The Nerve (warning: small rant)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I am sorry I have been MIA for a little while.  DH had surgery last week (he is okay, no worries), I am pregnant, etc....life has been devoted to other things lately.  Definitely still devoted to the dogs, just not as much time for the internet :(

 

Anyway, I was checking Facebook and this is at the top of the status updates:

"This is our dog Presley. It greatly saddens me to do this, but we are in need of finding a good home for her. Now that we have 2 kids our lives have become too busy for us to have pets....contact me at...."

 

Let me preface this by saying that there are circumstances that occur and families must re-home pets.  I am not trying to be judgmental by saying a blanket statement about how you should NEVER re-home your dog or cat.  There are reasons this must be done.

 

HOWEVER, when the heck did it just HIT YOU that life has become so drastically busier that you cannot care for your beloved pet, that dog that has loved you unconditionally for years?  How do people just do this?  It makes me want to cry (yes, I am an emotional mess right now and totally hormonal).

 

I know my life is going to be crazy with a baby.  I know things are going to change.  I knew I was going to have kids when I got Tacky 8 years ago and when I got Peri 3 years ago.  But when I made the decision to get choodle, I knew they would be with me, in our household, until the end.  No questions (unless for some reason a child was put in terrible danger from one of them and we don't need to get into that right now). 

 

Come on people!  I know rescue orgs see this all the time.  I see it all the time.  But I never get over it.  I think about the fact that my two dogs LIVE FOR US.  They would do anything for us.  I know I am over-humanizing my dogs, but come on.  They give us so much and ask for so little:  food, a home, companionship.  That's it.  Just because you end up having 2 human kids, it doesn't mean it's time for the dog to leave.

 

 

[Regina and Hurley]

That is very sad. I have two children and my doodle, Hurley. He has been going through a lot in last last couple of months. It has been so hard with his rupturing cysts, going to the vets, biopsy, needles, medicine, taking care of my kids, husband, working in my daughters school, volunteer work..you get the point. There is no way I would even want to give Hurley away. I do have time for him. I would fight to the end of the earth for him. Never had the option of giving him away even crossed my mind. I am a dog lover...always will be. We doodle moms know our doodles are our children! Hurley is my third child.....I wouldn't give my child away.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Allyson, I couldn't agree more!! Well said and thanks for saying it!! I've missed you and hope you are having an easy pregnancy! Hope your DH is recovering, too.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Sorry you are having your own stresses. Good of you to write this post in the midst of all this. It took me many years to finally get dogs when I was sure I had the time and everything else required for them. Well, I can't run with them but they do pretty well with each other for that. I think people have to realize adopting a dog is a long commitment.

[cheryl & oliver]

I just wish that these people did not get any animals ever....Like everyone else has said, would they give up one of their children????....These people just make me ill.....I got the chills when I just read what Roberta said about the dog sitting by his dead friend.  I saw that same thing several years ago, and I had to stop and call the police and animal control, I cried for days.  Do these people think that their dog has no feelings?...Ugh people like that just make me want to slap them up the side of their stupid heads....Sorry, I get carried away....

[Christine & Shelby]

Well said... These stories always make me so sad...

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

You know I'm with you on this! And I don't think your hormones have anything to do with it! :)

[Christine & Camus]

I too am not able to comprehend.   There may be valid reasons for giving up a pet, but being an inconvenience or burden do not qualify.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Another way to look at it that will make you rant some more - what the heck are these parents teaching their kids that it's ok to give away a family member/pet because you don't want to make the sacrifice to take care of it?!  I have made my girls follow through on commitments that they make, whether it be to a sport, team, friend, etc.  Unless you are sick or there is some extenuating circumstance you follow through, whether it be human or pet.  Sure kids change your life but I can't say I ever considered my life "crazy" after having kids, its all in how you look at it and react.  People are just so selfish in my opinion, and using their kids as an excuse is pathetic.  

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Glad things went well for your husband...    :)

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

i totally agree!

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

I hate it when people do this just because they "dont have time" for the dog anymore.  Or because they did not train the dog and now can not control it and that was no fault of the dog but the owners.

I have had to re home a dog once and it was so hard for me but I had no choice. I had 2 yorkies when I had my daughter they were 4-5 years old at the time and I got them both around 8 week old puppies. 

Bailey could care less about the baby as long as he had a wiggle spot to cuddle with me while I held the baby. But Riley started acting really weird when she was a new born he would walk circles around her swing and stalk her around the house. When she was 6 months old I had her on a blanket playing with toys in my family room while I was doing dishes (family room & Kitchen are all one big room). Next thing I know I hear her crying and the dog ran away and she had a huge gash under her eye.  I never saw what happen so I gave the dog another chance. He was a really good dog so I did not want to believe he was really trying to attack my daughter.  When my daughter was 12 months old I was cooking and she was hanging onto my legs and the cabinets in the ktichen. Out of no where Riley comes running around the corner and bit her littel pinky nail so hard he went through it and drew blood.  She did nothing to cause this, as I could see if she was teasing him he was in a another room and just came after her.

So at that point I knew they could not be together so I put the word out with some friends what happen. But if I could not find him a good home we were not going to just drop him off at the pound. I knew they would just put him down and he was only 4 years old. So if we could not find a good home I was just going to keep him in another part of the house and just have to keep him and the baby away.  Thankfully the next morning the lady who watches my daughter for me a lot said her 80 year old mother in law would like to take Riley... she only has one grandchild and he was 37 with no kids of his own so the dog would not be around any kids. 6 months after she took him her daughter moved out and left her alone and she talks about how Riley is her best friend and because of him she is not alone.  He is very spoiled and gets to sleep in her bed every night (here I always caged them).

It broke my heart to have to re home him but I am happy I found such a great home and really I think Riley is happier now because he acted like my daughter was giving him panic attacks or something.

My other fear was keeping my other dog he would be depressed.... he never even noticed Riley was gone.  He was so attached me that all he cared about was if I was still here or not. The 2 dogs never really laid together or anything just put up with each other.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

That's different.  You did what you could and found a good home.  I definitely know there are cases where the dog is better off somewhere else!