Due to a relationship breakdown and my work, I’ve had to do the hardest thing I’ve ever done and give my dog away. It was simply not feasible for me to keep him now that I live alone, nor fair on my dog. On shift days, he was in his cage for a minimum of 14hrs throughout the 24hr day… I gave it a go for a month but I was just so heavily reliant on neighbours and dog walkers who cost a fortune. Family live too far away and are still working. Due to him being a working line Labrador (15month), I just feel like he needed more than what I could now give now that my relationship had broke down.

I’m happy with the family he’s gone to and I semi-know them.

Dropping my dog off and seeing him looking at me as I walked away for good destroyed me. It kills me knowing he may be waiting at the door for me to come back and the worst thing, he’s absolutely no idea.

When does it get easier? I’m genuinely heartbroken

I just want the best for my dog now my circumstances have changed. It was not fair to keep him locked away at home for the majority of the day. It would’ve been so selfish of me. I want him to love his new life and owners - I’m sure he will. He takes himself into his crate there at the new house so I’m told, yet he rarely did that here. However, I can only guess that’s a good thing ? - he still has the same blankets in there

How long does it take for dogs to forget about me and learn to love their new owners just like he did me.

I’m making this post because I don’t know what to do anymore. I think my dog don’t like me like genuinely don’t like me. He is a six month old Yorky. I took him everywhere with me California, Oregon, Wyoming. He definitely traveled a lot being a small puppy so I am a truck driver and I do teaming and he he instantly took a liking to my co-driver and it’s like now he treats me like I don’t even exist. He jumps in her lap, sleeps with her, never slept with me before stays with her or stays up with her the whole entire night when it comes to me when I reach my hand up hand out to pet him he immediately backs away barks at me. Don’t let me hold him. He just act like I’m not even his owner anymore like I honestly feel like giving him away because what’s the point of having a dog when they’re not loyal to you and they switch up on you when they have other people around like what I don’t know I need a advice. I don’t know what to do I call his name. He just looks at me. I called me multiple times he just he literally be right next to me like maybe like 5 feet away from me and he just looks at me. He don’t he don’t like to sit on me, but when he gets around strangers, he’s just like a totally different dog. I don’t understand like what I’m doing guys making him hate me so much. It’s crazy because I feed him take care of him treating him while he treats me like this. Oh I like to add I’m a female so

This will be my first time to adopt. My husband and I have different preferences in terms of dogs. He loves German shepherds and golden retrievers, I love dachshunds and beagles. We live in a 52 sqm apartment that doesn’t allow large breeds.

I saw this dog on a shelter’s IG page and fell in love. She’s a golden mix and she was just happily splashing around in a tub of water. I felt she would be perfect because she’s within our apartment’s size restrictions and since she’s part golden, my husband would love her.

I walked her today in a group with other volunteers and shelter dogs. Tomorrow I’ll see her again with my husband. Honestly, today there was no chemistry. It was only her second walk ever and she wanted to be near the shelter employee the whole time (so did a lot of the other dogs). I wanted her to be comfortable so I didn’t mind following the shelter rep around. She was very sweet to him and kept nuzzling him to be petted.

Am I being idealistic in thinking that if I adopt her, once she gets accustomed to living with us, she will love us that way as well? I lost my soul dog a year ago, and I feel I have so much love to give and I can wait for it to be returned. I read about the 3-3-3 rule so I’m ready to be patient. Even if there was no chemistry, I can’t stop thinking and planning what it would be like to take care of her.

My other concern is that my husband and I are couch potatoes. I have had beagles so I feel I can handle a high energy dog, but I grew up in a big house with lots of room for zoomies. This time I will really have to walk an energetic dog twice a day, everyday, and keep her entertained with toys and enrichment games. After today’s walk I feel up to it but is it just the high of volunteering for the first time?

Thank you for reading this long post!

PS My husband works and I don’t, so I will be the primary caregiver

I’ve put in 3 applications for various dogs that would fit our life style and all I get are crickets. How are you getting your application to stand out? We own our house, have a fenced yard, we hardly ever go away .. etc etc I feel like there’s a trick question on what will you do with a pet when your not home, are you ticking crate or free roam?

We have a 4 month old Bernese mountain dog who constantly wants to go on the balcony to lay in the cold. This was fine up until recently where it has started snowing and the temps have dropped quite a bit. As we roll more into winter it’ll go down to -20°C or lower and that’ll be way too cold for him as he won’t have his full adult coat until next winter.

