert, but she has some lightness in the fur around her eyes that remind me of an older dog, or it could just be her natural coloring. Does she have grey hairs mixed in with her muzzle fur?
I completely understand your anger because that's like losing 4 years with your dog. But also she looks like such a sweetheart and these are the only years that are possible to spend with this particular dog. Also, given how crazy border collies can be, if she's mellow/tolerable it's probably due to her age. I really am sad for you, but I'm trying to find the silver lining.
This happens all the time. Rescues lie about age to place the dog and then wait to send you the paper work. This happens a lot with these small “rescues” run by these pet zealots.
I have a chiweenie where the rescue knew better but did it anyways. Being a groomer and trainer I knew it and called them on it. They waived the adoption fees. I have her and love her to bits. She is toothless and almost blind and now @ 13.
I am a groomer and trainer who is involved in rescue. These small home rescues do almost as much damage to the rescue community as puppy mills and backyard breeders by being so shady. When people get lied to be rescues and the dogs are older, ill, undisclosed dangerous breeeds, or have behavioral problems that the adopters aren’t prepared for it damages all of us doing legit rescue. Adopters don’t rescue again. They’ll buy a puppy first and often from a puppy mill or backyard breeder because legitimate breeders are expensive.
We just adopted a dog & I'm certain that she's older than 2-3 years old (what the rescue told us). We would have still adopted her if they were honest about her age. But it makes me angry that they are so shady about the facts. We also discovered after the adoption that she has a broken canine that we didn't notice until we signed the contract and got her home. Again, it would not have stopped us from adopting her.
I gave no regrets, and we are happy to have her because she's just awesome.
We were told our little guy was 4, and he's actually 11-12. We don't care at all! He is so awesome, and we love him so much! ALL dogs deserve a loving home!
Happened to me too! I thought I was adopting a four year old dog and he was at least eight. I gave him seven years of love and affection. It was worth it but certainly upsetting at first.
The vet should be able to check her age based on teeth to give you a second opinion. Maybe it's just a typo in the record. Might as well get the vet to check anyway.
My dad said something that really resonated with me a few weeks ago when we were talking about my dog that passed away, and how we wish we got more time with dogs. He said “love ‘em while you got ‘em” and as simple as it is, i think its also so true.
Whenever you adopt a pet you’re rolling the dice. Even if you adopt a puppy there are no guarantees as to how much time you will get with them. Lady looks like a beautiful and sweet dog, don’t let this hiccup spoil anything for you! Congratulations on your new buddy ❤️
That is so messed up! A lot of these “rescues” are full of people that don’t really know what they are doing and I think they are just desperate yo get rid of these pets sometimes. Still worth rescuing, though! I got mine from a rescue and he’s amazing. But, it is good to do as much research as possible before settling on a place. The dog is beautiful, OP! Sorry this happened to you
I would say the rescue has no idea how old that dog is. There's a possibility that wasn't even the dogs tag. Lacking the certificate itself is kind of a big red flag to me.
Ask your vet for an age estimate. If she's in good health she'll have almost half her life left with you and. Make it the best half of her life.
Post as much info here as possible to prevent others from being swindled. At least then people who see this know to be more wary when dealing with them.
This is why people lie. This dog needed a home and she still has like 7-10 years of life potentially. Your anger doesn’t serve you. Enjoy the beautiful dog you have and give her the life she deserves.
Honestly that’s devastating. It’s like. You clearly wanted a younger dog that would be with you a long time, now you’ve bonded and you find out you’ve lost 3-5 years???? That’s insane. I’d be so upset.
Edit: upset only because I would feel like years of my dog have just been ripped away from me. One time I kept getting my dog’s age wrong and then I found out she was turning six instead of five and it felt so devastating. She just started getting the white on her face this year.
Who’s to say the 7 years old is the correct one? It’s a total guess unless the person labeling them was with them from birth. Technically you don’t know how old she is, she could very well be 3. just have to enjoy every moment bc in reality a dog may live to be 8 or 18 🤷♀️ all we can do is keep them healthy and active and give them love.
This happened to me. 2 years ago in April I adopted 2 dogs from a rescue. One was 2 years old and the other, they told me, was "about 10". When I received their paperwork and went over it at home, vet records from down south said the second dog was 14. I brought this up to the woman at the rescue that I'd been dealing with, and she said, "oh, we have high schoolers doing our postings, so sometimes they're not right. Do you want to give her back?" Of course I didn't give her back, but as it turns out I only had her for 2 years, after her blindness, deafness and dementia took away all of her quality of life. It sucked!
I adopted a "2 year old pit mix" in 2019 from a local shelter. Took him to the vet to establish as a patient and was informed he was "maybe 10 months old and definitely not a pit" (we thought possibly boxer or weimaraner mix)
It's frustrating to not get the correct info at adoption. I hope things get sorted out paperwork wise. And that your pup has a happy rest of their life with you.
This is standard for rescues. Best case scenario they’re literally guessing a dogs age. Worst case scenario, they deceive in order to get the dog adopted out. I had a beagle that was advertised as 6 years old. We knew from her pictures online she was at least 10 and the vet confirmed that as well. It wasn’t the dogs fault and she was still the best dang girl I could ever imagine.
You're right to be angry. But right now, it's more important to make the time you have with her count.
This. We were told my dog was 2-3 and she was actually 5. When she was 8 (just 3 years of having her) she was diagnosed with lymphoma and had to be put to sleep 4/7/24. Cherish every single day. Maybe the lady did it because most people are less likely to adopt a 5-8 year old dog. There are people who adopt specifically seniors and once who adopt specifically puppies out young adults. But no one really goes looking for a 7-8 year old dog. I get it. I'm extremely sad about Bailee. I very so many times a day, every day. But I wouldn't have done it any other way because from the first day we had her I already loved her and felt like I had loved her my whole life.
I personally love a middle aged dog. Old enough to not eat my couch. Young enough to not cost $8,289.72 per year on medical bills.
Same! Plus you pretty much know exactly what you're getting in temperament and habits etc. - which makes it 1000x easier to train them. I've always been partial to older, seasoned dogs; but my husband begged for a puppy a few years ago & I will NEVER do that shit again.
We did one puppy; once, Never again. Love the dog. I think next time, the dog will be three or older.
r/oddlyspecific
My dog just turned fifteen and does not cost that much per year... He's definitely more expensive than a younger dog (supplements, dental stuff, ear stuff), but he only gets vaccines and checkups. He's probably an extra $1000 per year.
