BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Dogs Unable to cope with two dogs.

Recently, hubby and I have taken in a 6-yo female Rottweiler. A co-worker of my husband's is losing his house and he can barely afford to feed her. This guy works a lot, so if we didn't take her, she probably would have ended up on Craigslist...which I didn't want to happen. This dog is housebroken, and trained to sit, lay down, and shake. I and her previous owner believe that she may have been abused at one point in time, and she seems to be scared of me, even after living with us for two weeks. Living with this dog for two weeks has made me realize that I am a ONE dog person. My home is louder, more chaotic, and almost unbearable. I've already trained my dog - I really have no time, desire, or the health to train another one. (I have back and knee problems, and that doesn't mix well with an 80-lb Rottie that jumps). I am trying to re-home her to a more suitable home - and I'm really getting the guilt trip from just about everyone I talk to, even the pet rescue people I talk to. My husband told me that he's "surprised at my attitude" that I would just "throw her away" like other people did. My response? If I wanted to throw her away, I would have taken her to the pound...which I also want to avoid. I simply don't have the time or patience to break in another dog...and I'm afraid I'll lose my temper with her, and make her even more scared of me. I'm trying my best...but I know my own mind. I'm not physically or mentally ready for another dog. I wish I knew this beforehand, so I could have avoided all this heartache. :(

That is sad you are getting a guilt trip after taking the time to help. I don't think you should feel bad. I've been in your situation before. About 15 years ago I rescued a dalmation and about a year after that I found a dog that was only a few days old in my backyard (he was so tiny).

It took a lot of time and effort and money to train those dogs but I had all that to give back then. Years later when I had to sell my house and move, the dog I had found in my backyard was going through a really bad phase and kept chewing the baseboards in the garage and the pantry. I had people coming to see the house every couple of days and was constantly having to spend money fixing things he destroyed. It was very frustrating and I was dealing with a lot of serious personal stuff at the time so I decided to surrender him. It was not an easy decision. I had raised this dog practically from the day he was born.

I had friends and family who acted kind of weird about it but I had to do what was best for me and my son at the time. I think you have to do what is right for you and the dog. Clearly he is not happy either so I don't think there is anything wrong with you wanting to find him a more suitable home.

Thank you so much for your support. A friend of mine referred me to a dog rescue organization near my home, and I'm very impressed with them. My email was promptly responded to, and the representative and I have exchanged emails a few times. I have set up an appointment with her to come to my home and evaluate the dog. They told me that if they couldn't rehome her immediately, that they would put her on PetFinder, and treat my home as a foster home. They would interview applicants, so I wouldn't have to, and arrange the adoption. This organization sounds like a miracle!