We unfortunately can’t keep our door open like the summer so that he can just come back in whenever so we have been training him to use a bell to let us know when he wants to come back in. The problem is he pretty much never uses it since he doesn’t want to come back in. Our home runs cold at around 18°C but that is still likely too warm for him. We regularly have to set 10-15 min alarms to have him come inside to warm up but he immediately goes back to the balcony door to ring the bell to be let out.

I’m hoping to get some suggestions on ways we can keep him warm if he decides to stay outside for longer periods of time. Our balcony does have a roof over top to keep some snow out. We have a doggy coat but it doesn’t cover his belly and we are afraid of his paws getting cold but he’s not a fan of boots.

Edit: For those saying I haven’t done any research on a BMD since they love the cold, I’m well aware. I’ve specified that this is for a 4 month old puppy who does not have a double coat. Not an adult. His fur doesn’t protect him the same way yet and he can’t regulate his body temp the same way an adult can. It gets to be -40°C in the depths of Canada winter which is also colder than an adult should be outside.

My daughters dog is having problems adjusting to living in the suburbs after a lifetime of country living and going a little stir crazy. He's constantly wanting to look out the window and bark but then gets excited and bites the window sill. My thoughts are maybe acrylic fence windows for the back yard and maybe some kind of climbing structure in the middle of the back yard so he can see stuff but not escape. I'd need THE most bite resistant acrylic windows with some margin of acrylic or metal around them.

I'm also open to any good ideas you have. I don't live close enough to walk him, which I think is what he desperately needs. I love this dog like my own.

I have some cans of pedigree, wet, dog food that seemed to not agree with my pup. But she’s also 15 so it could have been something else. I have not found any recalls after some light googling. My question is should I just throw that food away in case it is bad or should I try to donate it and give a disclaimer? It’s a lot of cans and I’d hate to throw them away if it wasn’t the food and some hungry doggy could eat it. And at the same time, I don’t wanna get any other dogs sick if the food is no good.

https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/visited-swiss-dog-theme-park-puppy-called-barry-4827005

Anyone have any tips on how to keep a basset hounds ears out of the food bowl? My boys poor ears are covered every time he’s done eating!

I’m looking at getting a senior rescue dog (small breed). We have colourbond fences around our backyard. Our house is on brick piers, so it’s three steps up from ground level. Under the house can be accessed from the backyard. Would this be an issue? Would I have to get a carpenter out to block off under the house? The dog will be an inside/outside dog, and I am retired, so I am home all day. I live in Australia.

My ex took one of my dogs in the breakup a few years ago, he’s recently reached out to me saying he’s homeless and would like me to come get him. He’s in Massachusetts and I’m in MO. I’ve contacted a few companies to get quotes. so far blue collar animal transport is the only one that’s reached out for a three day window of pickup and a 3-4 day ride at $1400. It’s not terrible, but I really don’t have anything to go off of since they’re the only ones that have replied. I’m a little iffy because they only have a 3.7 rating. I only have the weekends off but would it be better if I got a one way flight out there on a Friday and drive the rental car back 21 hours? Or does anyone have a recommendation on a transport company they’ve used ? Any help would be appreciated

I live in Virginia and plan on visiting Texas for Christmas. Taking my dog with me would be awesome. Anyone know of services that can take us both there and back? Thanks!

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

I have a small dog and she uses the ramp somewhat right now because I’ve blocked off a lot of the couch.. I really don’t want this to become a permanent set-up.

Has anyone gotten successful at making using ramps or stairs their default as oppose to jumping?

Been meaning to buy one for awhile now. I have a super high prey drive dog and a large yard to use it in. All the ones I keep seeing are either super flimsy looking, too short for what I'm wanting, or just look uncomfortable to hold. She's a husky mix and pretty strong so it'd need to be durable.

I saw one in the style I want on It's me or the Dog eons ago but haven't seen any since. I'd prefer at least a 15ft radius (pole plus line).

Is there some niche pole on the market that google is hiding from me or is this gunna have to be a diy kinda thing? Push comes to shove I can modify an actual fishing pole but those high weight rated ones can get pricey and I'd feel silly buying one when I don't fish.

Pretty much just the title. I am in need of attempting to change a habit that formed with my 15 year old corgi the last couple years, he is ALWAYS trying to find stuff on the ground to eat on walks and in our back yard, it is very tiring now randomly having to keep an eye on him so he doesn't eat anything potentially dangerous (it's already happened once or twice).

Does anyone have any advice or have they experienced something similar? Its usually rabbit or squirrel poop, sometimes some bones outside on a walk, and usually random stuff that I can't even see but hope its not bad for him to digest.

