We are surrendering Jake... long

the things that worries me that Megan might not learn right things from it, big part of it is she and her behavior toward the dog, inability to control and no desire to work through the problem... well now mommy will make problem disappear...
I also have 2 girls who were very vocal about getting a puppy but now that they see how much puppy consumes work and time, they are not willing to put the effort forth, and I think it is pretty common for parents to think kids will be able to take care of the dog... few do but not many...
 
SheltieChe said:
the things that worries me that Megan might not learn right things from it, big part of it is she and her behavior toward the dog, inability to control and no desire to work through the problem... well now mommy will make problem disappear...
I also have 2 girls who were very vocal about getting a puppy but now that they see how much puppy consumes work and time, they are not willing to put the effort forth, and I think it is pretty common for parents to think kids will be able to take care of the dog... few do but not many...
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Actually...this is my thinking as well.

A dog is a commitment, for life. I stress that with my children and they are learning to work through everything with our puppies. Rehoming is never and would never be an option, unless the dog posed a safety threat to my children. But even there....my Shelties are not going to viciously attack my children, so that is a mute point.
 
Yeah, I realize this, but considering that Lynne has a heart condition that she's trying to manage I think that she has to take her health into consideration as well. Trying to get her daughter to step up is putting herself under stress that is not good for her, not to mention that Lynne is ending up being Jake's primary caregiver and trainer. I think this is just too much for Lynne.
 
OntarioSheltie said:
Yeah, I realize this, but considering that Lynne has a heart condition that she's trying to manage I think that she has to take her health into consideration as well. Trying to get her daughter to step up is putting herself under stress that is not good for her, not to mention that Lynne is ending up being Jake's primary caregiver and trainer. I think this is just too much for Lynne.
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Yep it poses a threat to her. 3 heart attacks no matter how mild takes a lot out of someone.
 
SheepOfBlue said:
Yep it poses a threat to her. 3 heart attacks no matter how mild takes a lot out of someone.
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Very true. I did not realize that the heart attacks were recent. I guess I assumed that she had the heart attacks before making the commitment to get another dog. Sorry for my misjudgement. That is definitely not something that you can help, and yes you have to take care of your health first. Also, with Megan being 14...and Jake only being 3, you will still be left to care for the dog in his elder years after Megan moves out. It would probably be best to get him in a better suited home while he is still young.

Did you contact the breeder? Reputable breeders will want the dogs back if you cannot care for them so that they can rehome them. This may be something in your contract when you purchased Jake.
 
Just wanted to bring everyone up to date and answer some questions. We still have Jake until at least monday. I spoke with the rescue group tuesday and they are working on finding a home for an older sheltie to clear up space at a foster home. I didn't even think of having a pro trainer helping out. I would need to find one who can accept payments though as I am on a fixed income.

I had a major heart attack in 2003, a minor heart attack in 2003, and a minor heart attack in 2006. When we got Luna last year we were living in a bad neighborhood where Meg didn't have a lot of friends and she did quite well at taking care of Luna. We also got Luna when she was about 10 weeks old. In december of last year we moved in to my son Brian's apartment as roommates so that he could go to college without worrying about having a roommate who would leave with no warning, which did happen to him. We are in a much better part of town BTW. Meg still did good with Luna.

In late february we got Jake and I thought that she would do just as well with him. She did pretty good until spring time came around and she got more friends. that is when her work with the dogs started to decrease. In april? we started having the problems with Jake and the dogs next door and I started walking Jake most of the time. A few weeks later Jake bit meg while she was crating him and getting her to work with him has been stressful ever since. a couple of weeks ago school got out and I noticed the problem with Jake reacting to the neighbor's dog when the kids play basketball outside. That is how we got to where we are at now.

I would not have gotten Jake had I thought it would end up this way. I totally understand the concerns about Meg learning the wrong lesson, but I have to weigh that against what is best for Jake. And what is best for me.

I hope this explains what is going on a little better, and answers any questions anyone has.
 
Its okay Lynne - you dont have to explain yourself. You really have been through tough times, and dealing with all that and a teenage daughter I definately understand.

I wonder too how much of Jake playing up is linked to seeing less of Megan? That's certainly not going to resolve as Megan gets older he will probably see even less of her.

That's great you have a foster place for him, at least you know he is going somewhere safe and will probably have some other doggy friends to play with. You know if I was over there I would be very tempted to take him myself - I need another boy in the house.
 
*Caro said:
Its okay Lynne - you dont have to explain yourself. You really have been through tough times, and dealing with all that and a teenage daughter I definately understand.
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I actually appreciated the explanation, so thank-you very much for that Lynne.

I guess I am extremely sensitive to rehoming, because it is so hard on the dogs. We on this forum are seeing this first hand with the two dogs that were recently rehomed and within a week of being rehomed, have become missing. Rehoming is very confusing for the dog....and should only be done if the situation is dire.

I do believe that in this case, it is needed, based on Lynne's explanation. Lynne obviously is not in the best of health to concentrate her energy on working with Jake. It seems that Jake really needs someone with some energy to work through his issues. It should never be up to a 14 year old to do all the training on a dog. Teenagers have a lot of other things that they are working on :wink2:

So....Lynne. Thanks for the update. It definitely cleared things up for me.

Good luck
Danielle
 
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