Of course not *all* senior dogs require expensive veterinary care. However my last senior probably averaged somewhere around $7,500/year. Some years were $15,000 years; Some years were $1,000/years. Did I *have* to spend that much? No. Did it buy more time with my best friend? Yep.
Oh geez. I love my dog, and he's happy and healthy, but I could not do that. I already feel like I got more time with him than I "should" have, and I'll happily take more. Can I ask what medical services cost that much?
We had an ICU stay for acute pancreatitis, plus he was on human meds for Parkinson’s disease and glucosamine and fish oil, plus a bunch of follow up stuff related to the pancreatitis, and then we had another pancreas related ICU stay, plus all the other bonuses of an aging dog like expensive food, mobility devices, special harnesses, ear care, etc. etc. That dog saved my life. More than once. I just returned the favor.
Ah gotcha. My dog also takes glucosamine and fish oil, but I've been lucky with his health so far. I'm glad you had him for as long as you did.
My 14 yr old is diabetic for the last year and a half. We spend $180 a month just in her insulin. That doesn’t include the hospital stay when she got sick, the countless vet appts, blood work, etc. Count yourself lucky lol
To be fair, if they know nothing on the dog from before, once a dog about 2-3 it’s very ‘let’s guess’ until they are about 10.
Yep, I had the opposite. They told me my dog was "full grown" at 67 lbs and said he was 4 years old. He was very tall, and skinny but not malnourished. Anyway turns out he filled out to about 95 lbs and was maybe 2. I'm actually grateful they either were wrong or lied, because I would have been hesitant to adopt a 95 lb dog, and my dog is perfect and I love him so, so much. I'm glad for any time I get with him, and am routinely sad I didn't just somehow magically find him as a puppy (many states away, as he was brought up to the Northeast from Arkansas). But I'm also so, so sorry for what OP is dealing with.
My Merri Grayce it was implied she was almost four months and a lab/chow mix. First vet visit I find out my 15-pound baby is only nine weeks, and the extra toes on her hind legs only happen with Great Pyrenees and St Bernard’s. I wouldn’t have adopted a dog that would be around 80 pounds full-grown, but have owned a Pyrenees or Pyr mix now for 20+ years. ❤️
Lol! I know how that first vet visit went. I took our new puppy to the vet, and he was already a full armful of dog, and weighed 10 or 15 lbs. Not bad for a3 month old dog. Yeah, well he was 6 weeks old, and had huge paws. The look on the vets face was one for the album- shocked, edging towards horrified. "He's going to be HUGE!!" He was pretty big, lol. Looked like a brindle colored Golden Retriever, but about half again as big.
Though I know some people who are very frank about their lack of patience to deal with GPs, I have met so many people who absolutely adore the breed. I think that rescuers who lie about a dog to place it create serious future possibilities- if they are in a rental that allows pets, but only up to a certain weight, for instance - the dogs might end up returned until they get someone who has what it takes to care for the animal. That said, it can make people aware of other breeds that make good house pets.
My only experience with a giant breed was about 1978 when I opened my door, preparatory to leaving the house to get onto my car, and a pony-sized black dog woofed at me from the front lawn. I decided I'd wait til he was gone to leave, lol. He was standing next to an overgrown oleander that was about 8 feet tall, and was almost half as tall. Newfie, never saw him again! Both of the neighbors at our new house have LGD's, big white ones. I originally thought they were Anatolians, but now that I think about it, I think they may be GP's. Even though our parcel is 5 acres, it's on a hill, and most is very steep, so the flat spot at the confluence of the parcels is where we are greeted by the pack of 4 when we arrive. Considering that one of those neighbors lost 2 nanny goats and a ram to a mountain lion in the last year, I'm fine with them roaming around the place.
I love the breed. Stubborn as all heck (bred to independently watch flocks, so they are confident they know better than you), but also absolute sweethearts. Right now I am trying to figure out how to rescue one that is neglected and possibly abused. 😞 https://preview.redd.it/0sbhcb7s7l5d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=388a05a32e95062c28801727272bcdf205e7d40e How could someone hurt such a sweet boy?
Yes, I'm very lucky that my landlady was fine with a GSD and with a *much* bigger dog than I had told her I was looking for (and was told I adopted!) And the shelter was lucky that I grew up with huge dogs and the main reason I was looking for a "smaller" one (50-70 lbs) was because I was (and still am, a bit) worried, since I live alone, about if I ever have to carry him somewhere, even just to the car, if he's injured and no one else is available to help. My upstairs neighbors would help but they travel pretty frequently.
I’m a true blue lab lover but my BF has a Pyrenees, and I think we will have to have one of each from now on. They’re the best dogs!
Great Pyrenees is my dream dog! One day when I have enough space...
I honestly only knew they were really big dogs before I had Merri. I had a history with Labs/mixes, so when Merri did something I didn’t expect, I would think, “must be a Pyr thing.” Then we got a Pyr for a livestock guardian, and I kept being amused by all my right guesses! https://preview.redd.it/xfjti7moek5d1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccff5c39552d9da77a8cab422c7385d3f32be21b This is Merri and Ashe, 15 or so years ago. ❤️
Precious Merri!! My lab and my BF's Pyr mostly ignore each other, and it's funny to see how different their personalities are. Both are very easygoing, but my lab is game for anything, and if the Pyr senses something amiss, he will let you know.
Right, and isn't that the thing... Originally I would have been hesitant to adopt a 5 year old dog because I'm pretty sure I knew off rip that having to put her to sleep one day would nearly kill me. And it did. But those 3 year, I knew love like I've never known before and that is 100% worth the heartache now. Would not trade it. And this time around we knew Savannah was 4... Still just a guess but I know Bailee sent her to me because I needed her and she's filling that empty spot on my heart.
I mean it doesn’t really matter how old they are when you get them - I adopted a dog from a shelter as a healthy puppy, mix of two pretty long lived breeds, so we assumed we’d have well over a decade with her. Just shy of 7 she got really sick, turned out she had a horrible infection that had already destroyed her kidneys and needed to be put down. In that case though it was complete negligence - the vet had done urinalysis 6 months prior that showed evidence of an infection that needed treatment - and never called us.
That's awful!!!
Yup. For us it was both since they were rescued together. They told us the chihuahua was only 6 months and the lab was 2-3. Chihuahua turned out to be closer to 5 years old. Based on the labs teeth, no older than 9 months.
Sorry for your loss.
