The Dog

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Salogl

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My husband inherited a dog when he married me.

She (the dog) has anxiety issues. She is alone for 11 hours Monday-Thursday (I have half days Fridays), and because of the way she has acted in the past (going to the bathroom in the house and once tearing up the carpet to get into our bedroom) he does not trust her to have free reign of the house. Also, we were broken into once shortly after I moved in so we set up glass break sensors on the main level that he is afraid of going off when she makes noise.

Our first solution was to put her in the basement. If she relieved herself on the carpets, they were inexpensive and easy to replace. She, however, tried to dig herself out and damaged the basement door and steps.

So, we crated her. She, however, has destroyed her crate, and injured herself quite a bit in the process.

We can try to get a sturdier crate, or we can get rid of her. Those are my current options. A sturdier crate would be $300 dollars- we are in debt and expecting a child soon. Due to our financial situation, I will need to return to work full time after the birth of our child so the situation will not be solved by me becoming a stay at home mom.

I do not believe the crate will work. She hates it too much and I honestly believe she will destroy that too, and we will have wasted $300.

I have a decision to make.

I know I cannot allow my dog to ruin the house. I also do not want my child crawling around where the dog just defecated so if she cannot behave, we can’t keep her.

I don’t know where to bring her, though, I have begun asking around, but I doubt I will find anyone who is looking for a six year old dog. We can take her to the shelter, but she will be euthanized after a short period time if she is not adopted. Again, she’s six. She is unlikely to be adopted.

My dog has been my best friend when I was living alone. I know I need to put my family first, and it is not right to ask my family to suffer for the sake of me and my pet, but I can’t justify taking her life after all these years of being with her. I feel like no matter what I am going to do something very wrong. Any suggestions?

Thanks.
 
I’m sorry, it sounds like this dog is not a good fit for a family. And yes, if she is so destructive and not housebroken, you do need to make a decision. No way would I let a dog like that around my child or allow it to damage my home.

You can take her to a shelter, but if she is not really adoptable, I doubt she would be placed. Have you considered a breed-specific rescue? I’d call around. Be honest about her behavior problems, though. And if you offer to pay for the dog’s expenses, you might get a better response than if you ask the rescue to assume all it’s costs (food, supplies, vet bills, etc)

You could place an ad on Craigslist. Again - be clear about the dog’s issues or else she will come right back. Maybe someone with a large ranch can allow her to live out her life as an outdoor ranch dog?

Another option is to have her humanely euthanized by your vet. If this is the likely outcome at a shelter, better to skip the stress of the pound and handle it yourself in a non-threatening environment. It will be tough for you, but dogs don’t know the difference and don’t have any awareness of life or death. They just go to sleep. It is a viable and ethical option if no other situation can be found. And personally I feel that euthanasia is better than living in a crate full time.

Good luck 🙂
 
Anyway, you can consider to higher a sitter for your dog? Many children, looks for side pocket. These animals go nuts if they aren’t around human, they are born for this. They can accept to be alone a little but they need human.

If your dog, doesn’t get enough exercise, the energy will built up and they will explode. Dog calms down much more when they get the exercise they need. You will need to sacrifice TV or distraction and exercise your dog.

Also, seek for a dog trainer to get tips from them, they see thousand of dog and they can point you in the right direction.

All the best!
 
Salogl said:
My husband inherited a dog when he married me.

She (the dog) has anxiety issues. She is alone for 11 hours Monday-Thursday (I have half days Fridays), and because of the way she has acted in the past (going to the bathroom in the house and once tearing up the carpet to get into our bedroom) he does not trust her to have free reign of the house. Also, we were broken into once shortly after I moved in so we set up glass break sensors on the main level that he is afraid of going off when she makes noise.

Our first solution was to put her in the basement. If she relieved herself on the carpets, they were inexpensive and easy to replace. She, however, tried to dig herself out and damaged the basement door and steps.

So, we crated her. She, however, has destroyed her crate, and injured herself quite a bit in the process.

We can try to get a sturdier crate, or we can get rid of her. Those are my current options. A sturdier crate would be $300 dollars- we are in debt and expecting a child soon. Due to our financial situation, I will need to return to work full time after the birth of our child so the situation will not be solved by me becoming a stay at home mom.

I do not believe the crate will work. She hates it too much and I honestly believe she will destroy that too, and we will have wasted $300.

I have a decision to make.

I know I cannot allow my dog to ruin the house. I also do not want my child crawling around where the dog just defecated so if she cannot behave, we can’t keep her.

I don’t know where to bring her, though, I have begun asking around, but I doubt I will find anyone who is looking for a six year old dog. We can take her to the shelter, but she will be euthanized after a short period time if she is not adopted. Again, she’s six. She is unlikely to be adopted.

