Giving up my dog. kind of long :(

[my00forest]

just a rant here, if you're bored or trying to kill time at work then give it a shot
well the time has come for me to decide whether or not to give up my dog.
let me begin with a little backround.
my friends parents had a dog wander into their yard and they began to take care of it because it seemed to be lost. after about a week and no one in the neighboring area looking for her they had to decide what to do with her. after talking it over with my parents (with whom i live with) i decided that i would take her. we checked with all of the local humane societies and also ran an add in the paper to try and locate an owner but to no avail. so i took her to the vet and had her checked out and gave her all the neccessary shots etc. she is about 4-5 years old and seems to be a mix between a beagle and a jack russell.

she is a great dog and her name is Mattie, i've had some trouble with house training and getting her to go in the yard but have been making progress with crate training. i have also begun to teach her tricks now that she is settled in.
i also have another dog that is about 10 years old and have had her as a puppy. she is a mut of lab, collie, beagle, well it seems like about everything, and i have come to be extremely attached to her.
now i have come across the opportunity to move out of my parents house and go out on my own. but the problem is that i can not have a dog in the house that i am moving into. right now i am 21 years old and strongly feel the need to be out on my own and i think i need some time without a whole lot of responsibility.
what i feel bad about though is that i don't feel emotionally attached to my new dog Mattie and i think that is somewhat weird. i love dogs but i think that the problem is is that she is not a high energy dog (all the time that is) and is kind of small. i have always wanted a large dog, my dream dog is a great dane or a similar size dog. i need a large breed and something with a lot of energy.
is this wrong that i don't mind giving up my dog after spending a ton of money on her getting her fixed, building her a sweet bed, etc...
i've had her for about 5 months now and it seems like she has become attached to me but i really want to be out on my own and also i want a much larger breed.
anyway i was just venting and if you have any thoughts feel free to share, thanks for reading

oh and here is a pic of my two doggies.
my new dog mattie is sitting and my 10 year old mut marlee is laying down

 

[Doberluv]

Don't your parents want to keep her? She looks so happy...so sweet there with your other dog. They look like pals. That's sad. Here she was lost and lost her owners and finally found a home. But I also understand your dilema and understand what it feels like to want to be on your own and if you have to work a lot you wouldn't be able to spend much time with her. If you do decide to find a new home, please search high and low until you find her the perfect home, loving people who really want her and want her for life. It is such a sad thing to be passed from one place to another too many times.

You'll have to mull this over and do what you feel is the right thing for yourself as well as this little orphan. Just take care that she is happy for the remainder of her life.

 

[krisykris]

Why won't your parents keep her? I'm sorry, but I'm sure you could find a place that would allow dogs if you really searched high and low. I get the impression from your post that you just don't really care about her and that you'd rather have a different breed in the future. I think that once you make the commitment to a dog you should honor that short of being ill.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Dogs are a committment, a responsiblity.

Would you give up your child(ren) because all of a sudden they became inconveinent and did not fit your want of a new lifestyle?

 

[Zoom]

Other than the wording, it doesn't sound much different from fostering. If you feel that you really do have to give her up, make sure that you screen all potential homes VERY CAREFULLY.

 

[Dulce Pit Bull]

Well said, Krisy and BuddysParents....

I'm going to tell you a story, and I want you to read........


I too, am 21, and was in the same situation 3 times.

My dad left me for another family when I was just barely 19. He left me with one cat. I had to find my first place with a cat. Which isn't TOO difficult, but it can be.
I found a place anyway.

.Then, I got a small dog. I was evicted, and was almost homeless because no one would take a dog and a cat. But I foun a place anyway, because I love my animals, and they are MY responsibility.

My grandma later took the dog (personal reasons, un related)

I then got my Pittie. My landlord was selling the property I lived on, and NO ONE wanted to keep me there.
The new owners moved in, liked me, hated the dog.
So I had to find a new place to live. NO ONE would take me.

I was even closer this time to being homeless. I was terrified I'd have to board them while I found a place. I refused. I couldn't be away from my babies. I would rather have been living out of my car than to be away from my babies.

So, the point of this story is, I was almost out of options 3 times. And never gave up, and it all worked out. I'm so dedicated to my pets, despite all their health issues (lol) and I did what I had to to keep them, and keep me happy.

I didn't replace any of them because I wanted sometihng bigger, or something different.

 

[muggsies16]

Hey sweetee! Offer the landlord a damage deposit for the dog! Sign an agreement, and that should secure the situation! I know we have had tenents in that past that did this and it worked out real good!

 

[Dulce Pit Bull]

LOL, who are you taling to?

 

[ihartgonzo]

Why won't your parents keep her? You could offer to pay for her food & such, it doesn't seem like it would be too much work for them, she sounds very low maintenance and they already have a dog.

Honestly, this doesn't sound like anything terrible, you guys. They didn't buy a puppy and decide it was too much work. They took in a stray dog and took good care of her for the short time they've had her. If you absolutely cannot keep her, definitely screen the new home & check up on her. You can post her in the classifieds at Petfinder.com, but be careful & ask lots of questions! Placing a small, low-key, trained dog would not be difficult.