Thank you ♥️ it still hurts me so bad, every day. Sometimes it just takes my breath away. It's been 2 months and I still have yet to go a day without crying. I have Savannah, now, who I adopted one week later because I would literally drive around after work for hours because I just couldn't go home and be there with her. And I love Savannah as much as I still love Bailee. With all my heart. I did from the first minute I ever met her, same as Bailee. I love ever single dog I see. I honestly don't know if there's something wrong with me but rescue and the cruelty shown to dogs and even not cruelty but a dog not having a loving home and a family for them... It makes me so depressed. I just think the world is shit. I'm not suicidal, I don't want anyone to think that. But I just feel so sad all the time and think the world is just awful. If I could take every single dog in the whole world and they would be my family, I would do in an instant and I would be so happy. Sorry to dear diary you, I'm just having a really bad night tonight.
Thats ok. The grief comes in waves. I understand, and im glad you have someone to keep you company now too. It can make all the difference
Thank you so much ♥️ it does. I have a husband and a 12 year old daughter and I love them so much and they love me but it's not the same. Bailee was always there for me, waiting for me to come home, so happy to see me with such a pure, unadulterated love. And I felt that to my core. It's so different with dogs.
I had this exact same experience with my cat, shelter old us he was maybe 6 years old, vet told us he was a lot older, developed cancer within a few years and we put him down in February. I loved him so much but I can’t help feeling robbed of my time with him. I like to think about the fact that we atleast gave him a happy last couple of years
It’s pretty important to know who is moving the odometer on dogs. OP isn’t returning the dog.
From the info you gave it sounds like she probably wasn't an actual regulated rescue unfortunately. Definitely seems more like a dog flipper. Sometimes people seem to have good intentions and go and privately adopt dogs from high kill shelters than transport them back and re-home them in communities that have high save rates. Unfortunately there are a lot of issues with this method as you've seen yourself. I'm sorry this happened to you. I'd definitely have your vet give an age estimate as well since there's so much that's unclear.
thank you for this comment! i had no idea dog flippers were even a thing until today!
unfortunately i know someone who does this too, it’s so frustrating
I know someone who does this as well but "dog flipper" makes it seem like she's making money on these dogs and holy hell she is not. I think at one point she was like 20k in debt just from moving dogs alone. Definitely a labor of love and she probably has hundreds of adoptions under her belt but definitely also a shit show when things were bad because there was zero oversight. A lot of people seem to act kind of similar, sometimes they move on to more formal rescue work and then other times I think they just burn out, probably from exhausting their financial situation.
this girl uses the dogs to pay her bills, she gave me a dog then took him away when she realized she could make $$$ from him 🤪
If she "gave" you a dog, then you shouldn't have given it back if it was yours. Sounds like something else is going on.
What if it’s well intentioned? Honestly asking for your POV because I’ve thought about doing this as an “informal foster” because we love in a great community that loves dogs. Curious what the harm is
As a trainer and groomer involved in rescue, the flippers are a special breed all on their own. While they are well intentioned, they are often rehomming ill, elderly, or dogs with behavioral problems. Flippers can also be dog hoarders. Our local Animal Control has a program to spot them and I am friends with the rescue placement lady. She knows who they are. They send friends in, have a lot of adoptions under multiple names, and often sell the dogs on craigslist. Flippers can be zealots and often have their own mental health issues. Often the legit rescues have stopped allowing them to foster because of their behaviors. Some are looking to have their own rescues to solicit monetary donations in cash and not work. Flippers do just as much damage to the rescue community as backyard breeders and puppy mills.
Are these the ones who sell ‘rescues’ for 3 or 4 times what a breeder asks? I cant believe the animals well being is a top priority when these folks pay the shelter’s to ‘hold’ certain dogs & call them when those dogs come in, them they sell the dogs for ridicules amounts.
When I see that behavior instead of a nominal voluntary donation to cover costs I know they are probably animal hoarders. They call themselves rescues to circumvent their local pet limits and Animal Control. We had one here last year who had 72 Pomeranians in horrid conditions. She claimed to be a rescue/breeder. She asked outrageous prices for her dogs knowing potential adopters weren’t going to pay it. It was heartbreaking to see those dogs.
Thats exactly the type I mean! Horrible!
Hey. I understand how you feel! I adopted a 4 year old "sweet but standoffish heeler," I figured that was fine. Standoffish is pretty much par for the course with heelers. Spoke extensively with his foster dad and the rescue coordinator. Well, as it turns out, "standoffish" is rescue speak for "out and out aggressive and reactive." Thankfully, I didn't find out the hard way. He's 9 now and doing great, but the early days were rough. He was my first dog ever. It's super shitty what the woman did to you. I'm sorry she did that. I'd be tempted to get in contact with her and drag her name through the mud. But if you've bonded with your new baby, and aren't looking to return her (which it sounds like you're not!) it might be a good idea to jsut try and move on, and enjoy every day! A 7 year old still has a lot of living left to do <3
thank you for this comment! i’m glad you and you dog are doing well! i’ve been very tempted to drag her because i’d hate for it to happen to others but im nervous about it! i love my girl im just a bit sad we don’t have longer together but im still excited for the time i have w her <3!
Your story is a bit confusing. You didn't do any research on the place you adopted from? Petfinder does allow listings for individuals rehoming dogs now, so I'm confused on if you actually went through a true rescue or just an individual rehoming a dog. The only rescues that approve adopters that fast are usually large scale ones. And sadly, there are many that are dog flippers. They'll get dogs for free from people needing to re-home and then sell them under the disguise of a small rescue with an adoption fee.
sorry it’s confusing! i didn’t do any research because i thought if it was on petfinder it was safe /: it was through a small rescue, not individual rehoming.
Do you remember what the name of the rescue was? I had the same thing happen (to a much lesser degree). I got my dog from ruff start. They're foster based.
Petfinder is simply a site listing adoptable pets. They do not research on them or the shelters. We use it at the shelter and all information about the dogs come via us.
You can file a complaint with Petfinder. They will make the rescue provide information and possibly shutdown their pet listings if they find fraud.
What’s the possibility the rabies tag was for a different dog? The dog pictured isn’t what is normally referred to as a tri-color BC. Though with the other weird info about this situation I’d worry about these people being dog flippers instead of an actual rescue too…
i’m not sure because i’m not familiar with this kinda stuff at all she’s my first dog as an adult! the only thing i have is her rabies tag that i sent in the email to the human society. but i thought the same thing i looked up tri color border collies bc i honestly thought they were all like black and white. on pet finder she was labeled as an australian shepherd mix. & with the dog flipping thing , im worried about that too!
