how will my dogs react?

[inky]

i have two dogs, a collie about 5-6 years old and a rhodesian about 1 1/2 years. due to a variety of reasons, health, finances etc, i have decided that i can only have one dog.

my father has offered to take my collie since he likes her and has met her before. he lives in the country about 800 miles away and i see him once every few years. i live in the city.

i have no doubt that my collie will have a great life there, he is good with dogs and it's a rural area so she will have lots of space to run free. she is very easy going, good with people of all ages and takes to new environments quite well.

i guess i am worried about my younger dog that i am keeping, and how she will take this. they are very good friends and play together and i hate to separate them but.......

i think this is the best for all concerned.

bet you can tell i feel very guilty about this.

anyhow i just wanted some thoughts on how the dog who remains might react and how i can alleviate some stress on her part? she tends to be very high strung, a bit of a worrier.

thanks.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

YOU HAVE A RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK!!!!!
I GREW UP WITH A RHODESIAN!!!!!! HE WAS THE BEST DOG IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!
sorry I have no advice for you, but I am sure someone here will.
Do you have any pics?!?!?!? I thought I was the only one that ever knew that breed.... AHGHHGHGHG THEY ARE SUCH GREAT DOGS!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to hear that you have to get rid of one of your doggies but it seems that he is going to a good home. Good luck, keep us posted on how everything turns out.

[inky]

yep here they are........



they are both lovely dogs.

and my RR is ridgeless.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

OMG OMG OMG OMG

OH HOW I MISS MY DELTA!!!!!
You have two beautiful dogs!!! She is soooo pretty what is her name? What a nice picture, thank you for sharing it with me!!!!

[inky]

dharma is the RR and chelsea is the collie.

glad you like the picture.

here are some RR links for you, if you don't already know of them:

http://www-hsc.usc.edu/~jjmurphy/Rhodesians.html

and for lots of pics:

http://wintermute.sr.unh.edu/ridgeback/index.html

[Genia]

Inky, I'm so sorry you have to give up one of you babies. I know this is tearing at your heart. I recently went through something similar. I had to give up Jeffrey because I was having work done in my backyard and wasn't able to have a fence. (Jeffrey CANNOT stay indoors all the time. He only likes to sleep indoors) I sent him to live with my parents who live in the country. Bandit and Jeffrey were best buds. I worried so much when Jeffrey first left. I would leave the TV on when we left home so Bandit would have some "company". We spoiled him rotten with attention to make up for losing his companion. I must say he has adapted well. Jeffrey is still with my parents and we are moving in June and will take him with us to our new home. Our problem will be getting them to adjust to living with each other again.

You are doing this for valid reasons. You are doing what's best for you and your baby. It hurts but understand that it is for the best. Just hug Dharma a little more and spoil her. She'll be ok with you loving her.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Thanks Inky for the links..... I really loved the one with all the pictures!!!

[Cincy'sMom]

Inky, it must be so hard for you to giv eup one of you rbabies. at least you are sure he will have a good home and you will be able to call and check on him and visit sometimes! I am sure it will be an adjustment for you and you Rhodesian, but you'll get through it together! Do you have any friends or neighbors with dogs he can play with for companionship?

The pic of your dogs is beautiful. I always hear a lot about RR cause I have two friends, that each have a friend with one, but I only ever saw one in person once. he was a beautiful dog!

welcome to Pet Talk!!!

[sabies]

They are both beautiful! I think it'll be tough but Dharma will adjust. My only suggestion would be to take her to see other dogs as much as you can. Hopefully there is a park filled with dogs near you.

[inky]

well it's been 4 days since we left chelsea at my dad's and dharma is taking it a bit tough...moping around, very quiet, undemanding, not playful. i feel very bad but already my stress level with having just one dog is noticably decreased.

we spent almost a week at my dad's and both dogs loved it. he lives out in the sticks and there are deer and elk in the fields to chase and a big pond and a river, and no cars or many people around. my dad and his wife are retired and have a german shep male named eddie that's a nice dog and they got on well. it was good for all of us, but hard to come back to the city.

anyhow, we are trying to adjust.

but i worry about my sweet little dog. she misses her best friend.

[anna_66]

I'm sure she does, it must be very hard. We'll be thinking about you both.

[JGuitaristR]

If the dogs are close, I wouldn't give either one of them up. I'd never EVER give one of my little babies up b/c of financial reasons, etc... but that's just me. But if your two dogs ARE close, that'd be putting them under a lot of stress, which may eventually lead to death... It'll cause either dog to miss the other one so much, they lose interest in everyday activities. If one must go, I'd send the other, too. But I definitely wouldn't separate them.

[inky]

Originally posted by JGuitaristR
If the dogs are close, I wouldn't give either one of them up. I'd never EVER give one of my little babies up b/c of financial reasons, etc... but that's just me. But if your two dogs ARE close, that'd be putting them under a lot of stress, which may eventually lead to death... It'll cause either dog to miss the other one so much, they lose interest in everyday activities. If one must go, I'd send the other, too. But I definitely wouldn't separate them.

first of all, it's done now, and that's that.

i didn't give up one of my dogs for just financial reasons, it was my health as well. it's been too much for me having both dogs and as hard as i tried none of us were getting enough.

i'm sure you mean well, but you must realize that i have enough guilty feelings about this without you saying that i could potentially cause my dog's death by my actions.

i insured that my dog had a great home to go to, and we will get to visit again. my other dog has a good home with me and we will adjust. I did what was best for us all, even though it was not the easiest thing.

so you might want to reconsider the judgements you make on people suffering a loss. i have done the best i can for myself and my beloved animals.

[Pam]

Inky I certainly do understand and commiserate with you. The pain is evident in your post and you have done all that you humanly could. Sometimes one needs to walk in someone else's shoes to understand. Although I have not had to do that personally I can totally understand how you feel. {{hugs}}

[JGuitaristR]

Inky, you're right I'm sorry. I just get pissed off at YOUR situation. I hate it when people have to give up one of their babies. I hope the best for you and your beloved canine.