I am moving...need help to think of options for my dog? Please!

21349 Views 60 Replies 37 Participants Last post by Roloni, May 21, 2012

LeDaisy

Discussion Starter · May 16, 2012 (Edited)

EDIT: Thanks everyone, for your advice. Now I can think... I am going to contact a GSD rescue to see what can be done.
We have to move ASAP (I forgot to mention), which is another reason why we can't find a pet-friendly place too quickly.

:help: !!!

Hello there!

I have an 11 yr old German Shepherd girl that I've had since she was a puppy, but we found out that we have a month's time to move, and we have no money for a home big enough for us and pet friendly. It breaks my heart, but we can't bring her with us. We never expected something like this would ever happen. The problem is, I don't know any one who can take her and care for her well. What can I do??

* I've thought of relatives (temporary care until we can find a better place to live): They are willing, but I'm not sure they know how to handle a dog on their own. The last few pets they had were bought on impulse. They weren't provided a good shelter, and a sneaky parent either let them loose (on purpose or by mistake, no one knows) or gave them to a random stranger.
- This is my only viable option that I can think of right now.

* I called the local animal shelter/veterinary hosp. They said they will take her but very likely will never find a home because of her age - also a bad environment for an old shepherd to stay in too long.

* We can't afford boarding her indefinitely. ($30 a day...besides, she hates it and its not good for her.).

* Family is considering listing her on Craigslist. I am totally against this. I don't think this is the safest way, is it?

I'm really concerned because she is very attached to us (She is a GSD after all!)

I'm looking for other suggestions in case the higher ups (lol) decide they'd rather not have relatives take care of her temporarily. Is there a safe way to find an owner I am satisfied will take good care of my pet? Do you know of a place that takes in cases like these?

Thank you in advance!

At least writing this out has calmed me down a bit. If anything, a bit of conversation about the problem will help me look at this a little more objectively.

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RCloud

· #2 · May 16, 2012

That sucks. I went through something similar a few years back with a parrot I was very bonded to, and it's not an easy or fun situation to be in... Why is it you can't take her with you? How small is the place you're talking about? You'd be surprised how adaptable dogs can be, and given she's 11 years old, I'm willing to bet she's probably slowed down a bit by now. If dogs are allowed, I'd say take her with you and try to work things out. If it doesn't work out, try getting in touch with a GSD Rescue.

Galathiel

· #3 · May 16, 2012

You might see if there is a GSD rescue in your area. Maybe they could help.

LeDaisy

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 16, 2012

Thanks for replying

I totally would take her if I could. She has slowed down quite a bit, but absolutely no pets are allowed at the place we'll be moving to. It does have a yard, but we can't have pets. No ifs, ands, or buts. The places we've seen that do allow pets are too expensive for us to rent at the moment.

Which is why the "relatives" option seems to make the most sense to me right now. Hopefully things will go smoothly.

I'll look for a GSD rescue around here and see if that's a good thing to do for her. Thanks!

anitah3

· #5 · May 16, 2012

In this rental market, I'm sure you could find an affordable place that would take a pet. Rehoming her to a brand new environment would be very traumatic for a dog her age. Poor poor baby.

Call a property management company, talk with a real estate agent. You may need to pay a higher deposit but wouldn't it be worth doing so in order to keep your family intact. Please try.

Good luck.

LeDaisy said:
Thanks for replying

I totally would take her if I could. She has slowed down quite a bit, but absolutely no pets are allowed at the place we'll be moving to. It does have a yard, but we can't have pets. No ifs, ands, or buts. The places we've seen that do allow pets are too expensive for us to rent at the moment.

Which is why the "relatives" option seems to make the most sense to me right now. Hopefully things will go smoothly.

I'll look for a GSD rescue around here and see if that's a good thing to do for her. Thanks!

Pawzk9

· #6 · May 16, 2012

I've never understood why people think it's okay to dispense with a pet when they move to a new place. A smaller place is not an excuse. Dogs can be with their people and be happy even with a smaller home and a smaller yard. At 11, I imagine she is not that high energy any more, and it's very hard to find someone who is looking to adopt a senior dog who is closing in on life expectancy. Not to mention how difficult it would be for an old dog to lose their family and have to start over again.

summerwind

· #7 · May 16, 2012

Pawzk9 said:
I've never understood why people think it's okay to dispense with a pet when they move to a new place. A smaller place is not an excuse. Dogs can be with their people and be happy even with a smaller home and a smaller yard. At 11, I imagine she is not that high energy any more, and it's very hard to find someone who is looking to adopt a senior dog who is closing in on life expectancy. Not to mention how difficult it would be for an old dog to lose their family and have to start over again.

Ditto............i'd spend any amount of money not to put my little girl through this...........i know this is harsh, but to me, and a few friends i told of this, i'd say this is close to abuse even in it's mildest form. she is going to be extremely traumatized should she end up with a new home without her master with her........

rotten

· #8 · May 16, 2012

Large breeds dont require large houses. So if it is a matter of the house it too small in your opinion, i recommend PTS, unless you can find a home that will take a GSD who is going to cost a fare bit in vet fees over the next few years as her hips and elbows and eye sight and hearing go.

