Should i let him give up my dog?

Question

i have a 3 year old jack russell that is my baby,so my fiance got a cattle dog x boxer for himself.. shes huge. my jack has NEVER accepted her and doesnt really like her. then we moved house 2 somewhere with a smaller yard and she (the big dog) has been very destructive since. she has chewed up my lounge, several clothes, shoes, furniture, tupperware, countless dog beds. she is only one year old now and my partner ses we should get rid of her while shes still a pup so shell accept a new home. plus cattle dogs have a history of going a little crazy when their female owner gets pregnant and we pklan on having a family in the next few years.

My jack russell has always been an inside dog because if i leave him outside he escapes since she came (to get away from her) but she cant be in house cos she so destructive she has wrecked the carpet and paint and pulled down my vertical blinds. so she stays outside and it seems unfair/

plus the 2 dogs are always play fighting and my little jack russell usually gets hurt.

he says its his dog and his choice but i have grown so attached to her.....

It would break my heart but he says it will be for the best for her.

and yes i know youll say walk her but my partner work 6-7 days a week 12 hour shifts and i cant walk them both at same time cos they are both so strong and try fight on the lead and hurt me...and u cant just walk one cos the other is devastated and howls.

am i a bad person if i let him give her to another family ?? we just cant handle a dog of this size!!(we definitely would not leave her at a shelter cos i dont want the slightest chance of her being put down)

Answer 1

You are not a bad person.  You are doing what's best for you and your family (future family).  Your living arrangements changed and that happens and people do have to give up their beloved pets.  I think as long as you find him a loving home he will be happy there.  It's sad, but you are doing it with the best intentions and you have plans that may cause the dog to become jealous. Good luck

Answer 2

big dogs need space. even if you walk them.  we had a wonderfully behaved, but larger than average miniature schnauzer.  we had too much change in too little time for him, he got stressed and it wasn't fair to him.  he had to start spending more time outside because he was acting out on our things, we tried to give him more attention but we just couldn't maintain him at his level of need.  we felt bad about him being outside because his personality was an indoor dog so we finally gave him to my husband's father.  he had the time to give him one-on-one attention and keep him indoors.  it's the best thing for all involved.  don't feel guilty, don't feel bad, you are truly doing what is in the dog's best interest and as her owner you are obligated to do that.  our issues weren't over another pet, it was over children and your dog will recover from playful injuries alot better than an infant.  better to search now for a better home than wait til you have no choice and no time to make the right decision.  

it also sounds like you know what you should do but you want others to understand the pain in your decision.  we do.  but being a "parent" isn't about what's easy, it's about what's best and what's right.

Answer 3

i think you will regret giving it away.  have ur fiance go walk the dogs With you to help, it would be a good bonding experience for the whole family!

Answer 4

It sounds like before you give up your dog, you need to train the cattle dog!  She's being distructive because she's possibly bored, has separation anxiety, hasn't been crate trained, and/or hasn't been properly trained to walk to cannot be walked.

I wonder how you introduced them too, and what steps you're taking to keep the pack mentality around the house.

Behavioral issues are the number one reason dogs end up in shelters and are put down now adays.  If you don't want to deal with this behavior, what makes you think someone else will?

Answer 5

If you can't find a way to make both dogs happy, then the responsible thing would be to rehome her (and I'm glad you'll do the work instead of dumpng her at a shetler)

They've got these head colars that are supposed to stop the dogs from pulling. I'd invest in two of those. Shorten their leashes so they HAVE to be by yourside. Maybe do it in a fenced yard at first so if they got out of control, you don't have a dog runnig away.

I had to walk my JRT for 1hr-2hs a day. That'll tire both dogs out and a tired dog is a good dgo. THey don't have the energy to destroy anything.

I think going to obedience classes with both dogs would be a good idea as well. Actually, it'd probably solve a lot of your problems. Call around and get some prices!

edit:

Stop making excuses. If you want to keep this dog you're going to have to do something about this situation. Having a dog is NOT easy especially when you allow it to get out of control like this.

Just stop wasting our time. It's apparent that you're not going to take our advice anyway.