by Molly K

Created on: November 07, 2008   Last Updated: November 23, 2008

A pet is suppose to bring your life joy and happiness, not fear and anxiety. There are times when a pet is just not a proper fit for your family and it takes great strength to admit it. When this is a situation that you find yourself in, please do the responsible thing and turn them over to your local animal shelter. There they may have a second chance with a family that is better suited to house them.

Let me tell you a small bit of our story. I wanted to buy a puppy for my son so I went to the SPCA to adopt one. I wanted to be responsible and adopt an animal that was sorely in need of a home. I was told that the puppy we picked out was a Lab. I had done my research and knew this was a good family dog, but I also knew that as a Lab puppy she would be a puppy for a very long time. I knew Lab's took longer to mature and I expected that.

The first months were what was expected, and as she got bigger she was moved to a more permanent place outside. After she got to be about six months old she was quite large. This was when we started to have problems. She was hyper, not just a little hyper, but very hyper. I was told by my vet that she was not the Lab I thought she was but she was more Chow. And if you know anything about a Chow, they are not the best dogs for families. They can be unpredictable and moody.

We tried though. We tried training her as best we could. My husband had to take over the training because I was now pregnant and our dog had become too aggressive. At one time she knocked me down and caused me to bleed. I know she did not mean to cause me harm, but she was dangerous. Many times my husband would come in from trying to work with her covered in bruises on his legs from her jumping up on him. And we also had complaints from our neighbors because she barked constantly.

We were at a complete loss. I was down to feeding her through an open window because I was too afraid to go outside and be alone with her. I was afraid she would knock me down and I would not be able to get up. My two year old could not play in the back yard. Our yard was being held hostage by our dog. I felt bad for her. I wanted to help her and read every book I could find and bought all types of training tools. But nothing worked.

After our second son was born we found out that he had a major birth defect and required three major surgeries and continual medical attention. I came home from the hospital with a newborn with special needs and knew that our dog had to go. I could barely take care of her before the birth of our second son, and now knew that it would be impossible to take care of her any longer. I had to admit defeat.

With tears in my eyes I surrendered her to the local animal shelter. I still hope to this day that she found another home. I hope that she found a home where her new owners would be able to train her. I hope she is happy now.

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