How much $ to rescue?

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Sasha's Mom

Boxer Booster
Congrats!!!

Can't wait to see pictures of your new furbaby!!

We recently adopted Harley (our first foster dog). With our rescue, it's a flat fee of $200, or $100 if the dog is six years or older. The problem with Harley is that we keep getting different age estimates on him. Maybe you veteran rescuers out there can help.

The estimate by the person who rescued him from the shelter was 5-6 years. Once he was vetted, the age estimate changed to under 3 years (although when I called the vet's office to question the discrepancy, I was told there was no age noted on his record). Now, I have to tell you that Harley is such a very good boy, that I had a hard time believing that he was that young. He also acted and "looked" older; not silver, just older. I know that he was probably not cared for properly by his former owner and was probably an outside dog, so perhaps it could all be chaulked up to neglect. Then, the real kicker - we took him to our vet and he estimates he's between 7 and 10 years!! Okay, now I know he's not 10, but I'm sooooo confused.

One thing I am sure of is that he's got gingival hyperplasia (which I "believe" is more prevelant in older dogs). Thought at first he'd ground down his small bottom teeth, but later learned (from reading here) that the gums can grow over them. We're considering treatment options, likely surgery, but would like to get a better estimation on his age before making a final decision. Another perplexing twist is that every day, he seems to have more energy and act younger (he's been with us a bit over a month).

When we signed his adoption papers, we were only charged $100 (since we'd already taken him to the vet and due to undetermined age). I since feel guilty for not paying the $200 because I know how badly funds are needed AND I really don't know his age! Regardless, we love him to pieces. I'm planning on sending in another $100 - he's so sweet, I feel we got the better end of the deal anyway! I've attached a picture of him.

Sorry to get kind of off topic, but I've searched the boards for topics regarding age determination and really didn't find any answers. Any suggestions?

Otto's Mom, congrats again . . . please post pictures when you can!

Thanks!

Susan
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Claudia807

Completely Boxer Crazy
Wow, Susan . . . your mom sure raised you right! The fact that you want to send more money to the rescue says a lot about who you are. When I checked out Harley's photo, my first thought was that he looks about 6 or 7 to me. However, it really is hard to guess sometimes. I placed a Boxer mix last year and my vet told me that he thought she was around 2 years old. Now the dog is in her new home and their vet thinks she is more like 7. Well, I felt just awful, as if I had misled them or something, but they really don't care about her age.

I'll be interested to see what sort of responses you get, because determining a dog's age can be more difficult than one would think. Of course, a vet looks at the teeth and then gets a feel for the age from that and also from listening to the heart and lungs. If a dog had been poorly cared for, he might seem older than he really is.

We placed one dog named Martin last year. He had every health problem in the book. The lady who adopted him is a nurse, and I mean to tell you, she has literally turned back the clock for Martin. We still think he is at least 7 years old, but I see him all the time and he acts like a pup! That's what good veterinary care, a good diet, and lots of TLC can do for a dog!

Of course, Harley is probably immortal and you can count on him being around for a long time. He certainly is handsome!
 

Sasha's Mom

Boxer Booster
Thanks, Claudia! It's funny, the day he came to us as a foster, we thought 6-7 too, then we got all the conflicting information. Our vet did say he seems healthy (aside from his mush mouth), so that was very pleasing. I read your post the other day about if you ever kept a foster it would be a three-legged, deaf white boxer - oh, my, I had to laugh - you are a special lady! I know what you mean though - the harder to place, the more you love (besides, you'd have such great experience with special needs, no one would care for them better)!!

We are going to be taking him to a dental specialist, so maybe he can shed additional light on the age factor. We shall see!

Susan
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Sasha's Mom

Boxer Booster
Thank you . . .

We think he's pretty handsome too! Funny thing is that he's even more well-behaved then he is handsome! We weren't really looking to adopt quite yet, but he's such a good boy, we just had to keep him. He gets along well with both male and female dogs (as does Sasha), so that allows us to continue to help with rescue. Haven't had another full-time foster yet, but have had several shelter pulls/owner surrender dogs come through the house in the past month and it was no trouble at all. He's such a joy, nothing but love!!!

Susan
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