I'm moving out soon too (18), and I know that can be really hard. Of course, I would never re-home my boys ever for anything, but I did make the conscious decision to rescue both of them & they're as attached to me as I am to them. It doesn't sound like that's the scenario at all, with you. I think it's great that you & your family have done what you have for a stray pup.

 

[skyeboxer]

I don't think My00forest's real problem is the accommodation. It is that s/he has no emotional connection to the new dog and wants to have some responsability free time now that s/he's leaving home for the first time.

Okay, I guess you knew you'd be in for a tanking for that here, Forest but let's face facts here. Your options are to ask your parents to keep the new dog (and presumably the older one too). That may not be so bad as you have said the new dog is not high energy. You will also then have the opportunity to spend time with her when you go to visit your parents.

Rehome her. It will take time and you will need to be very careful to find a family who will committ to the dog in a way that you cannot.

In the long run if you do not love the dog, moving heaven and earth to take her with you is going to be a mistake. Lots of things are changing in your life now. Dogs as you know take up a lot of the day - every day. If you can't(or don't want to ) provide that then you have to do the very best you can to settle her in a new forever home.

 

[Debi]

like Zoomers said, it's been like fostering. she cared for this lost pup, but it's not like she got the dog and is now abandoning her. I don't blame you for wanting to start your life without the responsibility since you didn't ask for it to begin with. I only hope that you find her a home and please, please...not a shelter. good luck to you. and please don't bash this poster's parents. it also was not their dog, and they never intended for it to be.

 

[my00forest]

wow, didn't expect this many responses.
let me begin by saying that my friends parents who originally found Mattie are probably going to take her back. she was very happy there and they are great people and i would still get to see her very often.
the reason my parents don't want to keep her is because they really don't want another dog to have to pay for and care for and i completly understand. they have been talking it over about keeping her so we shall see about that.
i'm not just abandoning her on the side of the road. if i can't find a really good home for her then i will not move out. and the reason i can't find a different place is because i am going to be moving in with my brother into a friend of his place which is extremely cheap.
oh and i have treated Mattie like a queen, it's not like i don't care about her and i don't pay any attention to her. i just feel like if i can find another suitable living situation for her then i'm going to take it

 

[my00forest]

I don't think My00forest's real problem is the accommodation. It is that s/he has no emotional connection to the new dog and wants to have some responsability free time now that s/he's leaving home for the first time.

this is exactly how i feel. oh and i'm a he
also i would never just drop her at a shelter and forget about her, it's not like that at all. the ideal situation would be if my friends parents took her becuase over the summer i am over there a couple days a week and that way i would still get to see her

 

[Doberluv]

like Zoomers said, it's been like fostering. she cared for this lost pup, but it's not like she got the dog and is now abandoning her. I don't blame you for wanting to start your life without the responsibility since you didn't ask for it to begin with. I only hope that you find her a home and please, please...not a shelter. good luck to you. and please don't bash this poster's parents. it also was not their dog, and they never intended for it to be.
__________________

Agreed. You and your parents were kind to take care of this stray so far. I don't blame you for wanting to be unencumbered at this time in your life. That is great that your friends may take her or your folks may keep her. I'm sure she'll have a good, loving home and that's the main thing. Good luck to you in your new adventure.

 

[Brattina88]

I agree ^^

Good luck to you, and the dog

 

[my00forest]

thank you,
the last thing i want to do is put more stress on my dog. but hopefully i can find something that works for both of us

 

[misticaleclipse]

I get the impression from your post that you just don't really care about her and that you'd rather have a different breed in the future. I think that once you make the commitment to a dog you should honor that short of being ill.

Totally agree.

I am surprised at the positive support for dumping this dog. It saddens me.

So if a person adopts a dog that is a stray or gets the dog for free then you are just "fostering" it and can dump it when you want? I am sorry if I missed how long she had the dog for?

Fostering is a rescue term, not a convenient defination for somene who agrees to take in a stay and then decides it clashes with there social life.

I am not that much older than you. Here is a quote from your posting where you and your parents clearly indicated you agreed to take responsibility of this dog. If you did not want the dog then you should have tried to find a home for her right away and not waited until she bounded with you.

after talking it over with my parents (with whom i live with) i decided that i would take her.

Honestly is sounds like you just don't have feelings for this dog beacuse you wanted a larger breed and in six months you are going to come back on here telling us you got a new "large" dog.

i can not have a dog in the house that i am moving into.

As stated previously. It CAN be done, you just need the desire to want to do so and take responsibility for your choices in life.

 

[Dulce Pit Bull]

Agree 1 billion% with Misti

 

[my00forest]

wow, this place is harsh

Honestly is sounds like you just don't have feelings for this dog beacuse you wanted a larger breed and in six months you are going to come back on here telling us you got a new "large" dog. As stated previously. It CAN be done, you just need the desire to want to do so and take responsibility for your choices in life.

maybe you didn't read some of my other posts. i wasn't really expecting to get ridiculed this much. i was expecting some disagreements but you are acting like i am waiting till the coldest day of the year and then kicking the dog out on her own and not even letting her take her coat with her. i mean of course she can take her coat, it's not gonna fit me. kidding of course

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Only appear to be harsh to those who do not love and cherish furry friends as we do.