Advertisements
Viewing Single Post
It doesn't sound like you were looking for a real service dog but an emotional companion dog and those don't need to have any specific training. They could even by hyper and wild. They do, however, have to be a good match with the owner. It sounds like getting this dog wasn't the best idea at this time, especially if this girl is about to go away to college on her own. Can she even care for a dog herself? Will she be able to find an apartment where she can take the dog? Can she make the long term commitment that is needed to keep a dog? The dog will be 100% dependent on this girl for many years to come. If the dog is young it could live for another 10-15 years. Will she even have the funds for vet care if the dog gets sick? Since the girl has mental illness is there a risk of future hospitalizations? If so, where would the dog go when she's away? Imo you have to think of the dog's best interest too and I could see this not ending well for the poor pooch. Even if you were to keep the dog now do you foresee this being a long time thing or something that will fall apart sooner or later anyway? There are other options to taking the dog back to the shelter and maybe even something that the girl can accept. How about trying to find the dog a new home or a foster home until a home could be found? I don't know how this girl functions but if she cares about the dog maybe you could use the approach that the dog would be happier and safer with someone else. Tell her that you think he's unhappy because he has no dog friends so he needs to go to someone with other dogs that could take him to the woods to run every day, etc. Maybe if you could get her to feel that she's helping the dog she would accept letting him go. Maybe you could replace him right away with a more manageable animal like a guinea pig or a cat. Kittens are a lot of fun and often a bit emotionally needy which makes it easy to bond with them. Having a cute little kitten that wants to hang out on her shoulder all the time may be enough to get her to accept the dog leaving for a better place. Of course a cat is also a long term commitment that costs money and requires work. If I were to get a pet for a kid I would first make sure that I could take care of that pet if the kid couldn't or wouldn't take care of it. Cats are much easier, though, and it's much easier to find an apartment with a cat than a dog. Guinea pigs are even easier but maybe not as much fun. Just curious, what kind of dog is it and what kind of place did you get him from? If he's from an actual pound I hope you don't return him there. It's a hellish place to be and the dogs that aren't adopted in time are put down.
Like
Share