Today has probably been one of the worst days ever. Today was the day I had to give Bentley, my dog, up for adoption. Our neighbors were complaining about him barking. We either had 3 weeks to find him a home or find us a new home. After sitting down, we decided that giving Bentley to the humane society was the best as there is no way we could afford to move in three weeks.
I have so many emotions going on right now. I’m devastated, heart broken, pissed off, bitter and most of all empty. Bringing him there was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life. Bentley has been mine and I’ve been his for 7 years. I’ve been an emotional wreck the past few days. It was even worse when I dropped him off. I could barely speak when I told them what I needed to do. Luckily, the girl checking him in completely understood what I was going through and couldn’t have been nicer. After much cuddles, kisses and tears, I said my final goodbye and left. I sobbed so hard in the car before I could even drive away.
I take some comfort in knowing that he will probably not be there long since small dogs tend to get adopted quickly. Someone had just called before I came looking for a small dog.
While I think it was the best out of two horrible options, I’m still not handling it well. It just feels empty in this house and my whole routine is gone. Bentley was my dog and he never left my side while I was home. He would literally follow me around the house. He could be in a deep sleep and if I left the room, he would follow. It’s hard for me to sit in my chair because when I did, he’d be right on my lap wanting belly rubs. Now, I have this empty spot at my feet or on my chair. I don’t even want to think about what it’s going to be like when I go to bed tonight. He was always spooning my belly or laying at the top of my heard. Either way, we were snuggled close.
I feel like I failed him. I’ve had moments where I think he’s just at the vet and he’ll be home tomorrow. I worry about how he’s doing in the shelter and if he’ll be ok tonight. Will his new family know that he likes belly rubs before he goes to bed? Will they let him sleep with them? I pray to god that he has the same if not better life with his new family. I hope they give him the chance to be there best friend like he is mine. I know he was happy with us and I just hope he gets the same love and attention that he got with us. I only want my Bentley to be happy.
Bentley has been the best dog to me and has seen me through some pretty difficult times. I can’t even count how many tears he’s licked in the past 7 years. He’s always been the first one to greet me at the door with kisses, snorts and reverse sneezes. He was my baby before Jack came along. He was protective when J was out of town for work. I dare anyone try to come into this house in the middle of the night.
I keep dwelling on the negative. While there are possibly a few positives, the negatives completely weigh over the positives. I want to keep checking the website and calling to see if he’s been adopted. Or call to make sure he is ok. However, I know I need to move on and dwelling on this stuff is not going to help me. The pain will never end if I can’t move on. I need to figure out what our new normal is.
I love you Bentley.
I can't even imagine what you're going through. I'm so sorry for this devestating loss and that your neighbors wouldn't work with you. What an awful situation
Thank you. That's why Im pissed. Not once did they come to us and say something. I think it's a real cowardly move on their part.
I'm so sorry that this has happened..any pet owner would know how awful this would be.
If he spent the nights indoors, when was he barking? He was at your side most of the day too, so I can't really figure this out. He couldn't have been continually barking. I've had to put up with that in my neighborhood, but not once did I turn the dog in. I did call a neighbor once because I feel a dog can be trained not to bark when they are puppies. I am so sorry this happened to you.
I was at work during the day. But I know he wasn't barking non stop because I would stop home and check randomly. Or when we left to run errands, he wasn't barking non stop. When I was home, he was by my side non stop. Went into every room I went into. He even followed me to the bathroom. But there was one time last week that when came back from running errands that he was barking. But he was only barking bc he was trying to get the puppy chow I made off the counter..lol. He is such a smart dog and can figure out any way to get what he wants. When we first moved in, he did bark alot but I think it's bc he was in a new place. It just makes me so mad that my neighbors, who's homes are attached to mine, cant come over and talk to me about it. Or even leave a note that he was barking. How am I supposed to know if I'm not here?
I checked the adoption site and they have him all groomed and ready to go. I probably shouldn't look, but I wanted to see if he was there and I'll probably check until he's adopted. I just want to make sure that he gets adopted. It will hurt me, but I need to see it through.
I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it would be if I had to give up my dog. I don't understand why neighbours cannot come and talk first to see if there is a reasonable solution to the problem. However, this doesn't help you now. I'm sorry and hope that with time you will start to feel better.
Thank you. To me, it's heartless. Yes, a dog barking nonstop can be annoying or whatever. But I would think about the family that owns the dog and try to work with them. I don't have any good things to say about this particular neighbor and it's been really hard to keep my mouth shut when I see her. She was just thinking about her and not us, the ones that would be losing a member of their family. She obviously has never had a pet and doesn't understand what it's like to lose one. I believe in karma and she will get hers someday. That's what I keep telling myself anyways.
I'm so sorry you had to give up your sweet dog. Our neighbors have two dogs that bark a lot at night. They've gotten bark collars for them and they are now quiet. Is this something that would work with Bentley? They work like the invisible fences. There is a little sensor on the collar and when the dog barks it sends out a very mild electric shock. Their dogs learned very quickly to not bark when they are wearing the collars.
We had one and I think it worked ok. But we forgot one time when we ran out real quick. So, he took full advantage of it. That's why I feel like it's our fault. But our neighbor has been against him for almost a year and I think she's been looking for a reason to have him gone.