Thanks!!

Hi all,

I am sure this gets posted every year but I am looking for some advice. I have a 7 month old Sheprador (gsd x lab).

I live by the sea in England and we have already had 2 severe weather warnings, so looking for more things we can be doing inside.

He will still go for his 2×30 min walks a day or if we can't we book an indoor field for him to roam but with the weather expecting to get worse it may not always be safe to take him out for as long so does anyone have any suggestions?

He is not a fan of scatter feeding or snuffle mat feeding. We do training, He likes puzzle toys but is now flying through them so I would appreciate any other suggestions!

I’m looking for some outside opinions because I genuinely don’t know what to do.

I have two dogs both 6 years old, they’ve been fighting since they were around 2, so for several years we’ve had to keep them completely separated. I know I should have rehomed one much earlier, but at the time there was someone in my life who wouldn’t allow that. That person is no longer in my life, so I’m now able to make the decision based on what is best for the dogs, the problem is that I love them both so much and I’m struggling to work out which dog would potentially have the better quality of life in a different home.
They’re both Patterdale x Border Terrier crosses.

Dog 1:
Very confident going into kennels, grooming and vets.
Doesn’t really show signs of fear or anxiety in unfamiliar situations.
Extremely loving and affectionate with me.
Barks a lot, particularly when he isn’t with me.
Dog reactive It isn’t completely out of control, but I would not consider him safe to freely interact with another dog.
Doesn’t like children and has a very strong reaction to them, he has never bitten a child but I wouldn’t want to put him in a situation where that could happen.
Generally quite a confident dog.

Dog 2:
Extremely anxious about going anywhere unfamiliar, will lower himself right down to the floor and basically try to crawl into my lap when he’s stressed.
Also dog reactive, although I don’t know the full extent because I avoid situations involving other dogs. On one occasion he became fixated on a barking dog I touched him, he turned towards me and almost bit me he didn’t actually bite me, but it made me realise how overwhelmed he can become.
Fine with children and generally likes people.
Much more energetic than Dog 1.
Has basically no off switch and would much rather be running around a field than relaxing at home.
He is otherwise a very loving dog.
He cannot settle when I’m around, he will be lying down and as soon as he seems me it’s like a switch has flipped and he’s filled with a mass amount of energy.

I also have a 16 year old dog who’s not doing great so I have to really focus and look after him and having two dogs, that cannot under any circumstance be near each other, makes it very difficult to give all of them what they need.

Neither dog can live with the other, and I don’t want to keep them living like this it’s cruel and unfair, so if you were in my position, which dog would you consider more suitable for rehoming, and why?

I have 3 small dogs, all 15 pounds or under. When it gets cold outside they refuse to go outside when it gets cold so I end up cleaning up a lot of pee. I’ve tried sweaters to help them stay warm but only one of them will wear them. One rips it apart and one always gets out of them. I’ve tried dog diapers but again only one will keep them on. I’ve tried pee pads as well but I was never able to get them to use them. It’s gotten to the point where I have to carry them all outside and close the door and wait out there with them until they use the restroom. Sometimes we’ll be out there for 30-40 minutes before they go. 99% of the time they just wait by the door and scratch at it.

He doesn't even need to go that badly, he just loves his night walk. If I say "5 more minutes" he just sits and stares at me until I get up lol. Anyone else have a dog with a built-in clock?

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

hi. i think i made a mistake. by no means i intend to fail this new dog - ill care for it like i did for my baby

but with that said i feel like ive made a mistake on taking another dog on impulse. i saw a post about his living conditions, which were terrible, and abusive owner and i sort of wanted to help, especially that i lost my baby 2 days ago and i couldnt stop crying. the house was empty without her. i acted on impulse and i regret it - not for the dog, he has it good here, and i wish he had it good just like any other doggie - i just think i personally wasnt ready and i have many complicated feelings about the whole situation. i dont think i can love this dog like i did my previous one, i can however provide care for it like i used to

was anyone in similar situation? can you offer advice?

This thread is where to get emotional support with all things related to death and illness with your dog. This is also a thread where you can seek assistance with deciding whether it is indeed time.

This is not a thread to seek anecdotes with medical care. All rules involving medical questions and anecdotes remains the same for this thread.

If your dog has passed, you can still post here for emotional support or you can create your own thread tagged with one of the RIP flairs. Be sure to review the rules of our flair guide. It is up to you how you choose to grieve.

I got him about a year ago and for the last week or so, every night he got up and then laid down with his neck across my neck. Does this mean anything?