Could anyone tell me where to find a dog for dementia patients?

wheres boni at ? she has a demented little s*it factory shed like to get rid of ..

I went to the Aspca and adopted an older dog for my aunt when she herniated her disc. She needed something to motivate her to get up and walk and to fell like loved her. I did all the care of the dog, let her feed treats (small plastic container of treats) This was before she went so far into the dementia. The dog had been relinquished by a 75 year old man who had been placed in a nursing home and she was 7. A chi-Pomeranian mix. She was used to older people and always slept in the dog carrier out of the way. It is a problem, but my aunt adores her and wants to carry her everywhere. (The aunt rarely leaves home so it just around the house). Whenever I am there and have to leave she gets all tearful because she is afraid I'm going to take the little dog. My son who has taken over the day to day job is ok with the added care because it does reduce her agitation dramatically to have the dog sit on her. It is smaller than the 12 week old kitten I got my grandson and plays with it much to my mother and aunt's amusement. If you or they have always been animal people it might work out for you.

you might look into a visiting therapy dog organization. My dog and I belong to Therapy Dogs International, that as one I belong to so so I can visit patients at hospitals. They are out of NJ but they can find you someone you can visit your relative or whoever. They can come to the house weekly - depending on whatever you need. That may help and you won't have to worry about dog ownership etc. if for whatever reason TDI doesn't work out, try Pet Partners or call a local residential facility, talk to the activities person and let them know you are looking to get in touch with a therapy dog organization. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Just a thought to add to fregflyers excellent comments. I also have made arrangements with my daughter through my will to take our dog if she happens to out live me. Of course, she and I already discussed this. However I will not get another pet once my current pets pass. I just see too much of these precious fur babiesaf losing their homes to death of an owner at the rescue where I volunteer due to family not willing to take them on. It is a shame. That's why I have 2 out of the 3 dogs I have now. My heart when out to those seniors, 10 and 11 yrs old, who lost their people. So do take that into consideration.

lanamasri , a pet adoption is great only if you know the pet can be placed in another forever home is something happens to *you* first.

If you get a young pet, think about how old you and your husband would be if that dog lived to be 14 or that cat lived to be 20. That is one reason my significant other and myself haven't added to our feline herd of three cats, which all are now in their early teens. If we added a youngster we could be 87 and that cat would still be with us. I can't imagine dumping litter boxes at that age :0

I posted before I was finished sorry.
However if the dog is to benefit a person with Dementia and you are in the house with them or someone else is living with the person to care for the dogs needs then by all means seek out a rescue that can help you with a proper placement. Call your local pet adoption organizations and they can guild you in the right direction. As a volunteer for one of those organizations, it is the goal to place every animal properly to ensure success for both the pet and forever home. Good luck in advance.

Please, please, please listen to all those advising you to NOT adopt a dog for the Dementia patient.
My mother has a cat that was hers pre-Dementia, however, I take care of the poor thing. She has filled the kitty litter with cat food (not kidding). I had changed the kitty litter in the morning and sometime during the day before I brought over her dinner, my mother had filled it with the cat food. The cat met me at the front door to lead me back to litter box. Now I check every time I am in the house by just glancing at the litter, food, and water to make sure there has not been any tampering.

Pets can bring peace and joy to those who like animals. You can look for a therapy dog as mentioned above, they have special training and are perfect for visiting those with dementia. I would suggest the dog that visits, whether it is a therapy dog or not, should be very docile and friendly and not hyper and barking. If you don't have any family that can 'share' their dog, check in your neighborhood to see if a neighbor has a friendly dog that can visit your mother. You want to make sure the dog has had it's shots.

Caretaker, do you have any experience of rehoming bereaved dogs? How does that tend to go, do you know?

There are animal shelters that have a program called Senior to Senior Dog adoptions that cost very little to nothing. Minimum age for senior dogs are between 5-7 years. One reputable organization is http://paws.org/cats-and-dogs/adopt/seniors-for-seniors. I would recommend you take your husband with you when looking to adopt a dog so you know the personality and temperment of the dog will be a good match for your husband and you.

