Our dog bit (nipped) our six year old. Faced with a difficult decision (poop, train)
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We each come at this from a different perspective. While I may not always agree with everything everyone has said, I appreciate the different points of view, the interchange of ideas, and value the input on my comments.
Thanks Twelvepaw, your posts are always excellent, informative and well presented.
You make great points in this thread that apply more GENERALLY to dog owners and adoptees and I think anyone reading them should heed.
This case was handled correctly by the rescue owner and the dear OP whom I kinda love for taking an old man dog in the first place, then for having sense overrule emotion thus putting the dog's needs AHEAD of her own emotions; as the rescuers in ths thread know, many many dogs suffer due to (sorta but too selfish) well meaning but overemotional, impulsive idiots who take on, say, a border collie and crate it in their garage (I have had neighbors -upscale suburb- who DID THIS) 10h/day while they go to work and refuse to give it up because they "loooove him", or my moronic, status driven ex-mother in law who got a SAMOYED in SoFla because he was "so gorgeous" then left him in the lanai while she went to work.
Not to mention the puppy-buyers who chain it up after it gets too big but REFUSE to give it up because they "love" it. I despise tham all.
The heavy smokers who adore their wee dogs but smoke in the house (have elderly neighbors here at the condo who are cases in point; little pampered, kootchy-kooed dogs less than 15lb being forced to inhale secondhand smoke all day) or who "love" their dogs so much they have OBESE barrels for dogs (also these dogs usually have way too long toenails) but cannot see that is as horrible as an emaciated dog.
I'll rein myself in here before I get too ranty. Hugs to all dog lovers who "get" it.
I wouldn't feel bad about returning the dog. It just wasn't the right fit for your family. I haven't read through all the posts, but there's no point living every day worried an incident like that will repeat itself. The fact is, it's unrealistic to keep 24/7 eyeballs on a child and a dog. If the situation is such where the dog can't even be left alone with the kid for 30 seconds so you can use the bathroom or pull laundry out of the dryer, then it isn't worth the stress.
I absolutely agree. Most of all, where it regards a dog vs a child, the child always wins, EVEN if the child is teasing the dog (which they should be taught not to do), regardless--the child STILL is the higher priority anyway, always.
I personally have no issue with returning a dog or a cat for any reason I deem fit. Granted, I try and "size up" any pet and not just figure "well if I don't like it I can just return it," if it seems like it won't work out then I pass. However, if it seems like a good fit even after "sizing it up" but then it ends up doing things I don't care for, it's gone. For a dog that would be barking a lot or chewing on everything or even getting on my nerves spending every single minute whining and trying to escape its fence vs just accepting that that's where I want it. If it's a cat that would be always hopping up on the kitchen table or meowing non-stop and "pestering" me to feed it vs just waiting patiently until I get around to it.
This one cat was bad about that, my wife had gotten it and during this time my daughter was in pre-K and I was the one who got her off to school at 6:30 a.m. I'd wake up needing to pee something bad and doing that and getting my daughter to school were my priorities. That cat would see that I was awake and start pestering the ever-living daylights out of me to feed it, it could not understand that I was going to feed it 10 minutes from now but that right now I was BUSY. It would upset me to the point that my nerves would tighten up so much that it actually interfered with me being able to urinate, I couldn't "go" due to the tension I was experiencing. I told my wife "you better get that cat out of here before I shoot it." She dumped it off on her mother who, you guessed it, complained that the cat CONSTANTLY was aggravating her for food, and her mother is a very mild-mannered and patient person.
They are here for what I want out of them and that's what it's all about. The minute they're a burden to me, they're out of here. They're not my children and they never will be.
OP, I'm so glad to hear the rescue took him back and you are at peace with the decision. And that is great that he is going back to a home, not a shelter or other institution.
You did a good thing by adopting him. Not many people in this world would give an 11-year-old large dog a chance but you did.
I absolutely agree. Most of all, where it regards a dog vs a child, the child always wins, EVEN if the child is teasing the dog (which they should be taught not to do), regardless--the child STILL is the higher priority anyway, always.
I personally have no issue with returning a dog or a cat for any reason I deem fit. Granted, I try and "size up" any pet and not just figure "well if I don't like it I can just return it," if it seems like it won't work out then I pass. However, if it seems like a good fit even after "sizing it up" but then it ends up doing things I don't care for, it's gone. For a dog that would be barking a lot or chewing on everything or even getting on my nerves spending every single minute whining and trying to escape its fence vs just accepting that that's where I want it. If it's a cat that would be always hopping up on the kitchen table or meowing non-stop and "pestering" me to feed it vs just waiting patiently until I get around to it.
