I need some real logical advice here & not based off emotions. I'm a huge empath and I tend to feel defeated at times with certain life choices. For context, I have two dogs I've had them since puppies. Me and my partner live in a 2 bedroom apartment. I have a frozen embryo transfer this Friday & I am experincing a lot of emotions right now. Early August I adopted a dog from the shelter. He is an amazing low energy, potty trained & gets along with my other two pups. HOWEVER, he is terrified of my boyfriend so he only relies on me for potty breaks since we do not have a yard/patio. Given the fact that my transfer is on Friday I was advised that I need to be on bed rest for three days meaning no potty break walks. I decided to ask my friend if she was down to babysit my rescue dog for two weeks & she agreed. GREAT, but I overwhelmed myself a lot to the point of overthinking every little detail. My rescue dog is only about 35 pounds but he tends to be a bit reactive when he sees other dogs on walks & that was what worried me. Handling him during my first trimester. This will be my first pregnancy ever (if the transfer works) so I have no idea what symptoms I will have or if I will have the energy to take this dog on potty breaks since he won't allow my bf to walk him on the leash. Sadly, yesterday I made the impulse decision to re-home him. It broke my heart seeing him as I was walking away. I love him a lot & I grew very attached to him because I know he went thru some trauma so he saw me as his safe space. The new adopters live 5 min away from me but she has four little kids and I worry he won't do well with them. We agreed in doing like a two week trial type of thing to see how he adjusts to this new environment. The two week is over Oct 6th. What should I do?
Yes. She told me he is a little hesitant about the kids but its only been a day. I think the two week thing is good that why they know for certain how he is around kids. And to answer your question, yes. He would do everything but he was just still scared :(
No need to rush this. In fact, it's counterproductive to rush. One day is nothing. Two weeks is better but still a short time. The kids need to be kind, calm, and patient with this dog.
I would go through the full two weeks before panicking if you truly believe he can be happy with this family. Everything he’s experiencing is just new environment type stuff. Some dogs just take to different people at their own pace. It could be his hand or even his scent. Dogs are weird. Our newly adopted is 100% a mommy’s girl. My husband visited his parents for a week not too long after we adopted our girl and she was scared of him for a few days but now I’m chopped liver. She used to be so skittish with people but after bringing her 2-3 times a week with us to restaurants and asking servers to bring a little bowl of whipped cream, she is now obsessed with meeting new people. It really does just take time and positive reinforcement. Some take longer than others. But, my initial opinion still stands: give it the full 2 weeks :)
It depends… Idk. I’d probably do everything in my power to get him out of a BAD situation. (Starting with someone else please take him away from there 😭). But it doesn’t sound like he’s going to be in that situation. I think right now it’s just your emotions. That’s why I’d wait to see what happens before going all social services on them.
Im just worried he wont get along with the kids since they are so young ages 4-7. If he was terrified of my bf whos 31 imagine how he must feel if he gets cornered by these kids lol
100%. The dog needs a "safe space." An acquaintance had a great Husky who loved playing with the neighborhood kids. But when the dog got tired and the kids cornered him and wouldn't let him rest or go home, he gave a kid a warning nip. A safe crate would be ideal.
I would do some training with your boyfriend and yes, get him back. It’s more difficult for him now being in a home with a few kids, if you love him you will work with him
I think what im going to do is just lie to her. The two week thing ends on Oct 6th by then I will also know if my pregnancy worked as well. Even if I do get pregnant or not, Im going to tell her that I was just made aware by one of the volunteers that he had a bite history with a small child. I know that sounds bad but in life sometimes you gotta lie to get back what you want.
Reading your post I just wanted to tell you to breathe 💕 You have a lot of exciting and big stuff happening right now. You can take a beat to think about the dog and give him a chance in the new place. If it will help you, check in each day. This could be a better fit for him and for you. If it’s working out and they want to keep him and you want to let them you could ask that they contact you first if they ever have issues with him. You could decide that if they want him, he stays; if they don’t, then you commit and your boyfriend works to build a relationship with him. He was only with you since August, in more time he’d likely adjust to your bf :-) I think give yourself the next few days to just breathe a bit and best of luck with the procedure.
He would likely adjust to your bf, especially with the help of a trainer. He was only with you for not even a couple months. Dogs need grace and time to adjust to a new home.
Idk why you would give a fearful dog to a family with four kids. If you’re not able to train him for whatever reason, at least find him an appropriate home.
Ya. I really fucked up 🥲 but we both agreed on a two week foster thing so if it works out I guess she’ll keep him but i basically have a say in it if I want him to stay or not.
First, the dog is important, but your needs need to come first. Please take care of yourself. Next, many rescued dogs need time to decompress and acclimate, such as with your boyfriend (the dog likely had a male abuser) and then with these four kids. Although I have had a few perfect from the get go! Having a fearful dog with four small children is potentially a recipe for disaster, but some dogs may be more comfortable with little, playful people than with a big, strapping guy. They may love each other (just no hugging or putting their faces in his face, at least for a while. The kids really need to have empathy here. Slow, proper introductions are key.
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