Making hard decisions

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lightningturtle

Scooper of all the poops!
Joined
Apr 9, 2014
Messages
196
Location
Livingston, TX
The apartment seemed a little bigger today, because our family is smaller.

I gave one of my dogs away yesterday, and as hard as it was, I think it was the best thing I could do for him. He needs to run, and was on the verge of going neurotic in our little apartment. We walked him as much as we could, but he was used to having a half acre yard. There was nowhere we could find to let him really burn all that energy, and it wasn't fair to him.

Kyme went to a family with a huge, four acre yard. They have two other dogs for him to play with, and kids to run him ragged. He's going to go on regular trips to their family farm, and have more space than he'll know what to do with.

I still feel like a monster for giving up on one dog, and keeping the other. The corgi is perfectly happy to lounge around when he's not out on a walk. But still, they're supposed to be family for life.

I know I did the best thing I could for Kyme, but I still feel like I failed him. I'll miss the big idiot, but I know he'll be so much happier with his new family.

Sorry for the dramatics, but I needed to vent.
 
As a teenager my mom forced me to take our 3 cats to the shelter, as she decided she didn't want to have them anymore and didn't want to be the one to turn them over. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do and I swear it felt like watching all of them die right in front of me. My mom later gave up her dogs because she wanted German Shepards and didn't think the dogs would mix. I cried for several days each time, but I swore to myself I would never give up another pet while I still had any say in the matter.

I cannot imagine an instance where it would be my only option, but I have lots of family that would do whatever they could to make sure I could keep them. If rehoming was my only option (and I understand sometimes it is) I would definitely pick a home for them based on a certain criteria of how I want them to live the rest of their lives, which sounds like what you did. If you did what was right for the dog then you don't need to feel guilty, because It's not like you just dumped them at the nearest shelter.
 
As a long time animal lover/owner of several different species I would say that making the right decision for the animal will always cause heartache and sorrow, even when a "decision" isn't an option. I would worry if my heart didn't hurt over a decision no matter how much my mind knows its the right one. I think you have shown your pet a wonderful loving heart when you set aside your hurt to make his life better. Kudos from a fellow true animal lover.
 
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