Worse Comfort Dogs For Older Veterans
Worse Comfort Dogs
For Older Veterans
The dogs listed here are only singled out because they’re not recommended for the average older / senior veterans. After serving in the military under sometimes very unique circumstances, we look for a less complicated lifestyle. For that reason, we might only want a companion but not necessarily a needy dependent.
If you’re a doggie lover like me, we tend to think about the good parts and just accept the bad. Younger people, have wider margins for error in judgement. Mistakes I make now, hurt more and for a longer period of time.
That brings me to a breed that might surprise most of us. We’ve grown up seeing these cute dogs with spots in movies. We’ve laughed at them in cartoons. Dalmatians have even been the mascot for fire fighters nationwide so what can possibly be so bad? I always wanted one when I was a kid. Why shouldn’t a retired military person rush out and get one?
The verdict isn’t conclusive and the jury is still out about whether they’re easy or difficult to train. They require lots of outdoor exercise and when they don’t get it, they become stubborn. They respond well to treats, rewards and praise but can be very unpredictable. Dalmatians can also be pretty aggressive too. Last but not least, Dalmatians shed all the live long day, so to speak. Seriously though they shed all year long. That’s way too much cleanup work for me. All this makes this breed a not so very good fit as a comfort dog for senior veterans.
Rottweiler: These are big and heavy dogs that consume allot of chow. They require a great deal of attention from their owners and obedience training when they’re young. These puppies need lots of hard exercise too. This breed will benefit greatly from regular baths, brushings, teeth cleaning and over-all grooming.
Rottweilers need space therefore apartment living is not best for them. They might be aggressive with visitors and they are protective. If you have occasional guest or grandchildren, close watch should be considered. Some groups feel very passionate about this breed and might disagree. A Rottweiler would not be my choice for a comfort animal if comfort only was my primary concern.
I think it’s important at this point to say that many of us feel just as much passion for our animals as we do for our family. For the most part, our animals are part of the family and might be our only family. That said, anything that sounds remotely like a dig or criticism rubs some of us the wrong way. In other words, we get pissed off. I do get it.
Just like with a truck for example. Some are best suited to haul boxes while others are made to haul tree trunks. Animals also serve different purposes. There’s no such thing as a multi purpose pet that does everything as well as every other pet. If the pet you like doesn’t fit the profile for every know category, please understand that it’s not a personal attack on your breed.
Since I’m not real good at running from a fight, I did save this for last. At the risk of making some Pit Bull owners very unhappy, this is not a comfort pet. They were bred to be a dog fighter and not a warm and cuddling snuggle bunny.
For full disclosure here, I’m not a big fan of the Pit Bull. I think they’re unpredictable in my opinion. If a Pit gets upset, you might have to really hurt it or kill it to save yourself or the life of someone else. If I were under threat from an angry mob, I’d like to have a Pit Bull by my side. If my grandchildren are playing in the yard, no Pit Bull thank you.