If you lived near me, id take her. But we are thousands of miles apart. Try your local GSD club, they have rehoming services.

If you are unable to take her as rental wont allow dogs, find another rental if you can.

Shell

· #9 · May 16, 2012

Contact EVERY rescue and "no kill" type group in your city and ask about affordable pet-friendly housing.
A couple of dedicated rescue people in my city compiled a spreadsheet list of pet-friendly rentals, mostly apartment complexes or property management companies, with the details listed (as in, 1 pet, 2 pets, extra fee, small dogs only, cats only etc).
Try for something privately owned.
Talk to the owner of where you plan to move! Absolutely beg and plead if need be, offer an extra deposit (you do get it back after all, so if finances are tight maybe you can borrow this money), etc.

I think any of the options you have listed basically suck. After 11 YEARS with you, her entire world would be turned upside down to go someplace strange and as you've said you don't really trust your relatives, it could also be dangerous to her.

Honestly, I would live in a camping trailer before I'd give up my dog.

LeDaisy

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 16, 2012 (Edited)

Pawzk9 said:
I've never understood why people think it's okay to dispense with a pet when they move to a new place. A smaller place is not an excuse. Dogs can be with their people and be happy even with a smaller home and a smaller yard. At 11, I imagine she is not that high energy any more, and it's very hard to find someone who is looking to adopt a senior dog who is closing in on life expectancy. Not to mention how difficult it would be for an old dog to lose their family and have to start over again.

summerwind said:
Ditto............i'd spend any amount of money not to put my little girl through this...........i know this is harsh, but to me, and a few friends i told of this, i'd say this is close to abuse even in it's mildest form. she is going to be extremely traumatized should she end up with a new home without her master with her........

I couldn't agree more. I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place.

And no, where we live, there is NOT an affordable place that allows housing a pet. It's terrible. Anything cheaper that DOES allow pets is located in an absolutely terrible area. I wouldn't be surprised if someone poisoned our pets if we moved to any of those places.

We first have to move into this cheap place for a few months to save up the money for the down payment on a place that will allow pets. Our credit is very bad because of bad decisions we made years ago when we didn't know much about handling money.

On another note, she's actually really spry for a dog her age!

No hip problems that I can tell and still thinks she's a puppy. haha

But thanks for all of your advice, everyone. It's given me time to think. I think we'll end up having me spend time at our relative's place and leaving her there for a little while. Then bringing her back. Not an ideal decision, but I think the best.

Shell

· #11 · May 16, 2012

And no, where we live, there is NOT an affordable place that can house a pet. It's terrible. Anything cheaper that DOES allow pets is located in an absolutely terrible area. I wouldn't be surprised if someone poisoned our pets if we moved to any of those places.

Are the cheaper housing choices really in that bad of areas? I say this because I've lived in a few places considered by outsiders to be bad areas and they actually weren't all that bad. A hefty dose of common sense and some good door locks reduced a lot of chances of problems.

If you keep the dog inside and only have her outside while supervised, its pretty dang unlikely someone is going to poison her....

Have you really spread the word about your need for pet friendly affordable housing? Network! Get on facebook and post to all the dog rescue and such pages that you need housing under $x.xx amount of dollars.

summerwind

· #12 · May 16, 2012 (Edited)

well leaving her with relatives where she knows you will be coming there from time to time until you can regroup as a whole family again at least gives you and her some hope and some kind of peace of mind.............i really wish you both the best for this situation............i wouldn't wish this scenario on anyone.

LeDaisy

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 16, 2012

Thanks.

I'm pushing for that. lol I actually talked to someone today who seemed very amiable and the type of person who'd listen to our situation and make exceptions. There's always a way...just have to look for it!

For now, since we're planning on visiting our relatives anyway (and she goes there a few times a year with us), she won't be too disconcerted with the temporary transition, I think. Phew. It's good to take time to think and listen to advice.

Thanks everyone for your help.

LeDaisy

Discussion Starter · #14 · May 16, 2012 (Edited)

Shell said:
Are the cheaper housing choices really in that bad of areas? I say this because I've lived in a few places considered by outsiders to be bad areas and they actually weren't all that bad. A hefty dose of common sense and some good door locks reduced a lot of chances of problems.

If you keep the dog inside and only have her outside while supervised, its pretty dang unlikely someone is going to poison her....

Have you really spread the word about your need for pet friendly affordable housing? Network! Get on facebook and post to all the dog rescue and such pages that you need housing under $x.xx amount of dollars.

You're right I'll try that out as well. Time to get back on facebook.

She's used to being outdoors most of the time, so we haven't really considered a place that doesn't have a yard. We also have a fairly big family to raise. So the money racks up when you consider rooms + yard + location. We have to be within a certain distance from where my father works and our schools, etc, because we have an incredibly busy schedule in the coming months due to several responsibilities. I just really don't want to go back to the bad neighborhood I came from years ago.

But it looks like we'll have to go back to extra locks and such soon!

