leaving my dog behind

[Wrxngg]

Does anyone worry about leaving a pet or am I alone in that. My dog has been there for me when no one else is around even if it sounds dumb. This dog has been by my side since the day she showed up and I worry where she will end up when the time comes.

I understand shes just a dog and will probably forget and move on to the next person who takes care of her but i wonder if maybe thats not the case but i dont know. also worried about where she will end up because I wouldn't trust many people to take care of her.

 

[AnonymousTomato]

Yeah I have a dog too and I worry about the same thing. He's very old and actually has a terminal heart condition so I'm considering sticking around longer than him, since chances are he doesn't have much longer and I love him so much.

If he were younger though, honestly I'd contact my best friend. She takes really good care of dogs and if she couldn't handle a second one, her parents would take him in.

I don't think dogs forget about us, they just don't have the ability to communicate so they just kinda roll with the punches best they can. They do miss us though. When I was a kid, we had this dog who came to the door every evening to wait for my dad to get home from work. When my dad moved to get a new job, the dog was still at the door at the same time every single day, for months.

So don't discount their love and intelligence. Do try to find someone to take care of your dog. She'll need food and water at least and shouldn't be left inside alone. She'll have a good life, but it'd be good if you could find someone to care for her to make sure nothing bad happens to her

 

[Danielwc]

You are a sweetheart. Yes, I worry about my dogs when I leave. Their happiness is a priority and I have a plan for them when I go. I'd like to believe dogs love us but I have come to realize that's it more a case of Stockholm syndrome. It's not real mate. If they have someone who strokes, feeds and walks them they will carry on as normal. If a dog is the only reason your living it's not much of a life. Whoever put us here is responsible for the consequences.

 

[Shadowlord900]

If I had the pet, it would be the only thing keeping me from trying to CTB. But my flats don't allow pets.

All I can say is if you really want to CTB that badly, you should at least find her a new home that you can surely trust will treat her well. I know you said you wouldn't trust many people to take good care of her, well then you'll just have to go look for someone who you can be sure will take good care of her.

 

[Wrxngg]

im glad to hear im not alone but i hope your right id like to think she will care even when i am gone but i slightly wish she didnt care so i wouldnt be hurting her in anyway.

as for the dog that came to your door that's actually how i found my girl. she showed up at my family's door when i was 15 exactly week after my grandmother passed and for 4 days straight, she sat Infront of the door and wouldn't move unless you came and got her food so eventually, we just let her inside and she always stuck with me compared to my brothers or sister. ever since then I've had her and she stayed right here with me through everything. kind of ironic my best friend is a dog, but she hasn't left me like people have.

If I had the pet, it would be the only thing keeping me from trying to CTB. But my flats don't allow pets.

All I can say is if you really want to CTB that badly, you should at least find her a new home that you can surely trust will treat her well. I know you said you wouldn't trust many people to take good care of her, well then you'll just have to go look for someone who you can be sure will take good care of her.

i really am trying to find someone but i dont really have anyone that i can talk to and if i had anyone theyd be at least a state or two away but i think that ill just have to take the road trip to give her the best hopes of a good life. itd be fucked to leave her on her own in the house so i dont have many options.

 

[stermc]

This concern of yours is not dumb at all. Only we know how much our dogs help us. I think this is the purest form of love and I totally understand that you are worried about your dog.
Even though they are ""just"" animals, and probably adapt to other situations, I do believe they miss us as much as we miss them when they are gone. If you are going to ctb, make sure to get them a safe home before you go. And also spend a whole day doing all the things you love to do with them. They deserve all the best.

 

[Lamentice]

Absolutely, it's really the only thing I'm concerned about--and not even so much the pet I have currently but the one on the way. My current pet is a tarantula who I've enjoyed caring for so much (it's really rewarding for me, I find them so neat and beautiful). But, tarantulas don't form bonds, they don't eat often (as adults), and can go months without food (they just need a dish of water). They're very easy to take care of, low maintenance pets (it's one of the main reasons I got her). So, I know when I depart she won't miss me or even need me, I worry about who will take her in after me because I adore her so much and really want the next person to put in just as much or even more than I have (this species of tarantula can live up to 40 years in captivity as a female, she has a long life ahead of her). But, I've already adopted and prepared for a bearded dragon in the last few months, and that's a completely different scenario... I feel guilty about it given my circumstances & plans, but I also did it because I wonder if having even this small connection with a beloved pet could change something for me, or if anything in my life could change in the next few months and make things turn out differently. I'm still clinging to a sliver of hope (or really more so curiosity). Really I should make plans to give away my pets to people I've vetted, since I'm responsible for them. Especially since (although I'm estranged from my family, they'll likely be the one's dealing with the aftermath) my family has proven to be neglectful & abusive toward all their pets, and I don't trust a single one of them to research and provide proper husbandry & care for my absolute darlings. I probably will do my part in finding them their next homes when the time comes, there's just a looming feeling of uncertainty that prevents me from saying anything guaranteed. I'm just not sure how this year will end for me--despite my plans--as I've planned this many times over the last few years and yet here I still am for now.... But my pets are really the only joy in my life, and the only love.

 

[LateForTheBus]

My last attempt was 10 years ago. I was living with my family at the time, so I knew my dog would be taken care of. After failing, I chose to live for her. She became the one spot of joy in my life. She was my best friend, my child, and my therapist all rolled into one. I lost her to cancer 6 months ago, so I'm free to go now. But our pets are beings of pure, unconditional love. It's only natural to worry about them. (Hugs)

 

[downndone2]

I have 3 and I don't want to leave them but really think they'd be better off without me. I believe I know 2 of them have for sure automatic homes and the other surely wouldn't have a hard time finding one quickly, but I suppose there's no guarantee.

I wish i wouldn't have ruined our lives abs this would be a moot point

 

[smallworld_]

I worry about my cat often, but I know someone that will take good care of her. <3

 

[QiTianDaSheng]

Only reason I got through this winter.

My issue is that having the dogs gives me joy and a reason to live, but they also deprive me of the ability to work or socialise easily, contributing (heavily) to my will to ctb.

Ctb = rehoming, so logically (if they're getting rehomed either way) I should rehome them and give life another go.

But I don't want to live without them. Literally. And I would be guilty about being 'that guy'.

My current plan is to visit Germany in the hot summer. The friend I'm visiting might take one, if not a German no kill shelter is still an improvement from where they were.

They are both young, 3 and 1, so they are easy to rehome now, but would be difficult later. That plays on my mind too. Dogs after 6 struggle to find homes, apparently. And my main dog, the 3 year old, is a total sweetheart who literally spoons every night... But he comes across badly until he knows you. Super shy and anxious.

Luckily the 1 year old would be adopted in a week. She's super adorable.

Ho hum