My dog has been my best friend when I was living alone. I know I need to put my family first, and it is not right to ask my family to suffer for the sake of me and my pet, but I can’t justify taking her life after all these years of being with her. I feel like no matter what I am going to do something very wrong. Any suggestions?

Thanks.
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This situation sounds a lot like my dog. He’s a lot older than your dog, however, but these things seem to happen as the dogs get older. I would highly suggest that you consult a veterinarian, for sometimes, they will prescribe anti-anxiety medication. Also, make sure that your dog takes a good long walk before you leave her by herself; a lot of the time, the defacing on furniture is a result of a nervous bladder or not having a chance to go beforehand. Lastly, have you thought about perhaps getting a dog house outside and fencing your yard? Perhaps if you allowed her to go free for a bit (with a doggy door and an electric collar), she wouldn’t feel so panicky. Hope this helps!
 
I’d highly consider hiring a dog walker or doing a doggie daycare. 11 hours locked in a crate is just too long…without any exercise or bathroom relief.
 
It would be cruel to keep the dog in a crate.

I would use Craigslist or some other local online service to try to find a good home for her (someplace where she can receive the attention and outdoor exercise that she needs). If you can’t find her a new home, it would probably be best for the dog to put her to sleep, hard as that is. It doesn’t sound as though you have the necessary time to give her, and it’s not a good idea to keep her in the house with a baby coming.
 
Thank you for your responses.

I moved from a nice neighborhood near my parents who could watch my dog while I was away and where I could walk her three times a day to live with my husband. We do not live close to anyone, and there have been assaults in our neighborhood lately. Because of this, my husband does not like me out in the dark, nor do I like being out in the dark. With it being light out more often, I can walk her more now though. I am also trying to play with her more to get out some of her energy.

We cannot afford a dog walker or doggy daycare. Those expenses are just out of the question.
 
Salogl said:
Thank you for your responses.
QUOTE]

Call your vet (and other vets in the area), ask if you can post her picture in their office:

Needed: loving home for our dog who needs to be outside in a large area.

Pray to St. Francis to lead you to a good person who has a large yard were your dog will be happy and his new owner will enjoy the company of your dog.

Post her “Needed” poster at a rural vet’s office.

Ask your vet where he suggests you look for her new owner.
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Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your baby. May you and your family be blessed.

As you stated you will be giving birth soon and will be home more often. At this time you can search for another home that has more space or a senior who needs the companionship as much as your dog does. Vets/shelters should have lists of people who do not have the means to adopt but have the desire to nurture an animal.

Mine suffers with anxiety as well, and has been with me through many life trials so I understand how you feel.
In the mean time, would your husband be able to or want to put a “door” at the bottom of the stairs. A piece of plywood with a hinge and latch?
 
Salogl said:
Thank you for your responses.

I moved from a nice neighborhood near my parents who could watch my dog while I was away and where I could walk her three times a day to live with my husband. We do not live close to anyone, and there have been assaults in our neighborhood lately. Because of this, my husband does not like me out in the dark, nor do I like being out in the dark. With it being light out more often, I can walk her more now though. I am also trying to play with her more to get out some of her energy.

We cannot afford a dog walker or doggy daycare. Those expenses are just out of the question.
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It’s a hard situation. While most dogs can be trained to tolerate crates (my somewhat neurotic dog will actually go sit in hers herself when there’s lots of stuff going on), it would be hard for the dog to be crated that long that often. It may be possible, if you suspect that your living arrangements will change somewhat soon, but hard.

In addition to talking to your vet about anxiety, you may ask your vet and shelter if there is a local training group that is cheap or free. Old dogs can learn new tricks, it just takes longer, and it may be possible to correct some behavioral problems this way. (And since no one likes to see a dog euthanized, they may be interested in working with you on such things as price.) Even if it turns out that you can’t keep the dog, you may be able to help make her more “adoptable.”

You may also (if you haven’t already) mention the issue to your parents. Depending on their set up and how close they are to your dog (you mentioned that they looked after her occasionally before), they may be willing to put her up for a while, at least while you seek someone to adopt her. Of course, this could potentially be hard on them and they may not be able to, but it can’t hurt to ask.

Hope things work out for you, I know this has to be a hard situation.
 
Get another dog, so they will always be a pack. They need a pack.
 
Salogl said:
My husband inherited a dog when he married me.

She (the dog) has anxiety issues. She is alone for 11 hours Monday-Thursday (I have half days Fridays), and because of the way she has acted in the past (going to the bathroom in the house and once tearing up the carpet to get into our bedroom) he does not trust her to have free reign of the house. Also, we were broken into once shortly after I moved in so we set up glass break sensors on the main level that he is afraid of going off when she makes noise.

Our first solution was to put her in the basement. If she relieved herself on the carpets, they were inexpensive and easy to replace. She, however, tried to dig herself out and damaged the basement door and steps.