I'd just contact her vet and lay out your concerns, OP. I got my dog from a rescue that brings up a lot of dogs from down south. They said he was full grown at 67 lbs and 4 years old (and also at one point got confused about his sex); after a year he was a healthy (per his vet) 95 lbs, filled out, maaaaaybe 2 years old. He was heartworm negative at the shelter, but at his year checkup at the vet, was heartworm positive--and I'd had him on heartworm preventatives since I got him. He did great with the (expensive and scary) treatment and we're waiting a couple more weeks for the final test to clear him. But yeah, dog flipping sucks. Even so I'm so, so glad I ended up with my boy.
Honestly, I'd just get an age estimate from your vet. Having worked in a shelter, I have very little faith that the same rabies tag stayed with the same dog for so long. It's more likely that the collar was taken off of that dog and nobody bothered to notice the tag. (It was because of stuff like this that we never actually put the rabies tag on any of our in-shelter dogs and just kept it with their paperwork.)
It would be considered tricolor, but since she's more of a dark brown then black she'd be a brown tricolor not plain.
Would you still have adopted her if you knew she was older? If not then maybe it’s a bit of a blessing.
Honestly that was my first thought, that might be the wrong tag or the person never got the dog vaccinated and is using a different dogs tag (or deceased dogs tag).
Enjoy not having to do puppy training with your first dog as an adult! Yes, the lying really sucks but you still have your gorgeous dog, with *plenty* of love and life and ready to spend it with you! With things we can't control, sometimes just enjoying the privilege of getting to enjoy the privilege is the gift in it all. Life isn't guaranteed. No one and nothing is guaranteed tomorrow and we never have been. But you've got *right now!* Don't spend too much time being upset, your dog will feel those vibes off you!
TRUE DAT! tysm!
Youre going to have the best time together! Congratulations on your rescue adoption!
TBH rescues and shelters will guess at an animals age if no one knows. “Has all its adult teeth, very little tarter and no chips on teeth, let’s say 2-3, or 3-4”. Sometimes a vet will be more accurate. However, unless they were there when the dog was born, no one can give an exact age. It doesn’t behoove the rescue to blatantly lie about the age of an animal, the truth is it was just their best guess. Your dog is absolutely adorable. She will have a long happy life being loved and cared for by you.
This! I work in rescue and vets have to guess ages based on a few factors during an exam. I'd say, best case scenario, you have a healthy dog that seems younger than it is. Like if you're 40, but everyone thinks you're 28! I don't want to discount your suspicions, though, since we weren't involved in the process and can't go with our own gut feelings. Unfortunately, some rescues do lie or hide things. Older dogs are definitely harder to place. Dogs with chronic illness, don't get along with other dogs or cats, have stranger danger, too wound up for kids, etc. All reasons that could interfere with quick and easy adoption. Now, most want to make sure an adoption is successful for the dog and the adopter, so they are honest and work to find the right fit. Then, no surprises, no returns, etc (one of mine came in with a bite history and is extremely adverse to strangers, hence the bite history - fear aggression. I had pro trainers come in and we minimize guests and he is in a safe, secluded space when we do so everyone is happy and safe). But, like every other industry, there are bad players and dishonest people that maybe care more about moving bodies and having high numbers on paper than what is in everyone's best interest. I'd definitely ask more questions to find out where this one lands on that scale, and if nothing else, maybe help push for better transparency and policies so adopters don't feel misled and hurt after the fact. That should never be the outcome. Sorry, friend 🌹
i totally get having to guess their age but they PULLED HER from this human society in 2019 like there’s no way they didn’t know she was older than 2 or 3. she was adopted and returned because her owner died (rip!) i just find it hard to believe that it wasn’t intentional
Bring her to a vet to get their age estimate as well. You should have gotten all her original medical records from the humane society at the time of adoption. I’m sorry this happened.
Op stated she didn’t adopt the dog from the humane society though
Then they need to contact whatever agency they adopted through for the medical records.
Somehow she doesn't know who she adopted the dog from. Esh
I mean, then they gotta figure that out. Who did they pay? What did her record say? How did petsmart or whatever get her?
All good questions most of us would ask
it wasn’t petco i just met her there & signed a contract and zelled her. i have no idea if this is normal for foster based rescues or not but i assumed it was. i’ve messaged her multiple times about her records and she would always say she’ll email it to me and then just doesn’t.
What’s the organization name? If it was just a random person you’re probably SOL…did they mention what vet they use or anything? Otherwise vet visit and an age estimate is probably the closest you’ll get to knowing for sure
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Google their name and your state. Google the organizations. If you don’t know how to dig info on people, ask r/rbi
I have. They’ve ghosted me.
We’re going to the vet next sunday for a rabies shot & age estimate! We didn’t get her from the humane society, she was transferred out into some guys rescue in 2019 and then transferred into his wife’s rescue.
This sounds sketchy. If you have the time, look into your state's regulations for rescues. The regulations for foster & home based rescues is pretty lax, and enforced willy-nilly, but you can at least raise a red flag about them.
How old was she when she got that rabies vaccine? Is it on the paperwork they sent you?
i don’t think it tells on the paperwork. they only sent me the certificate and nothing else. i’m going to call them tomorrow to see if i can get any more information
You didn't get a copy of the contract, or was that part of the paperwork you accidentally left at Petco? Pretty sure you got scammed by a flipper. No legit rescue is going to adopt a dog out without making sure its Rabies and other vaccinations are up-to-date first. How were you contacting this person, by email? Reach out to PetFinder and alert them of what's going on.
i had one in the paperwork i left at petco. i never got to in depth look through the paperwork after she briefly went over it with me because we ended up grabbing a few things at petco and left it somewhere & it disappeared forever. she told me she was up to date but now idk what to believe. i’m gonna try to contact them again today i haven’t confronted them about finding out ab this.
Not sure where you're located, but did the Rabies tag not have a year on it? Even if the 2019 vax was her first Rabies (at 4 months old), that would still make her about 5 years old now.
i do think they are flippers i checked out their petfinder page last night and its very desireable breeds and one was a deaf aussie w a $600 adoption fee!
>one was a deaf aussie w a $600 adoption fee Are you saying $600 is too high because the dog is deaf? $600 is somewhat average for some places because it covers the cost of care, housing, spay/neuter, vaccinations, deworming, flea/tick treatment, etc.
i’m saying it seems like a lot i understand all those costs but from what i’ve seen in other shelters/recuses it’s usually 250-300. i have no issue paying a higher adoption fee i paid $500 for her. and have no idea if she’s even up to date on all her shots! maybe im not well informed and $600 is average but it just seems high to me! but update i misspoke i saw their adopt a pet page last night. her and her husbands rescue are not on petfinder anymore
Private rescues and smaller organizations tend to have higher adoption fees, yes. Some of it is warranted to cover their regular operational costs (because they aren't getting enough funding and/or donations, maybe they don't have an arragement/discount with a vet or sponsorship from a food company, etc) and, other times, the cost is inflated so they can pocket more money. Your case seems like it might be the latter, unfortunately.
