Get rid of Diez?

[KaseyCaye]

I was hoping for some advice from you guys/gals - I have my puppy, Diesel, who I got while I was still with my ex. Since we broke up I've had to move into a smaller apartment, get a second job, started school, etc etc... Point being that I am worried that I am now going to have to get rid of Diez because of the amount of money it costs to maintain him as well as the time commitment.

I don't want to have to give him up because I made a commitment to him when I got him, I promised to take care of him and give him the best life I could, and I hate to have to go back on that promise because of mistakes I made.

I'm having a very hard time with this decision because I am so attached to him (I haven't been away from him for more than a day since he was 8 weeks old) and finding him a home that I deem appropriate is difficult as well. Sorry to ramble but my point for posting is to ask for advice, maybe some of you have been in a similar situation in the past? Any good way for me to make such a choice?

Thank you!

 

[Dekka]

Well what sort of costs? Can you minimize any of them? As a full time university student, who has a job, who is married, has a kid, 10 dogs and 6 horses who manages time I can a say it is possible. (hubby doesn't do much with the animals.. they are mostly my responsibility)

 

[KaseyCaye]

Costs are mostly the extra fee to have him in the apartment ($25 a month) plus food, I feed him natural balance and he is eating more than a bag a month (a bag is $50), so that's already edging dangerously close to $100 a month, plus all the little incidentals you don't consider each month - meaning bones, treats, toys etc. I'm also paranoid by the fear that he will get sick - less than a month ago he got a hold of my inhaler while I was in the shower and it took $750 and two days at the vet to get him well again - and that I won't be able to pay to make him well. It's just a scary thing, especially now that I'm choosing between food for him and things for myself.

 

[Dekka]

The extra appt fee sucks, but you could try talking to the landlord and see if there is any flex room. And can you try a cheaper but still decent food like Kirkland? Also if this is just a short term (few month blip and you expect it to get better) some rescues have programs to help you get cheap food to tide you over.

 

[KaseyCaye]

I've been looking into a cheaper food - where do they sell kirkland? The app fee won't be going anywhere I'm afraid, it's an apartment complex and they are very by-the-book people. I'm more worried than anything about him spending so much time alone because of my jobs and school etc.

 

[corgipower]

Costs are mostly the extra fee to have him in the apartment ($25 a month) plus food, I feed him natural balance and he is eating more than a bag a month (a bag is $50), so that's already edging dangerously close to $100 a month, plus all the little incidentals you don't consider each month - meaning bones, treats, toys etc. I'm also paranoid by the fear that he will get sick - less than a month ago he got a hold of my inhaler while I was in the shower and it took $750 and two days at the vet to get him well again - and that I won't be able to pay to make him well. It's just a scary thing, especially now that I'm choosing between food for him and things for myself.

While I'm not big on feeding lower quality foods, when money's tight it's sometimes better to feed a slightly cheaper food -- too poor quality and it'll cost in other ways ~ dog not doing well on it, illness, or just because he needs to eat more to maintain weight ~ but some dogs do just fine on dog chow. He can live without bones treats and toys, or fewer if he gets bored easily. I have 3 toys for my dogs and I've had the same ones for more than 5 years. They're still in great shape. I don't give bones or treats -- if I'm training I reward with toys, praise and life rewards and use food rewards only occasionally.

You can be extra diligent about keeping things that would be dangerous out of reach when he's not supervised to minimize risks of him getting sick/injured. Also look into care credit or insurance -- insurance would cost some money monthly, but with the right plan can help out a lot in an emergency. Also if you have a good relationship with the vet, some will work out payment options in an emergency.

Also, in order for me to be able to provide for my dogs, I go without for myself. I eat a lot of peanut butter and chicken quarters.

 

[smkie]

I feed Nutromax. My dogs have done very well on it. IT is about 50 for a large bag and a large bag feeds my pointer and my terrier mix both a month. I couldn't afford to feed a hundred dollars worth a month either. TOys can be made cheap, good quality leash and collar last a long time. THat leaves vet care. We have a clinic here with the humane society that is not for profit. Have you looked into your city to see if they have one? THat really helps us. IF it is something that can't be handled there the backup vet has a reduced charge for low income. It's worth asking around. THe spending time alone would be a big deciding factor for me. IS there anyone who could watch him when you have to be gone? A senior citizen that might like some companionship during your work hours?

 

[JennSLK]

Kirkland is cosco.

 

[SmexyPibble]

You can find a way, never give up. There are a lot of commited people in hard situations that find ways to keep their dogs happy and healthy. Good luck!

We used to feed Kirkland. It's at Costco.

 

[ACooper]

Sometimes "finding a way" and "never giving up" are not what's in the best interest of the dog.