Thanks for your reply

The hard part is that my parents aren't as fond of pets as I am, so they are more willing to part with her.

Nokoa

· #15 · May 17, 2012

Let her stay with the relatives. Give them a good crash course on what commands she follows and all the basics, I am sure they will manage for a few months.

Kodson

· #16 · May 17, 2012

I agree with you Shell, I would NEVER give up my dog, especially an 11 year old dog! I would search the earth unti I found a place that she could come also. You also teach your kids lessons on how you dont throw things away, you stick it out until the end. Please dont give up that poor dog, how would you like someone to do that to you? I cannot understand how you can even ask what to do, its a no brainer, she's family!
Seeing posts like this makes me not want to read them anymore. omg I cannot believe this!

LeDaisy

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 17, 2012

Shell said:
Contact EVERY rescue and "no kill" type group in your city and ask about affordable pet-friendly housing.
A couple of dedicated rescue people in my city compiled a spreadsheet list of pet-friendly rentals, mostly apartment complexes or property management companies, with the details listed (as in, 1 pet, 2 pets, extra fee, small dogs only, cats only etc).
Try for something privately owned.
Talk to the owner of where you plan to move! Absolutely beg and plead if need be, offer an extra deposit (you do get it back after all, so if finances are tight maybe you can borrow this money), etc.

I think any of the options you have listed basically suck. After 11 YEARS with you, her entire world would be turned upside down to go someplace strange and as you've said you don't really trust your relatives, it could also be dangerous to her.

Honestly, I would live in a camping trailer before I'd give up my dog.

Thanks for the advice! I'll contact them and ask them if they can help us with that as well.

Lol well I couldn't cram my family into a camping trailer, they would go nuts. But I'll hope for the next best thing.

LeDaisy

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 17, 2012

Kodson said:
I agree with you Shell, I would NEVER give up my dog, especially an 11 year old dog! I would search the earth unti I found a place that she could come also. You also teach your kids lessons on how you dont throw things away, you stick it out until the end. Please dont give up that poor dog, how would you like someone to do that to you? I cannot understand how you can even ask what to do, its a no brainer, she's family!
Seeing posts like this makes me not want to read them anymore. omg I cannot believe this!

I'm sorry I had you read this then xD.

Yeah I'm kind of being forced to consider this. The rest of my family don't think it's as much a big deal as we do.

momof3

· #19 · May 17, 2012

Sounds like this person is young and still living with their parents. In this economy if they don't take the new place they can afford they may end up homeless. And while I 1000% agree I understand that this persons family isn't as bonded to the dog and probably none of them wish to be homeless. It sounds like the OP wants to take the dog and not just dump it but is not having very much luck. I don't fault anyone if an event in their lives cause them to make choices they would normally not make. I mean they didn't come here and say our dog is old and we just can't deal with it during our move to a new home. They were asking for ideas on how to keep the dog or to at least make a good choice for the dog. I hope that something or someone positive comes into the picture so that you can still have your dog.

ejpete

· #20 · May 17, 2012

LeDaisy said:
:help: !!!

Hello there!

I have an 11 yr old German Shepherd girl that I've had since she was a puppy, but I need to move to a smaller place in the city (We can't afford anything else.) It breaks my heart, but I most likely will not be able to bring her with me. We never expected something like this would ever happen. The problem is, I don't know any one who can take her and care for her well. What can I do??

* I've thought of relatives (temporary care until we can find a better place to live): They are willing, but I'm not sure they know how to handle a dog on their own. The last few pets they had were bought on impulse. They weren't provided a good shelter, and a sneaky parent either let them loose (on purpose or by mistake, no one knows) or gave them to a random stranger.
- This is my only viable option that I can think of right now.

* I called the local animal shelter/veterinary hosp. They said they will take her but very likely will never find a home because of her age - also a bad environment for an old shepherd to stay in too long.

* We can't afford boarding her indefinitely. ($30 a day...besides, she hates it and its not good for her.).

* Family is considering listing her on Craigslist. I am totally against this. I don't think this is the safest way, is it?

I'm really concerned because she is very attached to us (She is a GSD after all!) If it was up to me, I would leave her with relatives and keep very close tabs on her care until we can find a better place to live, but my family is looking for an easier way out, however unfair to me that seems.

I'm looking for other suggestions in case the higher ups (lol) decide they'd rather not have relatives take care of her temporarily. Is there a safe way to find an owner I am satisfied will take good care of my pet? Do you know of a place that takes in cases like these?

Thank you in advance!

At least writing this out has calmed me down a bit. If anything, a bit of conversation about the problem will help me look at this a little more objectively.

Dont put her to sleep,it's not the dogs fault.What I do when I find abandoned dogs is find a home for them then tell the people to contact me if there are problems or they just don't want the dog anymore.I also get their phone # and address and tell them that I will be stopping by and calling them to check on the dogs well being.If they can't agree to that then I move on and find someone else.Most people will understand and let you do that.But sooner or later you will have to stop contacting them and let the dog go.Hope this helps some. PS Havent had any of them come back yet.

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