This one cat was bad about that, my wife had gotten it and during this time my daughter was in pre-K and I was the one who got her off to school at 6:30 a.m. I'd wake up needing to pee something bad and doing that and getting my daughter to school were my priorities. That cat would see that I was awake and start pestering the ever-living daylights out of me to feed it, it could not understand that I was going to feed it 10 minutes from now but that right now I was BUSY. It would upset me to the point that my nerves would tighten up so much that it actually interfered with me being able to urinate, I couldn't "go" due to the tension I was experiencing. I told my wife "you better get that cat out of here before I shoot it." She dumped it off on her mother who, you guessed it, complained that the cat CONSTANTLY was aggravating her for food, and her mother is a very mild-mannered and patient person.
They are here for what I want out of them and that's what it's all about. The minute they're a burden to me, they're out of here. They're not my children and they never will be.
I am speechless When I regain my senses enough to post something nice (is that possible??) and makes sense I will return.
I absolutely agree. Most of all, where it regards a dog vs a child, the child always wins, EVEN if the child is teasing the dog (which they should be taught not to do), regardless--the child STILL is the higher priority anyway, always.
I personally have no issue with returning a dog or a cat for any reason I deem fit. Granted, I try and "size up" any pet and not just figure "well if I don't like it I can just return it," if it seems like it won't work out then I pass. However, if it seems like a good fit even after "sizing it up" but then it ends up doing things I don't care for, it's gone. For a dog that would be barking a lot or chewing on everything or even getting on my nerves spending every single minute whining and trying to escape its fence vs just accepting that that's where I want it. If it's a cat that would be always hopping up on the kitchen table or meowing non-stop and "pestering" me to feed it vs just waiting patiently until I get around to it.
This one cat was bad about that, my wife had gotten it and during this time my daughter was in pre-K and I was the one who got her off to school at 6:30 a.m. I'd wake up needing to pee something bad and doing that and getting my daughter to school were my priorities. That cat would see that I was awake and start pestering the ever-living daylights out of me to feed it, it could not understand that I was going to feed it 10 minutes from now but that right now I was BUSY. It would upset me to the point that my nerves would tighten up so much that it actually interfered with me being able to urinate, I couldn't "go" due to the tension I was experiencing. I told my wife "you better get that cat out of here before I shoot it." She dumped it off on her mother who, you guessed it, complained that the cat CONSTANTLY was aggravating her for food, and her mother is a very mild-mannered and patient person.
They are here for what I want out of them and that's what it's all about. The minute they're a burden to me, they're out of here. They're not my children and they never will be.
I'm sorry but this post floored me and I hope to the living daylights you never get another animal ever !!!! wow may someone never size you up . This sounds more like a job interview than a re homing issue. Pets are work sometimes and it seems very clear to me that you are not in it for the long haul , pets are not disposable . I'm wondering how you will treat your daughter ten years from now when she gets on your nerves ? what you want out of them ? wow just wow I'm floored at this whole post .
shyguylh never has anything positive to say in the pet threads. I don't know why he even bothers to linger here other than to get us riled up. Some people are like that.
I'm sorry but this post floored me and I hope to the living daylights you never get another animal ever !!!! wow may someone never size you up . This sounds more like a job interview than a re homing issue. Pets are work sometimes and it seems very clear to me that you are not in it for the long haul , pets are not disposable . I'm wondering how you will treat your daughter ten years from now when she gets on your nerves ? what you want out of them ? wow just wow I'm floored at this whole post .
I do have 2 dogs and a cat and these are ones who have continued to not do things which annoy me even after having owned them for a good while. I have no problem with them and in fact my kids like them as well. Everyone wins.
"Sizing up" an animal makes perfect sense to me. It simply means you know what works for you and what doesn't, and if a given animal comes under the heading of what doesn't then you pass on it altogether so it doesn't get bounced around. I know that I don't like dogs which bark a lot, I DON'T CARE if it's their "instinct" or their "nature," I DON'T CARE, I don't like it and that's that. So if a given dog is quiet, and the 2 we have in fact most of the time area, then that's absolutely fine. However if in checking out a dog the thing is noisy and they tell me that such is typical of them, then they can't live here, no can do. Even if my wife likes it, my son likes it, my daughter likes it, I don't and that means no deal.
My home is my place of peace, and if a given dog or cat disrupts it, they're gone and I don't care who doesn't like it. By "sizing it up" beforehand, you prevent it from ever getting to that point to start with most times. As for them later on not fitting in, such as that cat which was fine at first but months later is bugging the heck out of me all the time, that's too bad but I'm not going to continue to allow myself to be tortured in ways I know I can't tolerate. The ones we do have, again they've worked out yet even there they are only here because my wife and/or kids wanted them. If I lived alone I'd be pet-free and wouldn't miss it a bit.
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Children Come Before Pets, Always
When I regain my senses enough to post something nice (is that possible??) and makes sense I will return.
