That being said, we are on the path to yet another decision that is a struggle to say the least. We have recently been considering finding a new home for one of our dogs. I hate even talking about this because it makes me feel like a quitter. It makes me feel like a bad person. We have only had Woody less than a year, but the more we discuss it the more I feel like there could be a better situation out there for him. Below I have listed our thoughts on the matter:
Reasons we should give Woody away:
1) Woody and Molly are dramatically different dogs. Woody is little and should be sitting on someones lap cuddling with them as much as possible. However, if allowed into our recently filled laps on the couch Molly suddenly feels she is a small lap dog and jumps onto the couch as well. I just don't think it's fair to tell one they can do this and the other they can't. Molly is so easy to train and she is so smart. Woody is smart but not easy to train. He beats to his own drum and constantly makes sure you know that. He isn't bad. He just doesn't do sit, down, lay, etc. and those are the primary ways we keep Molly under control. Therefore, when he's around Molly and we are working on these things it is next to impossible to get them on the same page.
2) Going back to the recently filled lap situation, Woody has not been coping well with the newest addition to our family. He hasn't been mean to her or anything, but he has chewed up many of her things. He has never chewed up anything belonging to Seth or myself. He gets obviously frustrated when I am holding Lila. He isn't aggressive. He just whines and sits at my feet and gets upset. Again, he deserves to be someones lap dog and my lap is full.
3) Molly has grown up a lot in a lot of ways that we can't foster in her because we can't do the same for him. Molly could easily be left in the house without ever being in the crate now. She could sleep in our room, wander the house or go outside when we are gone, and she would have a lot more freedom. We just don't trust Woody to not chew up something because he is mad that we aren't here or bitter about Lila. Of course, this could change over time for him. I just really believe that dogs behave when they are getting what they need in return and we can't seem to give him enough of what he needs.
(Disclaimer - I am aware that these reasons sound like I am talking myself into giving him away. I am just trying to sort this out so I have to get it all out. )
Reasons we should keep Woody:
1) We are actually Woody's third home in his life. I hate that he has bounced around like that and I would hate to continue it. That has probably contributed a lot to his desire to do things his way at all times.
2) Woody is an incredibly loving animal. He has made me laugh so many times and has been so sweet to be around. He wants and needs a lot of love and he gives just as much love, if not more, in return.
3) Molly and Woody have a love, hate relationship. They fight a lot which is both a reason to keep him and a reason not to. It is rough and out of control and we can get Molly to stop, but again, Woody doesn't follow commands well. I think it would be both hard and a bit of a relief for both of them and if they were separated.
Any input you have about this decision would be welcomed and appreciated. And I would be lying if I didn't add that at the heart of the matter, our lives would be less stressful if we gave Woody away or we wouldn't even be talking about it in the first place. What sucks about that is that if I was wonder mom/dog owner/wife/teacher I would make it work. I would figure out a way to make both dogs behave and be perfect pets while being a perfect pet owner and all those above mentioned things at the same time. Mommy guilt is now crossing into other things....
Lastly, if you know someone who is dieing to have a dog whose love knows no bounds but who also needs to be an only dog with a lot of boundaries, let me know.
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