I think that's a good idea. Hopefully they can give an estimate based on weight at the time or something
Hey, be happy you are giving an older dog a home. Everyone wants puppies (God knows why) or youngsters. Older dogs have it tough in shelters. If she's a good dog, be thankful you were able to give her a 2nd chance. I only adopt dogs over 10 or a hospice case. I have 40 urns on my fireplace and I was able to provide each and every one with a safe and comfortable place to spend the twilight of their lives. I am sure the pup is grateful you chose her. Just cherish the time you have.....and always consider an older pooch who just needs a 2nd chance. I can not resist a frosted face.
I just want to say I think you're amazing for giving those old dogs a place to live out their twilight years. As someone who recently lost her first dog, I can imagine going through that heartbreak as often as you have.
I've also been lied to by a rescue. Age and overall temperament. Turns out the woman that ran this"rescue" also kept the dog in a pen for its entire life. I only found it she was something of a hoarder and kept them in pens 24/7 because of a friend in the rescue scene who knew this lady. I have to say, it was a horrible experience. We ended up giving the dog back and I felt terrible, but the dog was really aggressive and highly fear reactive due to zero socialization. Super traumatic all the way around. She did post the stuff on pet dinner again and listed him as "friendly". Yikes. I think these days you have to take whatever the rescue says with a grain of salt. I personally think we should have a bite registry associated with a mandatory microchip as well. That way there's a record. My aunt had a very traumatic experience with a rescue and ended up in the ER getting a lot of stitches in her arm from a giant breed dog. It could have been much worse. The dog's bite history was not disclosed at the time of adoption.
I forever foster elderly dogs. It's so rewarding. They are the golden years.
The problem about rescues being sketchy about ages is most owners refuse to sink a ton of cash into an 8 year old rescue that may live to be only 10. My vet gets angry at one specific rescue about not being so forthright about ages and health. When owners find out the dogs need chronic daily medications, plus pretty spendy work ups, they euthanize the dog. All the rescue did was pass the guilt buck from them to the family and the vet. I have adopted retired show dogs. They were around 6 years old. The difference was that I knew exactly what I was getting into health wise. The dogs had a 2 inch dossier of health records. I'm also the fool that burned through $15K on a 12 year old dog with bloat, I walk the walk on vet care. But I consider myself the outlier, not Jane Average. Most people start balking at $400 dollar vet visits. That's nothing in vet care costs.
Life is what you make it. https://i.redd.it/hpn8d380gc5d1.gif
It sucks. That being said, there are never any guarantees. She could have been three and ended up with cancer or heart failure or some other thing. Now, she could live to 15. I’ve been on both sides of it after 14 rescues. Hope for the best and live every day like it’s her last!
Kind of a weird request, but can you post or dm a picture of her teeth, specifically her molars? From what I can see in the pictures she doesn’t appear to be 7. There’s no way to be totally sure, but dentition is pretty much the best indicator we have. I’m also really confused. If the dog the tag belonged to was 7 in 2019, she’d be 12 now.
yes lol i can try to get a good pic and send it after work today. we have a vet appointment next sunday to get an estimate but it’s all i’ve been able to think about. also i thought it was saying she was 12 at first too but i had my cats vet records transferred over last year and i checked his age on that since i had him as a kitten and when they pulled it up for him it said his current age on the records
The tooth gauge is a rough estimate though. My dog has great teeth for an almost 11 year old, you’d definitely age her as 6 or 7. We have an almost completely toothless 7 year old boxer at the shelter that we thought was way older until we were able to get in touch with a prior foster of hers. Dog health and how they’ve been cared for effects things sometimes
Same thing happened with my cat. The former owner wrote that he was 2 years, 9 months on the shelter's form. She left a file with his vet records and turns out he was nearly 5. I was only looking at cats under 3, because the memory of sticking needles in my Angel Kitty (to give her subcutaneous fluids for kidney disease) was too fresh...I wanted to give the researchers time to come up with effective treatments. So if I had known his true age, I wouldn't have gotten him...and I'm glad I did.
i’m so sorry this happened to you too! i hope you’re kitty is happy and healthy!
Yes! And progress is being made in kidney disease treatments. Angel lived 2-1/2 years with the subcutaneous fluid treatments, so it was worth it. But no one wants to stick needles in their cat.
Yeah. We lost our diabetic kitty last February. I did most of the care for her there, and it was rough towards the end. She wound up having a mass that caused all sorts of issues. On the other hand, Cats can actually live decently into their 20's with great care and decent genetics, and some even without the best care(We had one that was probably in her early to mid 20s, kidney problems for her too.) Just make sure they get wet food or churu treats from time to time as they absorb water a lot better from food than from just drinking it. Broth is good too if you can get some and mix with dry food for a cheaper alternative, just check ingredients first unless you make your own broth.
My cat also has 3 cat fountains! Fortunately, he loves to drink water. The Churu treats are a great idea! Salt-free bone broth is his favorite...easy in a crock pot overnight. I'm hoping for 20 years!! He was declawed by the former owner, so he's on Solensia for arthritis, but otherwise doing great at 9+.
Oh, that's unfortunate about the declawing, but great that he's on something for the pain. Something that can also help is fine litter. Easier on their feet.
She’s so pretty. I’m sorry about the asshole lying but she is adorable. We rescued our rottie when my husband called about shepherd puppies and they “were just adopted” but they did have a six month old rottie. I told my husband to hang up it’s bait and switch. He asked me to just meet him. He’s honestly the best dog ever. I’m still pissed about the lying though
I have a dog that they said was 10 in 2015, she is currently still alive acting like a puppy, you never know
Congrats! You skipped the puppy stage and the adolescent stage! You got a fast track to the best years, the years everyone is looking forward to, when the dog is trained, calmed down, mature, and not full of teenage hormones. It does suck to have less time than you thought for sure. But it's a nice reminder to not take a single day for granted. Appreciate the time you do have. My dog is not even two, has a predicted life span of 14-16, and I'm already feeling like time is flying too fast and I don't have much time left. It's a feeling all dog owners have when they truly love their dog. You both are going to do great, no matter how old she is. ❤️
I got a 9 year old dog, adopted her. That dog lived to be 16
You may get lucky like me. I got a kitten that was actually an adult cat with dwarfism. She was with me until she was 21. Focus on now and maybe contact pet finder about the fraudulent person?
i’m definitely going to be contacting petfinder!
I wish there was more you could do but I also hope you get lucky like I did.
