Saying goodbye to Owen

mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: Hey all...sorry I've been MIA. Busy. Anyhow, we are putting our dog Owen up for adoption tomorrow and I'm really torn because he is a good pet...but it's time. We had an incident yesterday where he nipped Wil over his left eye and broke the skin. We took Wil to the ER and thankfully he is fine, but he has several nasty swollen cuts. Owen has always been very gentle with the kids, but he is not friendly to strangers and can seem "aggressive". He is an Akita mix and very protective. I feel very emotional and ashamed because I blame myself for even allowing an aggressive dog around our kids (although he is not aggressive with them), but I'm also ashamed that we ever adopted Owen and couldn't give him the life he deserves. Typical story - the kids came along and Owen turned into a "dog". I feel that we should have trained him better, but then on the otherhand, I say that it's just in his nature. I couldn't have predicted it. But there is no excuse for biting my child, so it's time he leaves our home.

Please give me strength to get through tomorrow when DH takes him to the city to the shelter. I'm really sad. Thankfully they are a no-kill shelter, so hopefully they will find a home for Owen, but it will be hard given his history. :cry: I just don't know how to say goodbye to him...And I think Wil is going to miss him the most. Wil can be rough with him, but they were still good buddies.

Here's a pic of Wil with Owen...I think Wil was around 11 months (Wesley's age).

moped replied:

luvbug00 replied:

lisar replied: Very pretty dog I dont think he will have a problem finding a good home.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: That's such a hard thing to do, but I don't blame you one bit. We have to protect our babies.

Mommy2Isabella replied: We did the same thing before Bella was born with our dog Toby. He started acting out the further along I got in the pregnancy ... so we decided to take him to a shelter. He was adopted the same day we took him in ... I hope you find peace in the situation. You are doing what many moms would and have done!

MoonMama replied: I'm really sorry Rae.

Crystalina replied: Sorry. You gotta do what you gotta do right? Either way it's hard. Have you tried finding a home for him before giving him to the shelter?

Calimama replied: I hope he finds a good home.

Iluvmyboys replied: Im so sorry about the situation! Such a pretty dog! If I lived closer I would adopted him. Im sure he wont have problems finding a home

HuskerMom replied: He's a nice looking dog! Is there any family member that could take him instead? That is good that you have a no-kill shelter though. I wish ours was. I hope he finds a nice home!

gr33n3y3z replied:

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I'm sorry Rae.

Danalana replied: I'm praying we are able to keep our 2 dogs when the baby comes. I'm gonna do a lot of studying up on bringing the baby home and helping the dogs adjust. Sugar is 2 years old, but I have had jojo almost 10 years...he's really like my son. Gosh, I can't even imagine not being able to keep them.
I'm sorry...i know it's gonna be so hard to say goodbye, and I pray he finds a good home.

Crystalina replied: We also have a no-kill shelter but they will only keep the dogs for so long and then they are "sent somewhere else". I'm just not sure the "somewhere else" is a no-kill shelter.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Thank you guys...I'm crying as I type this. Just seeing his photo really hurts. He's like my baby, since we got him as a puppy before the kids were born. DH is not doing well at all. I called him on his cell and he had just left the shelter. He was crying. He said his boss called him and he was embarassed because he couldn't keep it together. I know it's for the best, but you know, we will really miss him.

He loves the shelter. It was also his vet and doggy daycare when we lived in Denver, plus it's where we board him when we go on trips. He knows it so well and is so excited to get out of the car to get inside. They have a huge yard in the back with all kinds of toys and pools for the dogs, so it really is a great place for him. The woman that owns it LOVES animals, obviously, but she is really doingn this as a huge favor to us since she knows us so well. We could probably try to find a home for him on our own, but I think she would do a better job screening people. And this way nothing can happen (biting) in the meantime. No one in our family will take him. My parents pretty much dislike him as it is and have been wanting this for a long time, where my MIL already takes care of my SIL's dog. My FIL, no way. Plus they all live in CA. So Owen will have a good, if not better, home at the shelter. I just hope that whoever adopts him treats him kindly. He really is a super dog.

boyohboyohboy replied: He looks like a very well cared for dog, and I bet someone will want to adopt him right away...I cant imagine how hard it is to let him go...

Calimama replied: Sounds like he's happy. I'm sorry again hun.

MoonMama replied:

Crystalina replied:
I'm sure he will find a great home. He's a beautiful dog.