we made the final decision last week to rehome our lovely dachshund, baxter, after talking about it off and on for over a year. bax has always been really freaked out by kids, their erratic behaviour and unpredictable nature just don't work for him. he's been exceptionally good with mae's harassment (she looooooooves him) the past two years, we have taught her to be gentle when giving him pats and he will hang out with her when she is just chilling out. but as she gets ever more active, she is more interested in playing with baxter and she gets quite aggressively in his face when he's just trying to avoid her. she's pushed him too far a couple of times lately and he's snapped at her. it's not her fault as she doesn't get that he'll only play with her when shane or i are involved so that he feels safe. and it's not his fault that she can't see the signals that he is giving out that he doesn't want to play, tail between his legs, head down and frozen in space, and keeps flapping around him or grabbing at his ears. and it's not my fault that i can't continue to referee their every single interaction as i have been lately. it's no ones fault but it's still really hard. baxter just wants a nice, calm, warm home where he can snooze in peace, get really excited when someone comes home, have a brief play and snooze some more. before kids, that is what we had for him and, luckily, that is what we have found for him again. with the help of the dachshund club of victoria and dachshund rescue australia, we got in touch with a couple who have a large piece of land in gippsland, chickens for him to chase (through a fence), another dog and two cats to play with, and no kids to keep him on edge. they picked him up yesterday and he joyfully bounded into their car. i watched my little buddy sit happily on the lap of one of his new owners and i waved as they drove off, wiped tears away and knew that this is for the best, for absolutely every one involved. but it's still hard. i have missed him a thousand times today, have thought of him with nearly every move around the house. it helps to know that he will have a more consistent life now and a wood stove to warm himself next to. he always did seek out the warmest, coziest spot in the house. aw, baxy.
i don't think I've ever cried reading a blog post. Until now.
ReplyDeletebeing a Dachshund (little mix of something else) owner, I really get this.
Understand your sadness, and understand why you did too.
it will be OK.
he'll be OK.
oh sweetheart a brave thing you have done, the right thing xoxo
ReplyDeleteHugs to you - we had to make the same decision a few months ago. We had no choice either once he started snapping at other peoples kids. Such a hard thing to do, but we knew it was the right decision.
ReplyDeletewow, you're brave and selfless. This photo is, no doubt, one that you'll treasure x
ReplyDeleteYeah, and good for you in not letting your desire to stay close to him cloud your decision about what is the best thing for all of you. As sad as it is to let him go, how good you can feel for not waiting until something brought this choice to a head in a bad way - and knowing how happy he must be.
ReplyDeleteOh Leslie xx
ReplyDeleteawwww, i am teary-eyed. i'm so sorry you had to make that decision. hugs xxxx
ReplyDeleteI so feel your pain, I haven't had to do this, but know how close my animals are to me. He'll be happy, and so will you guys knowing everyone is safe, big hugs XXOO
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAw Leslie. I feel for you. A very hard decision. I hope it gets easier. Big hugs.
ReplyDeleteOh i have tears. Good on you for making such a difficult decision.
ReplyDeletexxxx
leslie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a selfless thing to do.. You did the best thing for everyone.
be kind to yourself - you're pretty awesome you know.
I know your pain :-( My Great Dane, Astro, got really really depressed after we brought our daughter home from the hospital and after 7 months of suffering on his part, I finally had to re-home him. He was almost 5 years old and I had him since he was 5 weeks old. It was the hardest decision of my life and I cried many nights over it. Wishing you the best *hugs*
ReplyDeleteSo sorry Leslie - I can imagine how hard it was to decide :( I bet he's having a grand time right now though chasing those chickens. You guys are juggling so much right now with 2 kids, renos, work & life - it was generous of you to think of the best thing for your Baxy.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sorry Leslie, it must have been very hard to take this decision. He will be OK in his new home. Hugs
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you had to let him go but it was for the best. He will have a lovely life with his new owners. <>
ReplyDeletethanks for all your support, everybody, i really appreciate it, even if your comments did make me cry just that little bit more :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry, I can imagine how hard it feels right now. Courage.
ReplyDeleteOh man, super tears over here. You really did a good thing by getting Baxy a nice second home, and ensuring his comfort and security. I imagine this is tough times, and I'm sending you some serious Sarah hugs from TO!
ReplyDeleteOh L, poor you. We had to do a similar thing years ago with a blue heeler. We had two dogs, our older one died and Tess went crazy when Bruce passed away. In the end it was more than we could manage and we found a couple who had a big property down the Great Ocean Road. They came and met her, everyone got along and then they came back a week later and took her. I remember it smarting at how easily she left us, happy in the front of their ute, but like you, we knew it was the right thing for her and ultimately us.
ReplyDeleteOhhh Leslie, definitely for the best but I'm so sorry to hear that. Hope you're doing okay. xx
ReplyDeleteoh dear, i'm dripping tears reading this. Such a hard decision for you to make, it must have been so upsetting, but you've made the right choice, for Baxy and your babies. You get lots of bonus "excellent mum" points for being so brave. .xx.
ReplyDeletesniff sniff. you're a better man than i leslie, for doing whatcha did. strong lady.
ReplyDeleteOh Leslie, what a difficult decision to have to make. Your courage is commendable. x
ReplyDeletewe are doing the same thing right now. We have two dogs and three kids and neither of the dogs have ever been very happy about the kids. We've decided to put our younger dog up for adoption and someone absolutely perfect came through. It's so good to hear someone else talking about it. I think our families are not happy about it (though no one volunteered to take her) so it makes me feel awful. But in the end our house will be more peaceful and that just what we need.
ReplyDeleteI guess thats what being a mama is all about, putting everyone else's needs before yours, this goes above and beyond that...your one strong cookie :-)
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness what a hard decision. i have a giant lump in my throat. sounds like baxter has gone to the most lovely place and your decision not made lightly, all for the right reasons xx
ReplyDeletei read the post above this one first which gave me a giggle and not knowing what happened to baxter i thought much worse - that he was gone to doggy heaven - well perhaps with chickens, cats and another dog not to mention a wood heater it could just be a dogs heaven : )