Amethyst
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2008
- Messages
- 12,668
I am the youngest of 3 aging siblings, who rarely see each other. We invited my widowed older brother to spend Christmas with us.
He countered with a request to stay for a couple of nights after Christmas, along with his new girl friend (whom we hadn't known about)...and his dog (whom we have met, in the dog's home). They will stop on their way back from meeting the GF's family. They have several places in our area they want to visit while staying in our house..
Although a bit taken aback, I said yes to both extra guests. However, we're concerned about this particular dog and I thought the forum folks may have some ideas. Note: This is not about defending or attacking DOGS per se. We have dog friends, though no pets of our own just now.
My brother says that while in our house, the dog will be in a folding metal wire pen (no bottom). Our house has all hardwood/carpeted floors upstairs, so the dog would be directly on the carpet or wood. My recollection is that this dog is the nervous type, who had a couple of "accidents" in his pen while we were visiting my brother a few years ago. So I offered to put the pen in the basement, where the floor is bare after our plumbing leak this summer. The basement is heated, and I'd put down an old rug inside the pen, and an electric heater near the pen.
My brother said that wouldn't do. The dog needs to see people, or he will cry. Bottom line, he expects the dog to stay upstairs in his wire pen where the dog can see people (although that is an illusion - since we are hardly ever in just one room) He claimed the dog is better trained, now, and won't have any accidents.
I suppose some folks would advise us to put the dog's interests first, while others would say to tell my brother that we'll either do things our way in our house, or don't stay with us at all. The problem is that I do want to see him. I don't dislike this dog; I just don't want it to be in a position where it might urinate on our wood or carpet floor.
Is there any win-win way to handle this?
Thanks,
Amethyst
He countered with a request to stay for a couple of nights after Christmas, along with his new girl friend (whom we hadn't known about)...and his dog (whom we have met, in the dog's home). They will stop on their way back from meeting the GF's family. They have several places in our area they want to visit while staying in our house..
Although a bit taken aback, I said yes to both extra guests. However, we're concerned about this particular dog and I thought the forum folks may have some ideas. Note: This is not about defending or attacking DOGS per se. We have dog friends, though no pets of our own just now.
My brother says that while in our house, the dog will be in a folding metal wire pen (no bottom). Our house has all hardwood/carpeted floors upstairs, so the dog would be directly on the carpet or wood. My recollection is that this dog is the nervous type, who had a couple of "accidents" in his pen while we were visiting my brother a few years ago. So I offered to put the pen in the basement, where the floor is bare after our plumbing leak this summer. The basement is heated, and I'd put down an old rug inside the pen, and an electric heater near the pen.
My brother said that wouldn't do. The dog needs to see people, or he will cry. Bottom line, he expects the dog to stay upstairs in his wire pen where the dog can see people (although that is an illusion - since we are hardly ever in just one room) He claimed the dog is better trained, now, and won't have any accidents.
I suppose some folks would advise us to put the dog's interests first, while others would say to tell my brother that we'll either do things our way in our house, or don't stay with us at all. The problem is that I do want to see him. I don't dislike this dog; I just don't want it to be in a position where it might urinate on our wood or carpet floor.
Is there any win-win way to handle this?
Thanks,
Amethyst