Well, after debating back and forth about it (with myself and partially consulting with Nick who lovingly remained Switzerland in this whole thing because he did not want to sway my decision making), I decided we'd better find Cassie a new home. For one - she just did not like Nick at all (which to be honest was not THE breaking reason, but it did play a part in my mind) Every time he walked by or entered the room, she got a little spooked and usually jumped up to get away from him. Though she'd settle down after a minute or two, as soon as he moved again or spoke, she got spooked all over again. Just last week when we were getting ready for bed, she opted to jump OVER the bed to get to her dog bed rather than walking next to him. That is how much she just did not like him. And that is after nearly 3 months of living with us. I felt she needed to be in a home where she would be comfortable with everyone who is in it so she could relax instead of getting scared so much over simple things like walking to her dog bed. For two - she was just too much for me to handle with a toddler. I would play with Harvey and she'd try to take over the attention making it really hard to interact with Harvey while she was in the room and that was not ideal for mommy life. She ended up in the kitchen or outside most of the time so we could have play time together and I didn't think that was fair to her to be here, but NOT here with us.
Overall though, I guess between those two things and the experience of having her, I just realized we were not the best suited people for dogs after all. I did not enjoy the hair on the floor that stuck to Harvey's pants any time he sat down, picking up poop outside, worrying if Harvey would wander around the yard and find some of it, dealing with a $30 library fee for damaged books beyond repair and losing 5 pairs of good shoes and a number of other items to her anxiety chewing. When we contemplated driving up to attend my grandma's funeral several weeks ago, she even played a part in why we ultimately decided we could not go. We realized we had no place to put her while we were gone as we don't know many people here yet. The pricing on the doggy daycare type places was out of control too. It just seems I am not the dog girl I once was back in the day with my AKC poster and memorization of all of the dog breeds and I am okay with that. I have grown into the mom life and I am okay with not having a dog. :)
So, even though she had the expected doggy "issues", she was a great, nice, and easy going dog overall, but as great as she was, we put an ad on craigslist (I did not want to take her back to a shelter) and this past weekend on Saturday we said goodbye to her as she became a part of a nice family who already had a small dog and their teenage son fell in love with Cassie and she took to him instantly. I felt guilty about it at first, and didn't want to be "those people" who got a dog and then gave up after only a few months, but I knew it was for the best for us and for Cassie and so I decided I can't focus on the guilt side of it or worrying what anyone else will think about it. I CAN feel good that we rescued her from a 50/50 shot at getting euthanized at the shelter and now we found her a new home with a just as nice family. I think she will enjoy her new house much better though, especially being with another dog when the humans leave. She hated being left alone, but I think with another dog there, she won't get so much separation anxiety to the point of shaking uncontrollably or resorting to chewing up a bunch of things around the house that she can get a hold of. But this was a learning experience for sure. With this experience, we have determined we simply are not dog people after all. If Nick and many other family members weren't so allergic to cats, I'd be all for a cat since they are a lot less work as far as keeping up with exercising, being attention seeking and easier to care for when you leave out of town too. I guess it's good to find these things out now though rather than when we have kids old enough to beg for a dog, and then go through the re-homing process ending with kids being sorely disappointed about it. Even though he was awake when the other people took her, Harvey still obviously didn't understand the whole of it. But, the only time he seemed to wonder about it was the next morning as she usually would follow me as I got him up and sit outside his door as he would greet her with a point and saying "dog dog", when she wasn't there he toddled over and looked out the window for her, and when he didn't see her, he just went back to playing. That was the last he will probably think about it though and that makes it easier. It was good while it lasted and I'm sure I will miss her at times, but she and I will hopefully both be much happier in the long run.
2 comments:
It's a hard decision, but probably for the best.
I dislike the cat hair, but for me/us cats have been so much easier because they are self sufficient for the most part. Feed, water, and let them outside - or change their litter boxes - and they are usually good. At least in my experience. But every animal is different and finding a fit is most optimal.
I would do a cat over a dog too, but Nick is allergic and my sister in law here is really allergic to cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. So, that means there are not really any pets for us to choose from! Except birds I guess, but Nick refuses to do the bird route. He hates the noise.
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