At Times I can't stand my dog - am I a bad person?

[brightdoglover]

Regarding hounds and food... Snoops once stole a foot-long loaf of Italian bread. He was racing around the couch and I was chasing him. He couldn't eat it while I chased, and I couldn't catch him. Add to that his basset-like body and it was really funny. Finally the bread broke off in the middle- he ate half, I threw out half.

I used to feed him in the bathroom to keep the peace.

The first time I kenneled him (the second time being his demise), I told the guy to be sure and feed him separate from his runmate. When I came back in two weeks, it looked like he ate a basketball, but no one else looked thin. The guy said, "I fed him as you asked, but all that dog did was lie there and wait for dinner."
Once he ate a box of chocolate truffles, foil and all. The vet said to give him 30cc of hydrogen peroxide, so I put it on bread, he gobbled it up, and nothing happened. I guess it was supposed to make him barf.
He was a pill, and a stitch.

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

First, let me say - freakin' adorable dog!! And I usually don't like smaller dogs as I'm a lab guy (count 'em, 3!!)

I'll share my story about adopting our 3rd "lab." Actually, my wife's story which is similar to yours. We have a black and a yellow lab - about 4 years old at the time. They are from the same litter. We have no children so they fill that role. So, my wife decided it would be nice to round off the lab children with a chocolate lab. I was skeptical because I knew it would be more work.

Well, we had a discussion beforehand that she would need to help more with the dogs. I am the primary caregiver to our 2 (I walk/run them, feed them,etc) - she gives them the love. Of course, she wholeheartedly agreed.

Anyhow, she finds a chocolate "lab" online that was at a kill shelter in SLC, UT. A women that was trying to start a rescue there was able to get the pup before she was euthanized. Unfortunately, she ran into some serious financial troubles and health issues and had to get rid of the dog. Well, that's where we stepped in. We had only seen pictures that the woman provide - looked like a lab. So I drove the 500+ miles to get to get the pup. It took 12 hours there (2 huge snowstorms) and 14 hours back - left Friday returned Saturday.

I get back to our house and we meet at a field close by to introduce them to our other dogs. We weren't concerned with our dogs as they would welcome a mountain lion into the family if we allowed it! So, the first words out of my wife's mouth "that's not a lab!" (check out my profile pics, she's probably a lab/pointer or lab/spaniel mix)

To make a long story short(er), my wife didn't want to make any attempts to bond initially, she didn't help out until I had had enough. I let her know that it wasn't an option, she had to help. You know what. My wife absolutely loves that dog now - she was a great addition to the family. I leave for work in the mornings and the 2 of them are still curled up in bed together.

You'll grow to love your dog, I'd guarantee it. It sounds like you are well on your way!!

One other piece of advice, I would not adopt another dog until your husband starts showing some responsibility with the current pup.

[TabulaRasa]

My dog was one we had seen at a refuge event as a "dog available for adoption," and he caught our eye as being of the right size for the house/yard we were looking to purchase, a mixed breed, which was our preference, and a perky, friendly demeanor. When we closed on the house, we checked the refuge's site, and he was still available. So we set up time to meet him at a local dog park.

When we met him, I admit to being a little crestfallen. He seemed more aloof and shy than I am accustomed to in dogs, and didn't seem to warm to me. Still, he seemed to be what we were looking for in many ways, and my SO was SMITTEN. Whereas if the decision had been purely mine to make, I might have looked at a few more dogs to see if there was one I better bonded with from the getgo. But my SO was enchanted with the dog, and I wasn't so offput by him that I was unwilling to adopt him. Still, I might have continued looking, were it all on me, for a dog that's more "my" type. As it is, I've warmed to him and he to me, but I would say he's got more of a bond with my SO than me. But I'm not sure, personality-wise, that he'd have been my top pick, once we met him. He was a good match for my SO, though, and the compromise was worth making.

[brightdoglover]

I haven't gotten much sense of anything when first meeting a dog. Some love attention from anyone, some don't. I don't feel I get to know them at all until they've been home with me and settle in, which can take at least several weeks.
But then, my only puppies were a brother pair I got the day they weaned. They never really bonded with me- a friend said they thought I was the restaurant server, door opener, and entertainment manager, but were pretty busy with "their own little lives." They were beyond cute (border collie/corgi) and I loved them dearly but even starting with day one, I couldn't tell how much they'd bond or act "doggy."
My current crowd of adoptees also varies wildly, from cuddling up all the time to keeping six feet between us. Oh, the latter dog (after two years) sat near me last night and for the first time, allowed my hand to brush her leg. But she's a "special needs" adoption
I say there can be "a dog of a lifetime", where you feel so bonded together. If you're lucky, you'll have more than one of a lifetime. The others are dear friends or honored guests. After all, they are nice to be around no matter what they do, aren't they?
For me, the most important thing is that I feel love and responsibility for them. That is what makes me feel good. If they appear to love me, that's good too, but what I want to feel the warmth in myself.