Not feeling good

BigBlackcat

coinxoperated wrote: »

I am just entirely disgusted that the OP decided to not only take a dog she obviously had no commitment too and then post on here obviously looking for sympathy. She/He didn't take on board any suggestions made by other posters, and her responses have been very 'I've made my decision'.

I personally feel by the actions she's taken, have made her a person I wouldn't want to mix with. I personally feel that if you ale one dog from a home and think everything's going to be perfect, your a fool. The fact she/he stated they would try and get a different dog makes it even worse.

I'm entitled to an opinion as much as the next person, and if you don't want opinions / comments, then surely, you don't post on a forum?

I'm finished with this post now, as if you look back, the majority of comments have been from people who feel the same. If you would all like to rally up and say what he/she has done is acceptable, feel free. After all, it's your opinion.

I would like to say though, that you may be encouraging the OP to get another dog, which she will also give up on in a space of two weeks.

I'm sure the majority of people that post on public forums don't do it to be abused!

This is a classic example of the typical hysterical response that has become commonplace on this forum.

Personally, I think OP has been a little too hasty in giving the dog back, and I don't think a dog is the right kind of pet for OP right now.
But that doesn't make OP a despicable person. The dog wasn't beaten and thrown out in the street. The dog now has the chance of finding a more suitable home.

Such judgemental, OTT reactions make you look ridiculous and makes everything you say a lot less credible.

ljonski

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Loyal-Willow-Wanda-stayed-owner-s-body-need-new/story-16143291-detail/story.html

Here is a lovely story to show how pets are sometimes more devoted to their owners than vice versa.

catkins

I can fully understand why some posters are angry. Taking on a pet is a big responsibility and one that should be thought through properly beforehand.

Two weeks is a pathetic amount of time to have an animal and then give up on it. What if the next owners give up after two weeks? This poor dog could spend it's life going from home to home never getting proper training because people cannot be bothered.

I have a friend who works in animal rescue and it is heartbreaking The amount of animals given up in the first place is sad enough and often for the most ridiculous and pathetic reasons - we've just had a baby (if you don't think babies and animals mix although they can very happily, then don't get an animal), it's chewed wires, carpet, shoes etc etc etc (well as it's a puppy and you leave it alone for long periods what do you expect), it messes on the floor (again it's only a pup and should not be left for long periods). Then when the animal gets rehomed and don't forget a lot don't and the new owners bring it back a few weeks later, again using some pathetic excuse (often the same things i.e. chewing, messing etc). Years ago she had a dog that at 11 months old had had 5 owners. Me and my husband took him on although we already had 2 dogs and 3 cats and really did not want another dog. He took a lot of patience and time but eventually become a lovely friendly dog and also a very good guard dog.

We also have 3 cats, 2 of which are rescues. One when we got him kept spraying in the house and the other would attack us for no reason. He would latch on to your leg and bite and scratch. I was actually quite scared of him. We thought about taking them back to the rescue but that did not seem fair. We had decided to get them and what if someone else took them on and then took them back?

Again it has taken time and patience but they are both now lovely boys. The one that used to attack will now allow us to stroke him and even sometimes sits on our laps. We have had him for almost 3 years now but it took 2 years before he stopped attacking totally although it did get less and less frequent. The rescue centre knew nothing about his previous life as he was found as a stray and they thought he was about 4 years old. We think he may well have been illtreated and that made him suspicious of humans.

Some people just give up on animals far too easily. I would hope if they had a child with problems they would not decide to get rid of them.

With regard to the OP I would think that if they live at a school a dog may not be suitable anyway. Quite a lot of children are scared of dogs. The OP says "if the dog got out". Well if they cannot make sure a dog cannot get out then they should not get one. Any dog could possibly bite a child in certain circumstances. I knew someone with the most gentle dog I have ever known. They ran a pub and the dog was always in there and was friendly to everyone. I saw children pull at him and he took no notice. One hot day he nipped a child - luckily it was not a bad nip but everyone was totally amazed. It was so out of character and he never did it again but maybe that day he was hot and maybe did not feel well and the child pulled his fur or tail. No dog can be guaranteed 100% safe around a child or grownup for that matter

HeatherintheHills

I have 2 rescue cats that bounced in and out of the rescue centre a lot before coming to me. I took them on after volunteering and learning about and to know the cats, but even then their behaviour in the centre was completely different to their behaviour when I brought them home. One was as friendly as anything in her rescue pen but turned into a terrified, vicious ball of flying fur when brought into my home.