Lanamasri.. how kind and thoughtful of you to consider adopting a dog for you that would also benefit your husband. I wish I could help you in person to go visit potential dogs, but there are qualified folks who you might be able to work with to help you judge the temperament (age, energy level, etc) of dogs you meet for the best fit for YOU to bond with and live with on a daily basis, and who would connect in a calm and gentle manner with your husband. My first question to you is Have you had dogs as pets before? If not, I would hesitate to encourage you to jump in to dog ownership for the first time while you're handling so much responsibility, personally, physically and emotionally having to take care of your husband. Please feel free to contact me with any dog-related questions, I've had 40 years of dog ownership, rescue, rehoming, training experience... I've learned so much through all these years, I would be more than happy to help you in any way I can... - Sincerely, Suzi

I really appreciate your answers. Sorry if i confused some of you with my question.. Actually i am the care taker of my husband and willing to take care of the dog as well for his sake if really that could offer him nice moments in his dementia. i know that he won't be able to handle a dog but he is able to exchange tenderness and love witch is a part of his character. I can see that clear when he plays with feral cats in the street. I know for fact it is a double work for me but i have a nice help at home so that could make my duty 20% easier. I will reread you answers deeply tom to understand better your point of view. Thank you again to everyone.

FWIW, Even when they've had animals their live, you can't assume they will still be good with the pet they've had for years. My good friend, Diane's mother always had a cat or dog. As her dementia progressed, my friend took on the care giving roll, visiting almost daily, bought the pet food, and cleaned the litter box, etc. But for a long while her mom seemed able to feed the cat, and treated it well. That was until Diane began to notice that the cat was whining and crying a awful lot, as if it was very hungry. On investigation she found that the cat food bowl was full to the brim.....of kitty litter! She found a new home for the poor thing, very soon thereafter.

Lisa, sorry I didn't see your post. I've seen programs on therapy dogs who alert for cancer and stroke issues.

Did a quick Google search and got some hits:

There are several hits on diabetic alert dogs after the first 3 ads.

Good luck in finding an appropriate dog!

Ashlynne, good point. I hadn't thought of that. I was envisioning someone sitting on a nice comfortable bench with happy dogs with tails wagging coming up to be friendly and get a nice hug. The tails on lab retrievers could pack a real wallop though!

Someone suggested visiting a dog park. Great idea but, if you do, stay outside the fence. A group of dogs running and playing can knock you flat. I did dog park daily for 14 years (when I had no back yard) and I'd always keep to the perimeter where there were trees handy to hang on to. I told everyone I was practising pole dancing :)

Here's an alternative, one that's worked for us. If your husband is mobile enough to get outside and sit in warm weather, and if you live in a community with a lot of foot traffic, try that. Neighbors will come by, some walking dogs, and you can ask if they'll bring the dog over for some "furry conversation".

My father does that and sometimes visits with 3 - 4 dogs on a weekend. One dog family now specifically takes a route down his street so his dogs can visit with my father. They've grown to know him and tug and pull as they approach his house.

Another issue is home care. So hard to get good home care for the rare times I get it and to ask them to do dog too is an added problem. Allergies, fears you name it. So hard to get good home care without a pet. Can't see adding a pet would help. Therapy pets all the way at this point.

My mom wants a dog too. I think a visiting therapy dog would do better as a pet at this point for me and mom since mom now requires lots of care is extremely frail and has limited mobility and now has dementia. I feel guilty sometimes because I do dog walking on a very part time basis and that seems to have fueled mom's desire. Maybe I'm selfish but I feel mom is enough to take care of not looking to throw a dog in the mix.

I've heard of service dogs for people with type 1 diabetes, anyone have an idea where to find them, cost, etc.....

A well-meaning friend of my mother's gave her a little Chihuahua 6 months ago... I had no idea this was happening and probably couldn't have talked my mother out of it before hand even if I had known. My mother is a few weeks from turning 94, and it's been extremely painful for me to watch and witness my mother's lack of patience with this sweet dear little dog. I worked very hard to research and find a wonderful family who love chi dogs and were committed to adopting little Lola... but my mother wouldn't let it happen... I am a dog lover and have successfully adopted rescue dogs who needed extra care, patience and understanding to help them adapt and become happy, adjusted, trained and happy forever family members... therefore, it's an additional burden for me having to worry about Lola's (lack of) care as I'm trying to be the caretaker of my mother's wellbeing and health care.. ! I knew my mother was a poor candidate to take in a dog full-time, but if I'd had any control, I would have picked an older dog who was house-trained and sedate, not a young, busy little rescue Chihuahua who wants to PLAY PLAY PLAY and... as it turns out... is not house trained (and my mother will NOT follow ANY instructions about helping Lola learn... etc. etc. So when Lola relieves herself somewhere in the house, my mother yells and hollers at the poor dog and has even admitted to swinging a rug and hitting her with it!! All completely upsetting and confusing to poor Lola.... But I can't talk my mother into letting me find Lola another home.. at least not yet. If things get worse, and they will, either for Lola or my mother will have another health emergency, and there have been at least two every year for the past 5 years... THEN I will remove Lola and I promise, I will make sure she is place in a wonderful forever home with competent, educated-about-dogs, dog-loving people!) I.e., I say all that to say, even without dementia, a very old person is generally not a good candidate for taking on the full-time care of a new dog... (But a visiting dog is a GREAT BLESSING to old folks... and I believe dogs are a great blessing to all of us).