So, we crated her. She, however, has destroyed her crate, and injured herself quite a bit in the process.

We can try to get a sturdier crate, or we can get rid of her. Those are my current options. A sturdier crate would be $300 dollars- we are in debt and expecting a child soon. Due to our financial situation, I will need to return to work full time after the birth of our child so the situation will not be solved by me becoming a stay at home mom.

I do not believe the crate will work. She hates it too much and I honestly believe she will destroy that too, and we will have wasted $300.

I have a decision to make.

I know I cannot allow my dog to ruin the house. I also do not want my child crawling around where the dog just defecated so if she cannot behave, we can’t keep her.

I don’t know where to bring her, though, I have begun asking around, but I doubt I will find anyone who is looking for a six year old dog. We can take her to the shelter, but she will be euthanized after a short period time if she is not adopted. Again, she’s six. She is unlikely to be adopted.

My dog has been my best friend when I was living alone. I know I need to put my family first, and it is not right to ask my family to suffer for the sake of me and my pet, but I can’t justify taking her life after all these years of being with her. I feel like no matter what I am going to do something very wrong. Any suggestions?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
well, I don’t have a solution. I know that I had to put my seeing eye dog down because he had cancer. I cried more when Gentry died than when my own mother died. I have forgiven my mother but I was emotio because she couldn’t accept my blindness. I’ll certainly pray for you though. Oh, one thing, have you thought of putting her on a sedative? I know that when my current dog, named Zeus, was anxious, I gave him Benidrel. It might only mask the problem, but it might be helpfulnally and physically abused
 
11 hours is a very long time for a dog to be alone without any interaction and without bathroom breaks, as other posters have noted. Perhaps hiring a dogwalker or even having your parents come over during the day to walk the dog would help.

Have you taken her to the vet for a full exam? Mention her behaviors to the vet. The vet might be able to give her some anti-anxiety medication to help, suggest training courses, or treat any medical problems that might be contributing to the behavior.

One of my cats urinated on the floor for over a year, so I can understand your frustration with a pet who seems to be nothing but destructive. It was awful, and for a long time the cat ended up living in a large dog crate (with litter box inside), because we just couldn’t have him ruining our house. Turns out, the cat was having chronic UTIs. We worked with the vet and eventually the vet was able to come up with a combination of specialized food and a medicine that worked. The cat hasn’t urinated on the floor in over 2 years, and I still have my kitty who has been such a faithful companion.

All of which is to say, talk with your vet first. Explain the behavior issues and see what the vet suggests – it’s possible there’s a solution that could bring some peace to you and your husband and allow you to keep the dog.
 
Thanks for your replies.

My parents live too far away now to help. Since it is staying lighter out longer I can walk her more. That will help. It’s just still too dark to walk her before I leave in the morning. She does go out in the yard, but it’s not much of an opportunity to release energy.

It is a really good idea to call the animal shelter about low price training classes. I will definitely look into that. I will also talk to my veternarian about options and maybe posting in her office.

I would love another dog, but I will never be able to convince my husband that it is a good idea.

She does not have a UTI. I already had her checked.
 
Please do not crate your dog for that long…that is cruel and inhumane.

I think it is your moral responsibility to make every effort possible to find another home for the dog. The dog deserves someone who can spend the time and effor into loving it the way it deserves.

I would not make a commitment to an animal in the future without making sure that you and your family can fully commit to 10-15 years of taking care of it.
 
You know the answer to your problem, you just don’t want to face up to it.
 
Armor_of_Light said:
Get another dog, so they will always be a pack. They need a pack.
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I don’t think right before having a baby is the time to take a gamble on another dog. Probably best she try to find a home where this dog can join a pack instead of adding to the chaos in her home 🙂

OP- call around to people you know that have property. Sounds like it might be a good fit as an outdoor ranch dog.
 
I’m in the camp of people who would try everything possible before getting rid of a dog. If you can find time to really get your dog the exercise it needs it might calm down. You should talk to a vet or a trainer about your dogs anxiety issues. They may have some ideas that will help. Such as leaving familiar smells near your dog when you are gone, not making a big deal about leaving or returning, taking time to train your dog that leaving isn’t scary by practicing leaving for a few minutes at a time until your dog is less anxious, etc. I know some people will train their dogs to run on treadmills in the house to help burn extra energy. Your dog views your family as its pack and will find it distressing to separate from you no matter what option you go with. However, if it is necessary to get rid of your dog, you should look for someone who has experience working with dogs with this type of anxiety. Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
Just wanted to add that our dog is very anxious as well. I can leave her uncrated and the only thing she will do is make a nest out of my belongings…which is a bit creepy but sweet lol.
She also pees any time I look at her, touch her or try to pick her up. I’m the only person she does this with and I’m by far her favorite person in the universe.
I definitely understand the frustration, though. Surely the vet can help with suggestions.
 
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