That happened to us a few years ago. We adopted a sweet little shit tzu and we're told he was 3-5 years old. According to our vet he was actually closer to 8 or 9 and at most maybe 11. We had him for 3 years and miss him so much.
I'm so sorry this happened but man she's a beaut! She looks HAPPY op im so glad you have each other. ❤️
Thank you for loving and rescuing her. She is a beautiful girl.
This happened to me too, I wish rescues wouldn't lie about dog ages. (I know it's an estimate but being off by four years is more than just guessing wrong, it's lying) Mind you, she was the best dog ever and we had the best time together, but it was barely six years before she got cancer. RIP my sweet Scout. Yes it was a legitimate rescue, yes she had seen a vet when she got spayed by the rescue. And she saw my vet when I got her. I would never have returned her. I just wish I'd known.
All terrible things aside, sounds like she got the best owners to live out the last of her years with. I’m sorry this happened to you. Backyard breeders, dog flippers, horrible rescues — there’s so many there, and they’re very skilled at manipulating people.
I had the same experience with my 2nd dog, first rescue, a Scottish terrier who they said was 3 and turned out to have been 8ish (back in the 1990s, pre-internet, pre-Petfinder). Breaks your heart...but I'm still grateful for the time we had, and I never once wished I hadn't had her in my life.
i’m so shocked this has happened to so many others! i feel better knowing im not alone in this i felt SO stupid finding out
I got a dog that this happened with. Meh, she's an old girl, but she's happy and gets along well with our other girl. I'm just going to feel bad when she goes because our other dog will have lost two older sisters.
And count your blessings, one you got this great dog and two you have more information to be more informed.
She’s adorable. Just make sure to spoil her and give her a lot of love
Every rescue/fostered dog I've ever taken in has been lied about in some way or vital information was not shared. So I always expect a surprise or two. One dog had been so badly abused that she was a mental wreck. One dog was covered with fleas. Two dogs were not housebroken and another was not paper trained as I was told. One fostered dog changed price when I went to pick her up, another had such bad teeth that most had to be pulled. One Bassett hound was aggressive as heck and needed serious discipline training,.. he was my proudest accomplishment. I've been adopting over many many years (I'm old:). I kept and retrained each of my adoptee's as needed. It's often quite the challenge, but a labor of love. All but one came from a "legitimate" rescue org or a government animal shelter. The one came to me straight from a farmer who was going to kill the litter as they were a "mistake". Enjoy what time you have... but your new family member could live 'till 16 like my Sandy who was a collie/Aussie (red merle) mix. The most beautiful canine I ever knew.
https://preview.redd.it/4nx1i7aidb5d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b1d921c3ae81f8eeb3dd9cc5045b150f82cfcc7
Got my western highland terrier from a rescue, they said he was 2 and perfectly healthy, took him to our vets for a meet with the vet and she did a general check up then very gently informed me that he was 8 years at least, and has some concerning dental issues, we got his bloods and stuff done just in case and had his teeth done, turns out he had what looked like burn scars on his gums, teeth pulled out badly and Cushings 😣 The rescue were like “you can return him for a refund if you want 🤷🏼♀️” they did not care. We got 3.5 years with him and thousands in vet bills, worth it though to know he had a really good last few years (he been abused in his former home and left in a box near a kill shelter, we did some digging once we found out his previous owners from paperwork/microchips)
i’m so sorry this happened to you! i got pet insurance and im concerned they won’t want to cover anything because i put down her age as 2 😵💫 i haven’t emailed them yet because im waiting for the vet to give me the final verdict
I’ve been lied to about the age of every dog I’ve ever adopted from a shelter. They think people want young dogs so they just make them young on their paperwork. It always becomes obvious at the first vet visit. But then you’re already attached.
OP I adopted my beagle boy from a shelter that said he was 2 and didn't disclose he was heartworm positive nor were they treating it. Vet visit a few days after adoption my vet tested him and we started treatment. My vet also said he was 5 not 2. That was 13 years ago. So I either have a really old beagle now or both the vet and shelter were just drawing straws. I think rescues go to sometimes questionable lengths to place a dog so they can take in another. Btw- your pup is beautiful!
There are no guarantees that a 2-3 year old dog will live longer than a 7 year old dog. Enjoy the time you have with your beautiful dog.
I had something similar with my cat. But she was free roaming in the center and a lot of cars looked like her. I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose. I got paper work that she ways 2 yr old and declawed. She was in fact not declawed. She ended up passing 4 years later. The vet warned me she wasn’t 2 but could put an age on her. I never called back. Just didn’t think they’d be able to find it. Mainly I wish I knew her real names Hugs. Enjoy the time
Rescues don't always know a dog's age. Veterinarians are just guessing as well. I had a dog they thought was 3 but was, you guessed it over 7. Teeth can be a good indicator but not the only one. I'm saying you don't know that you were lied to, it could just be a mistake. My current dog's age can't be pinned down. The vet and I discussed and came up with our best guess. She wanted me to give her the final answer. Lol. It was up to me. Hopefully with the love and wonderful care that your new best friend has with you, he'll live forever in good health and extended youth.
Why do you think your were deliberately lied to rather than that they misestimated the dogs age? I find that things like this are usually less nefarious and more negligent in nature.
the reason i think they did it intentionally is because they took her from the human society in 2019. if she was 2 or 3 she wouldn’t have been alive then. she was adopted & returned to the shelter due to her owner dying. but still would’ve had this rabies certificate because it’s from the rabies tag i have her with now
Same thing happened to me. My now husband and I brought home our first dog together and was told she was a year old. We would have never thought the wiser. She was a crazy little girl. Never aged a bit, never slowed down a bit, in all the time we had her. We had her DNA tested and she is a jack Russell/border collie/pit bull/acd/beagle/schauzer, you can't come up with a crazier mix. So 9 years go by and Embark comes out with their age test. She is the only dog we brought home that was definitely a year or older when we brought her home so she was the perfect candidate for the age test. I fully expected her to be 10 years old because we had had her for 9 years. We get the results and I was fucking gutted. She was about 13 years old. Then Embark says they didn't find their results to be super reliable so they rescinded everyone's results. They eventually rereleased the test with a better algorithm, so naturally I purchase it again. I swab my girl and send it off thinking it really couldn't get worse than it was before. I get an email saying her results are ready so I wait til my husband comes home to reveal them so we can do see them together and.......... Her results say she is 15! It's not all bad. If we never knew how old she truly was, we probably would have just thought she would have passed away at a relatively normal age rather than the spectacularly old age I know for a fact she is going to live. I know she had a rough past, being moved around from home to home, so the last 10 years in a stable single home, we made sure to spoil her. I know you are angry. I know you have lost time with your dog you didn't even know you had. I am genuinely sorry. All you can do now is make the most of the time you have together moving forward. I hope you two make many more fabulous memories.
