How exercise you know if you should give your dog away? Surrendering or rehoming a dog is painful, but information technology might be the best decision you could make for your family – and your canis familiaris. We had to give our dog away; it was the right matter for us to do, but it was a terrible conclusion to accept to brand.

The post-obit tips will help you determine if you should give your dog away. It'south important to call back that sometimes the nigh difficult decisions are also the "most right" ones. Sometimes in that location are things we don't want to happen, just take to accept. Nosotros larn lessons nosotros didn't desire to larn…and we meet dogs we love but just can't alive with.

I wrote How to Cope With Rehoming Your Dog afterward nosotros adopted another dog (Tiffy). Her owner was really struggling with the fact that she was giving her dog away. I wanted her to know that her little dog adjusted and then quickly and easily to living with usa! Dogs are survivors. They adapt quickly to new homes and owners – though I believe they never forget their previous owners. If you feel guilty and bad about giving your dog away, know that someone else will be glad you had to brand this decision!

How do y'all know if giving your dog abroad is the right matter to practice? This is a determination you and your family take to talk about – and even wrestle with. Everybody's best interests have to be considered. There are no easy answers or quick tips. Deciding if y'all should give your dog upwards is a personal decision, and it's of import that y'all make it equally a family. If you let someone else tell y'all what to do, you may ever regret giving your canis familiaris away. You may also blame or resent the person for telling you lot what to do with your domestic dog. That'south why this is a determination you accept to make with your family unit.

I hope my thoughts and experience assist you make this decision. Please consider sharing your story in the comments section beneath. If you read through other readers' comments, you'll find condolement and support. You'll see you're not lone. Writing about your own experience might help yous decide if you should give your dog abroad, and assist you work through the grief and guilt. You'll also show other dog owners that they're non alone.

Should You Give Your Canis familiaris Away?

These things to consider and discuss with your family unit are based on our experience with our big black Shepherd/lab cross. We didn't modify our minds about adopting a domestic dog (which is why we now accept two rescue dogs!). Just, we couldn't handle this the kickoff dog we adopted, which is why nosotros had to give her back to the shelter.

giving my dog away
Should You Give Your Dog Away?

Separate your emotions from your reasons for giving your dog away

Nosotros adopted Jazz, a 75-pound 1-twelvemonth one-time black lab German Shepherd "puppy" from the SPCA just over a month ago. We brutal in dear with her virtually immediately, which is why nosotros couldn't stop crying when we surrendered her back to the SPCA yesterday.

However, as heartbroken and guilty as we experience, we couldn't ignore the practical reasons that compelled us to give our canis familiaris abroad. Nosotros are not the all-time family for this dog. If yous're trying to decide if yous should give your dog away, attempt to split your love from what's all-time for anybody…including your dog.

Brand a listing of pros and cons for keeping versus giving your domestic dog abroad

When you make your list of reasons for keeping or not keeping your dog, assign each reason a number. For instance, one of the reasons we gave our domestic dog away (a "con") is that she is the size of a small pony and has the energy of seven dogs combined. Our house and grand isn't big enough for her – and neither are our free energy levels! So, this con rates a x on a scale of one-x (x being "very important reason" and 1 being "hardly important at all"). When you lot finish making your list, add up the numbers. If the cons for keeping her outweigh the pros, and then maybe you should requite your dog away.

Read How to Forgive Yourself for Not Protecting Your Dog if yous feel like yous're betraying your canis familiaris.

Listen to your eye and caput – not other people'due south opinions

My husband and I were your typical confused canis familiaris owners! We didn't know if we should go on trying to train and bond with our domestic dog, or if we should just give her away after one month. Everyone nosotros talked to had a unlike opinion: some said to give the dog away because it'due south not worth the time and hassle to train her, while others said it just takes fourth dimension (up to two years!) for her to mature and larn how to be obedient and part of our "pack." Ultimately, though, we had to make our own conclusion, regardless of what other dog owners or obedience trainers said.

Practise what'southward best for you and your family unit

I'm a full-time writer and blogger; yous'd call up I'd be the perfect possessor for a large energetic domestic dog who needs lots of time and attention! But, she was and then restless and needy, I couldn't focus on work properly. Having this young black lab around all solar day was emotionally draining; I was constantly worried that she might need to pee, that she was bored, that she was lonely without dog friends.

Additionally, it was physically exhausting and time consuming to take her on four walks a twenty-four hour period, which the dog obedience trainer recommended. Every bit painful as it was to requite our canis familiaris away, it actually was the best decision for us.

giving dog away
Our domestic dog Georgie, who we adopted after giving Jazz away.

Detect ways to cope with guilt after finding a new dwelling for your canis familiaris

Both my hubby and I felt terrible that we took our dog back to the shelter…just it helps to know that nosotros really did do the best we could. She is meliorate off in a different home with a family who can give her what she needs. Nosotros're struggled with guilty feelings of rehoming a dog for a long time…and the truth is I still exercise experience bad about giving that dog away. But even though I feel bad about it, I still know it was the correct matter to do.

We adopted a different dog, Georgie, six months afterwards giving Jazz away, and can't imagine life without her! We always wanted a dog, only didn't observe the right one…until at present. I describe how information technology all happened in Are You Set up to Get Another Domestic dog?

If you haven't tried training your dog, consider reading books like this or hiring a dog obedience trainer to assist you. This style, yous'll make sure you don't regret giving your canis familiaris away. The more you sympathise and know your dog, the better equipped you'll be to make the hard decision.

before you give your dog away

Not reading books like Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Domestic dog in 7 Days is one of my biggest regrets. I wish I knew more most big dogs like Jazz, and I wish I'd learned how to railroad train her properly.

Should you give your dog away? I welcome your thoughts below. It may assistance you to share what you lot're going through. Information technology's not an like shooting fish in a barrel decision to make, and I wish you all the best equally you decide what to practice.

Y'all might also consider writing your dog a alphabetic character below. It may audio airheaded, but you writing is a powerful way to clarify your thoughts and express your feelings. Your canis familiaris will probably never read the words you write, just your heart may feel lighter and more than peaceful.

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