Lack of memory and caring for a dog not a good mix. If the dog is used to walk through assisted living and "brighten" the day of the residents with someone else caring for the dog fine. If you are the primary care giver and want to take on a dog to care for as well, think this over. It will be an added headache. It may well be a safety concern as the dog can trip a senior with mobility or memory issues.

If it is a caregiver who is lonely and wants a dog for company, again it will distract from the caregiving. Get the dog once the elder passes away and you are in the grieving process and need a happy distraction.

Good luck.

frustrated, our golden is a lap sitter whenever there is a thunderstorm. If I sit on the floor she will crawl right in! LOL!

If you live with the person then please go through a reputable rescue group. Explain what kind of dog you need and what temperment. A good rescue will allow you some time for the dog to live with you on a trial basis. if it doesn't work out they will take the dog back or work on training. Please don't buy a dog. That only encourages breeders and many could care less if the dog ends up in the pound as long as they have your money.

Not sure if you are asking about where to find a dog that would especially do well 'spending time' with a dementia patient OR asking where to find one for them to own. I agree with everybody above about the inability to care for a dog. Dogs are a LOT of work for anyone who is cognizant. Additionally, with an older person that should mean minimally an older dog. Here is another example of what can go wrong with an older dog: Our sweet little pug, who is gentle and would make a wonderful visiting companion for elderly people and those with dementia, recently developed type one diabetes. Now he needs shots twice a day right after feeding and is on a carefully balanced, time constrained diet. Can you even imagine someone with dementia dealing with something like that? Older dogs have the same issues as older folks. NO dogs (to be owned and cared for) by a dementia patient. But dogs make wonderful, patient companions and seem to wake up something in those who have lost their cognizance. I would contact a therapy dog organization, which you can find by dialing 211, or look something up on the internet. Or ask a nursing home who they know about. If YOU are adopting the dog and are caring for it and your question is based on what KIND of dog would be best, contact the AKC and research breeds. Also many mutts are great too. I personally adore pugs for elderly people. They are sturdy enough not to be delicate, are smart and probably one of the sweetest, most patient dogs in the world. Old people as well as children do well with them. We have had four and I have never seen a bit of aggression in any of them, ever. Goldens are wonderful too, as well as Labs. They are a bit big to put on a lap though. Depends on what you want!

We adopted a Golden Retriever from GRRescue a year ago. I would not have done this if I were not her to care for the dog! Mom is not capable of caring for herself, could never manage a dog!

This dog has been a blessing to all of us! She is going on 8 years, well mannered, will take all the attention mom can give her which helps me tremendously!

If you're getting this dog to be your pet, in your home, but for your husband's benefit, that would be okay - as long as you're sure you've got the time and energy to look after it properly. So if it's a question about what breeds would have the best temperament around him, I should consult people or organisations that arrange pet therapy and find out what works best. But, to repeat, this is going to be your dog so don't get one unless you really like them anyway.

There is no way someone with dementia can handle a pet, let alone a dog. I inherited my mother's little dog when she went into a nursing home, however I'd been her caregiver for four years so I walked it. Nasty little thing, obese, biting, not house clean and out of control. I've had big rescue dogs all my life btw. She's been with me 18 months now and has turned into the sweetest little thing. All she needed was pack leader and structure in her life. Anyone who has mental or physical issues should NOT have a dog!

If it's companionship you seek, check out pet therapy programs, Google dog parks in your area, or take the elder to a dog show (if he/she is mobile enough).

I would not recommend anything more than a visiting therapy dog. Years ago a neighbor with mild dementia got a Jack Russell and he loved her dearly. She did not live long and was quite thin when she died. I think he was forgetting to feed her. It's just not fair to the dog.