This is really hard for me to write but I really need to talk to some dog people about this and you have all been so nice to me in Leo’s memorial thread that I found the courage to ask here.
On June 22 I got an 8 week old Chihuahua puppy. It was love at first sight… he made the family complete. I had my big gentle yellow lab boy Leo and now my little bouncy puppy boy, Percy. But it only lasted 9 days. My Leo (see thread in rainbow bridge for full story) passed away very unexpectedly at age 4 on Sunday. My heart is just in pieces, I’m beyond devastated.
A bit earlier I was trying to work on training Percy how to go on walks…. something Leo loved to do. But Percy hates having his collar put on and won’t walk on a leash. He will just sit there and try to break off the leash. I finally managed to coax him into walking but then a dog barked from behind a gate and Percy screamed so loud several neighbors turned to look. One neighbor even came over to see him but Percy just screamed and peed when she went to pet him. I just was so upset because Leo loved walks so much and my whole neighborhood reminds me of those walks so it’s painful to even go on a walk in the first place. I ended the walk immediately as I never wanted to scare the little guy… and took him back to the house.
Percy settled down right away once he was back home and his leash was off. I gave him a toy to play with and tried to calm down myself as at this point I was nearly in tears. I played a message that had been left on the phone while I was outside and it was the pet cemetery saying Leo’s ashes were going to be delivered tomorrow morning and that they needed me to be there to sign for them. It just totally broke me... Up until today I have been pretending he is just in the next room but I can’t do that anymore, it is actually becoming real now.
And I realized then that I am being so unfair to my sweet chihuahua puppy because Percy isn’t Leo and Percy should be loved 100% for who he is and not picked apart for who he is not. I am considering asking Percy’s breeder to take him back. This would be so hard for me, I love him so much and I care about him a lot…. but I don’t think I can give him what he needs and deserves right now. Percy just turned 10 weeks old today, young enough to readapt to another family. I want to do what is best for him. It just hurts too much caring for him right now. I’ve been sitting here for an hour in tears, just trying to decide what to do… I’ve never gave an animal away before, this is a HUGE deal for me. It will break my heart but in the end may be the best choice for me and for little Percy. I am so torn right now and just looking for advice….
On June 22 I got an 8 week old Chihuahua puppy. It was love at first sight… he made the family complete. I had my big gentle yellow lab boy Leo and now my little bouncy puppy boy, Percy. But it only lasted 9 days. My Leo (see thread in rainbow bridge for full story) passed away very unexpectedly at age 4 on Sunday. My heart is just in pieces, I’m beyond devastated.
A bit earlier I was trying to work on training Percy how to go on walks…. something Leo loved to do. But Percy hates having his collar put on and won’t walk on a leash. He will just sit there and try to break off the leash. I finally managed to coax him into walking but then a dog barked from behind a gate and Percy screamed so loud several neighbors turned to look. One neighbor even came over to see him but Percy just screamed and peed when she went to pet him. I just was so upset because Leo loved walks so much and my whole neighborhood reminds me of those walks so it’s painful to even go on a walk in the first place. I ended the walk immediately as I never wanted to scare the little guy… and took him back to the house.
Percy settled down right away once he was back home and his leash was off. I gave him a toy to play with and tried to calm down myself as at this point I was nearly in tears. I played a message that had been left on the phone while I was outside and it was the pet cemetery saying Leo’s ashes were going to be delivered tomorrow morning and that they needed me to be there to sign for them. It just totally broke me... Up until today I have been pretending he is just in the next room but I can’t do that anymore, it is actually becoming real now.
And I realized then that I am being so unfair to my sweet chihuahua puppy because Percy isn’t Leo and Percy should be loved 100% for who he is and not picked apart for who he is not. I am considering asking Percy’s breeder to take him back. This would be so hard for me, I love him so much and I care about him a lot…. but I don’t think I can give him what he needs and deserves right now. Percy just turned 10 weeks old today, young enough to readapt to another family. I want to do what is best for him. It just hurts too much caring for him right now. I’ve been sitting here for an hour in tears, just trying to decide what to do… I’ve never gave an animal away before, this is a HUGE deal for me. It will break my heart but in the end may be the best choice for me and for little Percy. I am so torn right now and just looking for advice….