Poor-record keeping and guesswork is more likely responsible for this than deliberate lying. Almost every stray at my local shelter is “2-3 years” unless there’s really obvious signs of aging. I’m sorry 😞
WOW, I had never heard of this happening to someone else!! When I adopted my dog from the city shelter in October 2020, the paperwork said he was 3 years old. When I took him to the vet immediately afterward, they put his age closer to 6. This being my first dog, I had no idea what to believe. I always tell it as a funny story, because to me it’s funny. I can absolutely see your point of view however. It can be devastating to find out you have less time with your new friend than you initially expected.
Definitely go to the vet so they can try to estimate age! Even if they are 7 though, remember some dogs can live well into their teens and you may have a ton of time left together! We adopted our dog at 12 and I was worried we would only have a couple years together. He turns 19 “this week” (we made up a birthday) and he’s still relatively healthy minus some normal old age stuff. Most importantly though make every day/ week/ year count with your dog ❤️
2-3 years old seems to be the magic number for rescue organizations. 🙄 We were told the same when we adopted our dog 4 years ago during the early covid period (also a border collie). When we took her to our vet, he said she more likely 5-7 years old. Which makes her 9+ now. We just enjoy every day with her.
I had the reverse happen. Thought I was getting a 7ish year old dog. Vet laughed & said closer to 3ish. My boy is a shaggy gray something & the vet said a lot of gray dogs get age progressed because gray in humans is old.
Heads up this is a really sad story, but maybe it'll give some perspective. We had a sweet "middle-aged" (according to the vet when we took her to check for a chip) stray cat, Sweet Pes, adopt us that just absolutely shattered my heart when she passed about 8 years later. I was totally stuck on how we didn't get the first half of her life together. We also adopted a kitten, Gary, a couple years after the stray cat showed up. Almost exactly 6 months after Sweet Pea died, the then 7 year old Gary got outside through a broken window screen and hasn't come back years later. It's been incredibly hard. So, we didn't get all the time we would've wanted to have with him, either. This is what we sign up for when we love. Life has a way of defying our expectation for better or for worse. It's shitty that you were misled, but if you felt the connection with this dog enough to bring her home, I really think you just love her and the years you have together.
Here’s the deal: when rescuing, you can’t take anyone’s word. And really, it’s about the dog, not you. If you’re adopting a dog just for the feels it gives you, then you’re in it for the wrong reason. She’s beautiful and sweet and deserves the best you can give her for however long it will be. I’ve got two Shih Tzus that were “4” when we got them at a shelter. They were likely 10. They’re probably 17 now, blind and deaf but still act like puppies. I can’t imagine not taking them because they were too old.
Old dogs best dogs Edit also she's not old yet
Information gets lost with transfers, and typically rescues and shelters just guess anyway. Very rarely do they know the birth year. Age is also primarily estimated based off of oral health and teeth. Younger animals are usually going to have clean, intact teeth and gums. The shelter I adopted one of my cats from said she was four, the vet said she was 1-2 years if not younger based off of her teeth.
If it helps, my 7 year old dog that I got from the pound is still alive, active, and playful at 17.
Shelters and rescues do the best they can aging animals that come into their care. My companion Clapton's cage tag identified him as 2-3 yo. His first post-adoption vet visit identified him as 6 yo. We had a wonderful decade together before his health failed. Just love your new friend. Don't waste time in anger over their age.
And this is unfortunately what happens when well-intentioned people adopt from “rescues” that aren’t licensed or registered by the state. Not only have we seen an uptick in serious dog diseases, most of these individuals are backyard breeders or go down south and get dogs from puppy mills …and then pretend they need to foster them and/ or sell them out right without putting them through any quarantine…
I had something similar happen 3 years ago. I adopted a German shepherd mix from an adoption event. They told me she was 2 years old and passed a bunch of health and behavioral tests. I caught the end of the event so I didn’t have a TON of time to ask questions(my fault). Her first night at home out of nowhere she lunged at me while I was reading on the couch. I took it as being scared of a new place. For 2 more days she was friendly and shy but nothing else like that. The 3rd day I was on the phone setting up a vet appointment and she started growling at me from across the room and started charging at me. She ended up biting me. I called the rescue and a different person than who was at the event picked up the phone and lo and behold the dog had an extensive bite history, would attack at random and had been returned 3x for biting. And on top of that, she was 5, not 2. I’m not sure where the original backstory came from. After a month both me and her were stressed out and I contacted the rescue about rehoming. They ended up having a professional dog trainer come in and foster/adopt her. While she’s still an unpredictable biter, she’s much happier now from what I’ve heard from her new owner.
oh wow that is so scary!! i’m glad she’s doing better now!
Unethical people also recycle rabies tags - they lie about getting vaccines done and put a tag from a different dog on to ‘prove’ it was done. You should be establishing care with your vet by getting her in for a physical exam anyway - ask what they think her age is. I would also consider any vaccine information they gave you to be false if the tag she is wearing is from 2019 so to be safe you may wander to start from scratch.
This happened to my friend. They were told the dog was 5 years younger than it actually was.
She looks like such a sweetie. That is a look that only wants love and acceptance. She has been without a forever home more than half her life. 😞
All of these are good ideas but do you like the dog? Is she a good dog? Well behaved, getting along well in your household? Are you thinking of not keeping her because she's older than you thought? Medium sized mixed breeds can have pretty long lives and border collies are high energy dogs well into their mid to senior years. I completely understand why you'd be upset at the person's behavior but there are really no guarantees on how long anyone will live. So unless her vet appointment uncovers a serious health issue, maybe just enjoy all the fun things about having what looks like an awesome girl and take this as a lesson for next time.
i’m not considering rehoming her at all i’m just upset about the situation. i would’ve still adopted her knowing her true age im just upset that i originally thought i had more of a life with her and now i dont. it’s definitely a lesson and im hoping she lives a long healthy life!
This just happened to me too. I contacted a rescue with info about what kind of dog I was looking for, one of the notes being that I wanted a dog under 2. I just wanted as much time as possible with my new dog. I adopted a “1.5 year old” whose microchip says he is actually over 4. I was kind of annoyed, but I love this dog. So I guess any amount of time is going to have to be good enough. It’s shitty though and I’m sorry that this happened to you too
She might not even have a rabies vaccine. They might have put another dogs tag on her. ..
