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Yesterday I gave up my dogMay 09 '00 Write an essay on this topic.Yesterday was a sad day. Yesterday was a day I wished had never come. Yesterday I gave up my dog. Before you start wondering what this review is doing in "Pet Care" please give me a chance to give you the whole story - then hopefully you'll understand. 12 years ago, a Jack Russell/Corgi/??? breed called Sandy was born. A ginger colored runt amongst a multitude of black siblings in a rescue centre. My wife (who was then not my wife at all, just a 14-year old school girl) took one look at her, fell in love and had to have her. For the next 8 years Sandy grew up from a little puppy who could fit into your hand, curl up and go to sleep, into a little dog who would still try and sit on your hand, curl up and go to sleep. Sandy was given love and attention by everyone she met, and she just enjoyed being involved in what was going on. In fact, I am certain her greatest wish was to be a human being, and had that been possible she would have been a lovely person. She was probably spoiled from a young age, and quickly got used to being the only small thing in the house. She rarely met other animals and when she did she was simply inquisitive until they, inevitably, took a dislike to her. I guess she was just too naive. It all changed when my sister-in-law had a baby. Although Sandy was still involved in what was going on, she wasn't at the center, and over the baby's first few months she began to get jealous. It started off with just whining, then staring at the baby and, on one occasion, snapping at it. I don't blame Sandy for this behavior, that's just the way she was brought up. With hindsight she could have been introduced to babies when she was younger, but she wasn't. Anyway, my wife and I offered to look after her when we got married and again she was the adorable dog who everyone loved. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks but I was determined to try and over the last 4 years I have tried everything to change her. It hasn't worked, and now that my wife is pregnant with our first child we knew what would happen when the baby was born. We knew that Sandy would hate to be second to a baby and that it would bring out the worst in her. She probably only has about 4 years to live and we desperately wanted those to be happy years. It was a hard decision to make and it has taken a long time to find the right home for her. We put an advert in the paper and got 60 calls! After visiting 8 families who responded, Sandy made it clear which one she liked the best and she chose her new home. The reason why this review is in "Pet Care" is because sometimes (but not often) the best way to care for your pet is to give them away.  |
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