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Okay. This might be a long one, but I just need to get this off my chest/get some unbiased opinions on this one. Here goes.
My family and I were given the opportunity to live abroad for a year, but we were unable to take our 2 year old black lab mix with us. So, originally, my brother and SIL agreed to take him, I knew he would be in good hands. After we moved and the dog had been at their place for a couple of months, it was determined that he would not be a good fit. Being a puppy, he needed more attention than they could give (they both worked) and he was also terrorizing their cat (which I had no clue was an issue for this dog while we had him). So, my mom took him for a couple of months, when that didn't work out (she has 2 cats), my aunt finally agreed to take him (she liked him and they only had another dog at home). Splendid!
Well, it was a great situation. My A & U really enjoyed him, they were home all the time and they loved going on hikes, exercising, etc. We ended up loving living abroad, so we asked if he could stay another year. Sure! We'd love to! We visited him for 2 days over the summer and he (and the kids) were ecstatic. He seemed a little chunky to me, but very happy and well cared for.
Second year: Basically, my U never put a leash on the dog and when he was at his storage unit, the dog ended up eating some rat poison. But instead of taking him directly to the vet, he thought since he was immediately sick, he was fine. Well, he wasn't. After at least a week of hospitalization (we always agreed to pay for any vet bills before any of this), we weren't spent. We couldn't spend any more money on this dog. It was a lot. a. lot. But my A&U were really attached to the dog, and asked if they could start paying and see what happens. The dog survived. They spent a pretty penny as well. Expensive dog.
Anyhoo. We are now back home and are requesting our dog back. We are driving down south for 12 hours to pick up the dog, meeting my mom half way from my A&U's home. But my A&U are all upset. We talked to my A and she was talking about how he was a great dog, how he has changed so much, how much he was part of their family, how they are going to miss him. But she doesn't want to ask out right if they can keep the dog ("we always agreed that we weren't keeping the dog") My mom has been laying on the guilt heavy too. "If you hadn't added on another year, this wouldn't have been an issue".
We breached the subject with our kids, the 8 year old bawled herself to sleep that night, the son, agreed, only if we could get another dog and a cat. We really just want our dog back.
Am I being unreasonable here? My mom says that my aunt is depressed.
What should I do?
My family and I were given the opportunity to live abroad for a year, but we were unable to take our 2 year old black lab mix with us. So, originally, my brother and SIL agreed to take him, I knew he would be in good hands. After we moved and the dog had been at their place for a couple of months, it was determined that he would not be a good fit. Being a puppy, he needed more attention than they could give (they both worked) and he was also terrorizing their cat (which I had no clue was an issue for this dog while we had him). So, my mom took him for a couple of months, when that didn't work out (she has 2 cats), my aunt finally agreed to take him (she liked him and they only had another dog at home). Splendid!
Well, it was a great situation. My A & U really enjoyed him, they were home all the time and they loved going on hikes, exercising, etc. We ended up loving living abroad, so we asked if he could stay another year. Sure! We'd love to! We visited him for 2 days over the summer and he (and the kids) were ecstatic. He seemed a little chunky to me, but very happy and well cared for.
Second year: Basically, my U never put a leash on the dog and when he was at his storage unit, the dog ended up eating some rat poison. But instead of taking him directly to the vet, he thought since he was immediately sick, he was fine. Well, he wasn't. After at least a week of hospitalization (we always agreed to pay for any vet bills before any of this), we weren't spent. We couldn't spend any more money on this dog. It was a lot. a. lot. But my A&U were really attached to the dog, and asked if they could start paying and see what happens. The dog survived. They spent a pretty penny as well. Expensive dog.
Anyhoo. We are now back home and are requesting our dog back. We are driving down south for 12 hours to pick up the dog, meeting my mom half way from my A&U's home. But my A&U are all upset. We talked to my A and she was talking about how he was a great dog, how he has changed so much, how much he was part of their family, how they are going to miss him. But she doesn't want to ask out right if they can keep the dog ("we always agreed that we weren't keeping the dog") My mom has been laying on the guilt heavy too. "If you hadn't added on another year, this wouldn't have been an issue".
We breached the subject with our kids, the 8 year old bawled herself to sleep that night, the son, agreed, only if we could get another dog and a cat. We really just want our dog back.
Am I being unreasonable here? My mom says that my aunt is depressed.
What should I do?