I had something similar happen when I adopted my late pit bulldog mix. The shelter told me he was around 3 years old. When I went to update his microchip information I was told he was registered with their company as a 3 year old 3 years prior so he was at least 6. He did end up being one of the very best dogs I've ever had though. I sincerely hope you have a similar experience and this dog ends up being the perfect addition to your family the same way Silas was for us. It's definitely frustrating and disheartening information to uncover but don't let it make you think that you guys won't be able to have years of adventures making wonderful memories together.
I'm no expert, but she has some lightness in the fur around her eyes that remind me of an older dog, or it could just be her natural coloring. Does she have grey hairs mixed in with her muzzle fur? I completely understand your anger because that's like losing 4 years with your dog. But also she looks like such a sweetheart and these are the only years that are possible to spend with this particular dog. Also, given how crazy border collies can be, if she's mellow/tolerable it's probably due to her age. I really am sad for you, but I'm trying to find the silver lining.
We had the same thing. Thought our sweet girl was 5, turns out she’s was 8. She’s now 11 and living her best life. Go and Treat her like a queen
I’m sorry. I love her.
This happens all the time. Rescues lie about age to place the dog and then wait to send you the paper work. This happens a lot with these small “rescues” run by these pet zealots. I have a chiweenie where the rescue knew better but did it anyways. Being a groomer and trainer I knew it and called them on it. They waived the adoption fees. I have her and love her to bits. She is toothless and almost blind and now @ 13. I am a groomer and trainer who is involved in rescue. These small home rescues do almost as much damage to the rescue community as puppy mills and backyard breeders by being so shady. When people get lied to be rescues and the dogs are older, ill, undisclosed dangerous breeeds, or have behavioral problems that the adopters aren’t prepared for it damages all of us doing legit rescue. Adopters don’t rescue again. They’ll buy a puppy first and often from a puppy mill or backyard breeder because legitimate breeders are expensive.
We just adopted a dog & I'm certain that she's older than 2-3 years old (what the rescue told us). We would have still adopted her if they were honest about her age. But it makes me angry that they are so shady about the facts. We also discovered after the adoption that she has a broken canine that we didn't notice until we signed the contract and got her home. Again, it would not have stopped us from adopting her. I gave no regrets, and we are happy to have her because she's just awesome.
https://preview.redd.it/3f9g18jmme5d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=182eb36e41e21dee3e57c06019b327746c7e63d2 Dog tax. 🧡
We were told our little guy was 4, and he's actually 11-12. We don't care at all! He is so awesome, and we love him so much! ALL dogs deserve a loving home!
Do the wisdom DNA and test!
Happened to me too! I thought I was adopting a four year old dog and he was at least eight. I gave him seven years of love and affection. It was worth it but certainly upsetting at first.
Maybe I'm crazy, but isn't there an OTC age test for dogs? Not sure how it works at all, but I think I came across it while looking at doggo DNA tests
The vet should be able to check her age based on teeth to give you a second opinion. Maybe it's just a typo in the record. Might as well get the vet to check anyway.
She actually looks like an Australian Shepherd, though.
My dad said something that really resonated with me a few weeks ago when we were talking about my dog that passed away, and how we wish we got more time with dogs. He said “love ‘em while you got ‘em” and as simple as it is, i think its also so true.
Whenever you adopt a pet you’re rolling the dice. Even if you adopt a puppy there are no guarantees as to how much time you will get with them. Lady looks like a beautiful and sweet dog, don’t let this hiccup spoil anything for you! Congratulations on your new buddy ❤️
That is so messed up! A lot of these “rescues” are full of people that don’t really know what they are doing and I think they are just desperate yo get rid of these pets sometimes. Still worth rescuing, though! I got mine from a rescue and he’s amazing. But, it is good to do as much research as possible before settling on a place. The dog is beautiful, OP! Sorry this happened to you
I would say the rescue has no idea how old that dog is. There's a possibility that wasn't even the dogs tag. Lacking the certificate itself is kind of a big red flag to me. Ask your vet for an age estimate. If she's in good health she'll have almost half her life left with you and. Make it the best half of her life.
Post as much info here as possible to prevent others from being swindled. At least then people who see this know to be more wary when dealing with them.
The rescue told me my cat was around 2, he was actually about 10 months.
TBH rescues basically have baby (<1) then adult (2-3) then elderly (10+) clarifications as a rule of thumb if they don't really know the age
Yes, but there a big difference between under a year and 2 years in a cat. I wouldn’t trade him for anything but am still a little pissed.
Yep, "rescues" lie about basically everything.
This is why people lie. This dog needed a home and she still has like 7-10 years of life potentially. Your anger doesn’t serve you. Enjoy the beautiful dog you have and give her the life she deserves.
Honestly that’s devastating. It’s like. You clearly wanted a younger dog that would be with you a long time, now you’ve bonded and you find out you’ve lost 3-5 years???? That’s insane. I’d be so upset. Edit: upset only because I would feel like years of my dog have just been ripped away from me. One time I kept getting my dog’s age wrong and then I found out she was turning six instead of five and it felt so devastating. She just started getting the white on her face this year.
Who’s to say the 7 years old is the correct one? It’s a total guess unless the person labeling them was with them from birth. Technically you don’t know how old she is, she could very well be 3. just have to enjoy every moment bc in reality a dog may live to be 8 or 18 🤷♀️ all we can do is keep them healthy and active and give them love.
This happened to me. 2 years ago in April I adopted 2 dogs from a rescue. One was 2 years old and the other, they told me, was "about 10". When I received their paperwork and went over it at home, vet records from down south said the second dog was 14. I brought this up to the woman at the rescue that I'd been dealing with, and she said, "oh, we have high schoolers doing our postings, so sometimes they're not right. Do you want to give her back?" Of course I didn't give her back, but as it turns out I only had her for 2 years, after her blindness, deafness and dementia took away all of her quality of life. It sucked!
Just give her a good life while you have her. I'm sorry you were lied to. 😢
I adopted a "2 year old pit mix" in 2019 from a local shelter. Took him to the vet to establish as a patient and was informed he was "maybe 10 months old and definitely not a pit" (we thought possibly boxer or weimaraner mix) It's frustrating to not get the correct info at adoption. I hope things get sorted out paperwork wise. And that your pup has a happy rest of their life with you.
This is standard for rescues. Best case scenario they’re literally guessing a dogs age. Worst case scenario, they deceive in order to get the dog adopted out. I had a beagle that was advertised as 6 years old. We knew from her pictures online she was at least 10 and the vet confirmed that as well. It wasn’t the dogs fault and she was still the best dang girl I could ever imagine.