Not wanting a dog

sulkisu

If you really don't want the dog and can't see yourself warming to it in time, I don't think you have much choice about keeping it. Could you restrict it to certain parts of the house - e.g. not allow it in the living room, or upstairs or not on the furniture. Perhaps that would help, but if not and it has to go, sooner rather than later would be my suggestion.

happy35

I have a dog, I was also pressured into getting him but I have learned to like him.

However I have rules and he is not allowed on settees or beds etc, and I hoover every day as I can't stand the hair.

My dog is 13 this year and I have already said that we won't get another one, I would never have got rid of him but I have been left to do the most with/for him over the years. However my son loves him and would never have forgiven me if I had ever given him away, I think OH would have told me to go and leave the dog - and am probably not joking!!!.

surveyqueenuk

I know precious little about dogs so I may very well be wrong, but I notice you mention the hair and smell. Is there anything, grooming-wise, that could be done to improve this? Shampoos, regular salon visits, dietary supplements, that type of thing?

Person_one

jayII wrote: »

Why?

Since the OP agreed to buy a dog, it's a bit unfair of them (and a bit late) to back out of it now.

By now, the family and the dog have become attached to each other and presumably the other members of OP's household also have some say about what happens in their home. I could understand 'getting rid' of the dog if the OP lived alone, but that is not the case here.

I don't think I would have been able to forgive them if one of my parents had allowed me to get attached to and love a dog and then rehomed it just because it made a bit of mess.

When you take on a dog, you have a responsibility to that dog for the rest of its life, only in truly exceptional circumstances should rehoming be an option. It's not a pair of shoes you can just return if you change your mind.

bluenoseam

I'm afraid I can't side with you in any way, shape or form here - you agreed to getting the dog, you take the consequences of that action. None of what you mentioned is a secret, it's well known, so why you agreed if you're going to be precious about it is beyond me.

I suppose the good thing is if you do decide to get rid of the dog then you'll learn & hopefully never own an animal in the future....

Laconic

surveyqueenuk wrote: »

I know precious little about dogs so I may very well be wrong, but I notice you mention the hair and smell. Is there anything, grooming-wise, that could be done to improve this? Shampoos, regular salon visits, dietary supplements, that type of thing?

Oh there is *plenty* that can be done for a stinky dog. Many dogs do not get brushed enough, washed enough or their ears and mouths taken good care of enough. A daily brush outside would do wonders for the hair and most coats can handle weekly washes with a mild (baby mild) shampoo. Coats that can't can be kept cut short and dry-shampooed. Poodle crosses are total pains in this regard. Dogs with drop ears, particularly long-eared dogs can get some horrifically stinky ears so keeping the insides wiped out (not into the canal) and getting rid of hairs inside if it's a non-shedding breed keep those ears smelling sweet and less likely to be infected. Giving hard chews helps the teeth and give you less stinky breath.

There are many, many good options, but it requires a person (or people) willing to do them consistently. And that, I suspect, is where the issue is.

Person_one

Laconic wrote: »

That is an excellent question and my thinking comes to this. What the dog deserves is a *good* home where everyone wants it. If it can be this home that would be the best, but if it cannot, then it mustn't suffer on account of one person's mistake. Nor does any family deserve ongoing strife. The dog can become a seed around which a family destroying crystal of resentment grows. Then the dog loses its home and the children lose and the adults lose out heavily too.

It would be very nice if the OP were prepared to like the dog as then the issues with the dog such as its being on the furniture, its smelliness and probably bad leash manners, not listening (so strange how all these things tend to go together) can be addressed, if the will is there.*

BUT. At the end of the day, if there's no way the OP can make her (his?) peace with the *idea* of a dog, then the right thing to do is to find the dog a better situation. To upgrade its life, so to speak.



*As other posters have been pointing out, these problems aren't that hard to fix. If the people in the family are all on the same page (and willing to actually follow through and do as they promise), then even a week could see a massive improvement on all fronts.

You do realise that we kill thousands of unwanted dogs every year in this country? Lots of them just like the OP's dog, family pets that did nothing wrong but had owners who couldn't be bothered with them.

happy35

I would hate my house to smell of dog so wash his blankets at least once a week, wash hard floors every day and hoover downstairs carpets everyday.
I wash the dog regularly and he has his own doggy aftershave that I use daily. I find dead hair smells so I clip his coat every few weeks,.
Are these things you could try?

suejb2

Not going to help you with the here and now of your feelings for the dog but you clearly didn't do any research before getting a dog. There are so many different breeds as there are different families.

ohreally

Perhaps the family can get rid of the op.

Oh, and you have a lovely thing in your home, its called a dog!

If dog hair and smell were an issue why not choose a breed that doesn't cast?