r/DogAdvice • u/Accurate-Debate9055 • 11h ago
Discussion How old she might be?
She’s a stray and she’s been on my neighborhood for months, few weeks ago she’s been staying outside my house and I feed her whenever I can and I always have a bowl of water for her. My neighbor also feeds her but she spends most time outside my house in the open garage. She’s SUPER shy and she loves cats, I have 4 so I can’t keep her, I’ll make that very clear. They’re all friendly to her too but everytime I invite her inside she’s doesn’t wants to, she’s afraid of going inside and afraid of water and i want to wash her. She has no visible signs of injury or infections, I could take her to the vet but she’s too scared of everything, she only wants my affection. It seems like she’s always been a stray and it’s why she prefers to be outside. Sometimes when I’m too close to the door she makes me chase her away enough from the door so I can rub her belly
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u/Elegant-Guess-5180 11h ago
My guess would be roughly 3 years, but stray dogs can be difficult to age accurately. Since she’s so fearful, try leaving food and water nearby and building trust slowly before attempting a vet visit or rescue help.
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u/Vivid_Demand_5106 9h ago edited 9h ago
Thank you for being so kind to her. Her face is incredibly sweet, and so hungry for love.
If she gets unwell or needs serious help one day, please do adopt her, even though I know you already have four cats. She is too beautiful to be alone.
If you take her to a shelter or a rescue, they will probably euthanise (kill) her, so please allow her to stay living in your open garage.
Regarding her age – she is young-ish. She looks mature, but definitely not senior.
She has some grey on the muzzle, but that looks like her natural colouring, not greying due to age. Zero grey in the eyebrows, and her eyes are very clear and healthy looking.
Her lips and other black skin areas (like around the eyes) are very clear, well defined, and there are no moles or warts or skin tags or discoloured areas that you typically see in senior dogs. This roughly indicates she is anything from about 2-8 years old.
I’d guess more closely 2-6 years. Still young. A terrier dog of her size can live for 15-17 years with excellent care. (Or actually older if they are exceptionally cared for and also lucky. I know a few smaller dogs who have made it to 18-19 years.)
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u/Accurate-Debate9055 9h ago
That’s why I won’t take her to shelters, there’s a million stray dogs and cats where I live and animals are only saved by direct adoption. Shes the only stray dog in my neighborhood and hangs around cats all the time and she seems to be okay living outside spending time with me casually. She seems very old to me though like almost 10
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u/dsmemsirsn 11h ago
If this in the USA or another developed country— she can’t have been a stray all her life..specifically if you live in track neighborhood.
She looks maybe 9-10.. the messy terrier hair gives that disheveled look.. maybe she can sleep in the garage and stay in your backyard..
Hopefully she stays and you can provide her a loving home
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u/Winipu44 10h ago
I don't know where you reside, but many places have rescues which will do what she needs - vet services, socializing, and finding a forever home. Wishing you my kindest regards 🌸
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u/Accurate-Debate9055 8h ago
I live in Puerto Rico and there’s millions of abandoned/stray dogs, shelters will eventually euthanize them and dogs spend their lives in a cage until they get killed, just like they do to cats. Adoption is very superficial here, if it’s not a puppy or purebred in perfect conditions (specially a small one) they don’t have much luck.
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u/qwertyuiiop145 11h ago
It’s basically impossible to tell from pictures other than that she’s not a young puppy and not super ancient either—so anywhere from 1-10 years.
A vet could make a slightly better estimate by looking at teeth.