A Very Difficult Decision

Well we made a difficult decision but we believe it was the best for Zoe and us as well.

She is a beautifull girl but we felt increasingly that we couldnt give her the home she should have and that we were just not the right owners for this dog.. We wanted to make the decision before she was too old and would find it harder to be in another family.She is still very young nearly four months old.

We just were not up to the task of training such a large breed and doing a good job of it. I was doing a little better than hubby and it was so much harder on him. We are no spring chickens.

She has a home with a fantastic family

THey have a thirteen year old daughter who Zoe will belong to as a graduation gift. The girl was thrilled and Zoe went crazy over her.
.

They already own a lab that is nine years old so they are well aware of lab behaviours and yes they did bring their lab with them to meet Zoe and they hit it off extremely well. Their dog is so sweet natured and friendly.

They are aware of her biting ,chewing and all of her habits etc and seem to know how to handle it even while they were here I could see how good they were with her including the daughter. They also told me that their dog would help her to learn good behaviours as well.


THey live on a farm with 50 acres that they told me Zoe will be able to run on with them on many outings.

I am soooooo happy for her but still sad for me as I miss her and cried like a baby the day we said good bye. I still cry and sometimes and wish I hadnt done it but in my heart I know it is right.

It was the hardest thing I have had to do in a very long time.

The new people told me that I am welcome to come out and see her anytime but I will wait on that as I want her to forget us totally and just become part of their family first.

Also I dont know if I could do it..

It sure is quiet around here

Im sorry things didnt work out for you and pup.

Awww I'm so sorry I'm sure she is happy though. Maybe you could just adopt an older dog? That way you won't have to deal with all the chewing/biting puppy issues (they made me crazy too).

Thanks for your kind thoughts

Yes in time maybe an older dog would be better for us but it would have to be a smaller breed as well. We are sure we could handle a much smaller breed puppy. Zoe being a lab was very strong and getting bigger and stronger every day.Just too much for us.We should have thought of all that in the first place.

Oh well hindsight is always 20/20



Zoe is in a very good home and another very good thing that came out of this is that my friend who was considering a Beagle pup is now rethinking that idea.

I got some info on her from this site about beagles and also her seeing how hard it is when you make a mistake and have to give them up has made her decide to study the many breeds further.

.

Our 2 year old had a difficult puppyhood. I have thought many times while getting him through that time that I will probably adopt older dogs from now on. I don't think I will be anxious to go through the puppy stage for a long time again.

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you and Zoe, but I'm glad she has found a wonderful new home. I agree that you should probably look into adopting an older dog. There are a ton of rescue organizations out there who need good people to adopt. Good luck!

Thanks cowgurl and mjb

Yes a very small pup or and older dog of a smaller breed would be best.

I will study the many breeds a lot harder this time around.

I dont mind just having a small mutt either. It doesnt have to be a purebred dog.

I think you made a very difficult, selfless and courageous decision. You did what was best for the puppy. It sounds like you found a marvelous home and I think she'll be very happy.

Maybe a smaller breed which is past puppyhood would be easier. I find that my toy breeds are definitely easier than the larger ones. There are, of course pros and cons to each.

Best luck to you.

I was surprised to find quite a few small dogs in the pound. They were adults, and I thought I needed a puppy because I was introducing it to 2 cats. At any rate, I will certainly look at the pound and at Petfinder for a small dog next time around, especially if I stick with my decision to get an adult.

Hi Doberluv and mjb


Doberluv thanks so much for what you said as it is very hard to give up a dog. I feel like a failure sometimes and that I gave up on her but I didnt want to wait till she was seven months old and already set in her ways with owners that didnt know how to train her the right way.

I am going to phone the new owners today to find out how she is as they told me to call anytime.

mjb thanks to you as well. Where we live there are nearly no small dogs in the shelters. All usually great big lab mixes and shephard mixes. When there is a small one it is usually spoken for really fast.

When I do get another dog I will go there again to look though and also in our buy trade and sell book that has numerous dogs available. I never thought of petfinder so I will look into that as well.

I guess I always wonder why so many people are getting homes for dogs that they say are so affectionate and trained and almost seem too good to be true.

I know how you feel, but I don't consider you or anyone else who rehomes a pet a failure. I've been there before.
We ended up finding a new home for the first puppy we got. I think it was probably similar circumstances to you. I felt like the puppy was out of control somewhat, and the training I was trying didn't seem to help, and I was overwhelmed.
We've had a dog since then and all went well. He lived to a ripe old age.
The dog I have at present was quite a pistol as a puppy. He's part terrier, and they tell me terriers are quite challenging. I was in a state of depression during some of his puppyhood. I stuck it out because I had a child who was in love with him, and I just strongly didn't want to give up on him. (I had already done that once with a puppy). He's not a large dog, either. He's typical terrier size, and about 30 lbs. I was thinking surely I should be able to handle him!!
By the way, he turned into an absolutely great dog. I like to think it's all the work I did with him, but sometimes that didn't seem to be making any difference. I think some of it just came with maturity. At any rate, he is wonderful.
I think I might be better suited to getting adult dogs and skipping the puppy stage from here on out, though!!
All this to say, I certainly don't think you're a failure, and I also understand where you are coming from, I think.
(And Petfinder does have alot of dogs of all ages and sizes...puppies and adults).

Congratulations on making an incredibly difficult, but incredibly responsible decision.

A lot of the groups who are on PetFinder.com are willing to arrange transport of dogs that are adopted by someone who is farther away. I've been a part of several such transport chains, one of which moved a Catahoula/Saint Bernard mix from Arkansas to Vermont!

Don't think you can't have a small dog because of location until you've contacted the adoptive agency. They might be able to work something out for such a good home.

Beth

Thanks Beth and again mjb

I am sure glad I found this forum as the people on here are very supportive and helpfull. I called the new owner earlier but she wasnt there so I left a message. When I hear how Zoe is doing I will be sure to let you all know.

Thanks again everyone