I am definitely not trying to upset the flow of the thread, there are some good ideas here that might help you, but the time away from home issue (work and school) is going to be a hard one to solve if you don't have friends/family willing to help.

Finding a another home for him is not easy for more than one reason, I know. You love him, he loves you. You can never be SURE about a potential home and that will worry the pooh out of you.

You have to really sit down, weigh out the good and bad. Make tough choices about what is best for him, not just best for you.

How old is Diesel?
How long will you be a student?
Is this something that's only going to be a year or two so you might be able to hang tough and juggle everything to keep him?
How much time do you get to spend with him?
Is he locked in a crate for hours and hours because you are working/schooling?
When you DO get to spend time with him, are you making it count? I mean making sure he's getting exercise and quality time with you, training, experiencing life outside the apartment besides just going potty real quick.

This may not be a popular post, but those are really some things you need to ask yourself.

 

[FoxyWench]

i agree that it can work with some budget managing, some cutting back and time managment...it CAN work.
there are many good foods out there that cost alot less.
natural balance is a lower end of good food at quite a high cost...
look into other brands, if you have a costco local, kirkland is $25 a bag for 40lbs
or as smiki said nutromax.

check the bags, you want to avoid corn and make sure meat is the first ingredient (meat or meat meal is fine, meat byproduct is bad)
also check store flyers and manufacturours websites for coupons. (a 40lb bag of food lasts about a month in our house with 6 dogs (all under 30lbs)
in terms of toys...
he doesnt need a new toy every week, infact mine get a toy for their birthday and a toy each for xmas, i also make toys like fleece ropes by taking strips of scrap fleece and bariding them together, tie the ends and tada...
invest in a few interactive toys to "fill the time" when your not around (kongs and puzzle balls ect)
treats are a rarity with ours, partially because their picky, partially because im broke and my family is on a tight budget.
i use boiled chicken, whatevers on sale...it works out alot cheaper by the lb than buying ANY of the dog treats and its better on the tummy.
for kong and puzzle stuffing i use their own kibble then seal the hole with a good glob of organic peanut butter...they love it.
and raw marrow bone makes a great healthy treat for pennies on the dollar. (look for marrow or soup bones)

however...that all being said...
only you know how much time and excersize your dog needs, and only you know if your capable of budgeting him that time and energy...
while many dogs are happy with whatever you can give them, other dogs just need more...and in that case it would be better to find him a good home that can give that to him than it would be to keep him.

keep in mind how long youve got left in school, will you have to work 2 jobs for long or are you lookign for 1 better paying job ect.
$25 in pet fees a month might mean giving up a treat you enjoy but for most is doable with some extra budgeting...one less dinner out, one less trip to the movies ect...

my best advice to you would be to take a step back, develop your budget on paper, figure out where all your moneys going and where you can save.
do the same for your time, figure out what your daily schedual is...
then you need to step away from it all emotionally and figure out if both of those "budgets" have space for movment so that you can make time to spend with him, or have neough money to pay for food ect.

if after working it all out theres no room to budge and save a little...then you need to consider rehoming him.
most people do find however when they get it all on paper there suprised at how much they spend on silly things, or how much time they waste by makeing 3 trips to the grocery store a week instead of doing 1 bigger shop ect...

good luck, its deifnatly tough, and theres alot of good advice in this thread already, with im sure more to come...i hope things can work out.

 

[KaseyCaye]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I wanted to say quickly about the budget issue - I'm not one of those who spends money frivolously - in fact I've been making sacrifices to keep diez for his whole life. I'm 21 and I don't drink (because alcohol costs money I don't need to spend), I don't go out (same reason), I rent movies from the library so that I don't have to pay the couple bucks it costs from blockbuster, I don't buy coffee (especially not lattes or anything like that), I never eat out and there are very few food items I actually buy (mostly cereal and milk, nothing that I deem "unnecessary" such as raspberries or orange juice). I just wanted to say that so that no one was under the impression that I was just a silly college student who couldn't budget money and didn't understand that by not going to starbucks everyday I'd save enough money to keep him.
That being said while the budget is tight and credit cards are king that is not my biggest concern. The time is my biggest concern. I'm expecting to be in school for three more years and the two jobs issue is something that I have been dealing with for years now - i don't mind working and it always seems that i have two or three jobs rather than just one good job - and i don't really foresee it changing. Next semester i expect the time issue to be lesser but i just really want to do what's best for diez. I'm looking to take internships in other states and might have to do study abroad for my degree which would mean that either I'd have to get rid of him at that time or leave him with a friend/family member for a time and then keep disrupting his life by taking him from place to place.
I'm sorry to ramble again but this issue is just so much bigger than a simple money issue, although that is hard to deal with as we all know. It is just so hard because the direction of my life has changed so drastically and I feel like i'm just scrambling to make sense of it.