We went thru this self assessment 3 years ago, as the miniature poodle we had adopted from the animal shelter was declining in health. I am in my 80's my wife in her mid 70's. She had standard poodles when growing up and we have had labs during our 48 year marriage. We definitely wanted a large miniature, with good health testing and a good genetic background. Our "Gigi" fit all of these. She is just under 15" and 16 lbs. She is very cautious not to interfere with our walking or "get in our way". She was easy to train, and a perfect dog for us. We prefer females and have them spayed after the first cycle. I don't believe that sex has much to do with energy levels, but does have to do with disposition, although it is certainly a variable trait. We have always taken our dogs with us as we have traveled, had a house sitter/dog sitter, or let trusted friends (with comparable dogs) to keep our dogs if we cannot take them with us--but we pretty much tailor our activities to include our dogs. The subject of our age comes up--and before we brought Gigi into our lives we had an arrangement for a younger trusted person to care for her if we were not able. That person has been involved with her life from the time we adopted her. Gigi will have a trust fund to make sure she gets the best of care if anything happens to us.
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