thefed
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2005
- Messages
- 2,203
So the other day, somewhat out of the blue,my wife tells me she found a perfect home for our dog.
Me: "What"
Her: "I'm sick and tired of cleaning up her hair, washing her after she rolls in poo,the flea fights, the irritable skin, etc etc. I CANT take it any more. I know it makes me horrible, but she needs a better family. One that walks her often, plays with her daily, brushes her regularly,etc"
We do neglect our dog somewhat. She's a 4.5 yr old sheppard mix. She gets out to run around maybe 3/week with the kids. She isn't 'walked' but once every 3 months or so. We do hook her to a run every week or so. She is not brushed regularly (thus the influx of hair), she gets yelled at a lot for stuff around the house....trivial things....mainly our irrational responses to normal dog behavior. But the consensus is that we truly do love her and she's a good, well mannered dog.
But my WIFE, on the other hand...she's the problem. Shehas a mild case of self-diagnosed OCD. She vacuums 4-5 times/day due to dog hair alone. She wont let the dog on certain rugs the kids play on. She rarely even touches her. The wife and I have seen her 'problem' get worse over the last year. I feel its a self-fulfilling prophecy...if she didnt always say that she was OCD, it wouldnt become so evident in her behavior.
Anyway, she is fed up with the dog's lack of cleanliness...and it shows in her attitude. She is getting harder to deal with and she realizes it. So the main REASON she wants to get rid of the dog is the cleanliness. Her secondary argument is that someone else could offer a better and more active life for the dog.
I feel that getting rid of the dog is the LAST option.... AFTER we take the proper steps to fix our end of the deal...more walks, more exercise, more attention, more brushing. But I KNOW, deep down, that 2,3, maybe 6 months down the road we will be slacking again. EVEN SO, who's to say she'll be better off with the next guy? We can screen all we want, but 6 months down the road when he's working 80 hrs/week and cant spend time with her (the dog) ,she's in the same boat.
We have discussed and discussed for hours about this, and she is ADAMANT about getting rid of the dog...even had a guy come over today to see her!!!! I think she may actually get rid of or dog while I'm gone...she's that fed up. No need to mention my reaction toward her in that situation :-(
I dont know how to get thru to her. she acknowledges that this dog is part of the family, is a great security guard, awesome with the kids, well mannered etc. It boils down to the dog hair, really. The lack of attention is just her 'backup argument'. I think she needs to seek help for this self proclaimed OCD...she knows it's an issue, but wont see anyone.
Any advice on how to break thru? This is becoming a barrier in OUR relationship. I'm tempted to give in because I care more for her than the dog, BUT that dog is so sentimental to me I CANT.
Me: "What"
Her: "I'm sick and tired of cleaning up her hair, washing her after she rolls in poo,the flea fights, the irritable skin, etc etc. I CANT take it any more. I know it makes me horrible, but she needs a better family. One that walks her often, plays with her daily, brushes her regularly,etc"
We do neglect our dog somewhat. She's a 4.5 yr old sheppard mix. She gets out to run around maybe 3/week with the kids. She isn't 'walked' but once every 3 months or so. We do hook her to a run every week or so. She is not brushed regularly (thus the influx of hair), she gets yelled at a lot for stuff around the house....trivial things....mainly our irrational responses to normal dog behavior. But the consensus is that we truly do love her and she's a good, well mannered dog.
But my WIFE, on the other hand...she's the problem. Shehas a mild case of self-diagnosed OCD. She vacuums 4-5 times/day due to dog hair alone. She wont let the dog on certain rugs the kids play on. She rarely even touches her. The wife and I have seen her 'problem' get worse over the last year. I feel its a self-fulfilling prophecy...if she didnt always say that she was OCD, it wouldnt become so evident in her behavior.
Anyway, she is fed up with the dog's lack of cleanliness...and it shows in her attitude. She is getting harder to deal with and she realizes it. So the main REASON she wants to get rid of the dog is the cleanliness. Her secondary argument is that someone else could offer a better and more active life for the dog.
I feel that getting rid of the dog is the LAST option.... AFTER we take the proper steps to fix our end of the deal...more walks, more exercise, more attention, more brushing. But I KNOW, deep down, that 2,3, maybe 6 months down the road we will be slacking again. EVEN SO, who's to say she'll be better off with the next guy? We can screen all we want, but 6 months down the road when he's working 80 hrs/week and cant spend time with her (the dog) ,she's in the same boat.
We have discussed and discussed for hours about this, and she is ADAMANT about getting rid of the dog...even had a guy come over today to see her!!!! I think she may actually get rid of or dog while I'm gone...she's that fed up. No need to mention my reaction toward her in that situation :-(
I dont know how to get thru to her. she acknowledges that this dog is part of the family, is a great security guard, awesome with the kids, well mannered etc. It boils down to the dog hair, really. The lack of attention is just her 'backup argument'. I think she needs to seek help for this self proclaimed OCD...she knows it's an issue, but wont see anyone.
Any advice on how to break thru? This is becoming a barrier in OUR relationship. I'm tempted to give in because I care more for her than the dog, BUT that dog is so sentimental to me I CANT.