Although to experienced dog owners 2 weeks doesn't seem long to settle a dog, what if the OP is an inexperienced dog owner? If so, I think that they did the right thing by talking to the rescue centre about their doubts and concerns and returning the dog based on those discussions. If someone has doubts about their ability to keep safe a pet and those around it, especially children, then it is better to admit that and deal with it as soon as possible.

Sometimes an owner/environment and pet are just not well matched and it is kinder to the animal to acknowledge that as soon as possible. Given that many long term rescue pets are taken into foster care for a few weeks holiday away from the pens, I don't think this dog will have suffered too much at being returned so quickly. He sounds like a lovely dog and I hope he finds a new home soon.

spike7451

I know EXACTLY how you feel.Before I got Daisy,I rehomed a deaf white cat called Christmas,she was a loverly cat,very affectionate & a real beauty.

I had her one night & had to return her to ASSISI the next day.

Reason I had to was she was destroying my belongings.She liked to sit up high & at 5am,I was taking book shelves off the wall in the bedroom as she was semding the books & other ornaments flying when she jumped up.
I felt really bad a bout returning her,but in the end it was for the best,and I came away with little Daisy.
The's a dog out there for you,maybe not this one,but he or she is out there....

cavework

I do know that when we adopted Millie , as she is now called , we had two home visits , two visits to the Rescue Centre and had to sign an agreement that they could visit us at any time and if we had to rehome her , we must return her to them.
TBH the OP has done the right thing by at least returning the dog and giving it another chance to find the right home.
Also after the problems with this one the rescue centre might have a better idea as to what type of dog would suit their lifesyle.

Gingham_R

You sound like you were worried that this dog was a risk in the environment of a school and you've made a decision based on that and I'm making no judgement on that. Dogs of this age can be boisterous and mouthy and a rescue dog can take a few weeks to calm down and know that he's safe where he is so, although the behaviour was not what you wanted, it was also perfectly safe, normal adolescent behaviour as long as it was handled properly and training put in place.

For that reason, I'd be very wary of getting another dog. A puppy will go through the same phase as the dog you have returned to the rescue and another rescue dog will also need a settling in period.

Whereas this dog's behaviours were normal and friendly, another dog may seem placid but have the potential to bite. So if there is as risk of the dog getting out and running around the school grounds while the children are there, this is an unacceptable risk for any school to consider. For ANY dog.

loulou123

My last dog was THE rescue dog nightmare! He was 13 months old when we got him, had no training and was a bit mental too - collie x spaniel lol!

As soon as we got him home, we ran around the house like a crazy thing peeing in every corner (obviously marking his new terriotry) he was uncontrollable on the lead and used to jump up and nip (not bite) in the back garden.

The 1st time we left him on his own (for 30 mins max) he ate the door frames in our kitchen, pulled all the lino up, got on the work tops and broke every cup etc he could find, managed to turn the tap on and caused a flood - i could go on and this was in 30 mins!

But we worked through it all, and he was the most loving and fun dog, i have ever owned, sure he retained a few 'faults' - mainly his recall ability on the lead, which was none exsistant until he wanted to come back and the fact he remained complete crazy and did everything at 100mph.

I think anyone getting a rescue dog needs to give them months to settle in properly, especially if they have been a cruetly case etc, as i have had 4 rescue dogs and 1 rescue cat over the years and they ALL had problems in the 1st months...

loopy136

It just shows how misguided some people are. Just because you have researched a breed temperament does not mean the dog will arrive well behaved. As it was a rescue dog you had no way of knowing what it had experienced, what environment it had been kept and if it had any training.

It's a huge ask to expect a young dog to fall into place straight away, they have to work out whos in charge, the pack leader, and how it's suppose to behave. Some dogs can take months to settle in and need firm training.

My dog was a rescue and a nightmare to begin with, behaved completely differently to how we had seen her, but we had made the decision to take her home and complete our home, from that first day we were smitten. I can't imagine giving a pet away for behavorial problems, as there is always something to do, whether it is just more socialisation or proffessional training.
Don't think you thought enough about the life changing decision you made by taking it home, and it's a shame it's too late for the dog now.
Every false promise of a forever home will affect its behaviour for the next home.
Maybe stick with fish!

cavework

Although I agree that 2 weeks is a very short period for a dog to settle into a new home I think the OP has been very brave in deciding to post on here and tell people she/he has returned the dog.
There are far worse scenarios out there. Take a look at Gumtree or Preloved and the amount of dogs that are offered that have been living with the same family for 8, 9 months sometimes years who are suddenly surplus to demand.
Far better these animals are taken to a rescue centre for rehoming than
ending up as bait dogs