My roommates and I fundamentally disagree on the function pets serve in a family. Enough so, that the last time we fought over the issue, I decided that I had to move out if our friendship was to survive (which I’m doing tonight….yay!). I knew I couldn’t take our (my) dog with me, so my plan was to list DJ on craig’s list and find him a good home. My roommates decided they wanted to keep him. So he is now their dog. My baby is their dog.
They will make him an almost exclusively outdoor dog. He will only be allowed inside at night when it’s “really cold.” To me, this means they’re putting him outside and will neglect him. They’ll see him/play with him when it’s convenient for them. The rest of the time, he’ll be outside. Alone. And this dog doesn’t do well with alone. He’s got a mild form of separation anxiety. And so far, I’ve been the only one to work on it with him.
To me, dogs are family, not toys. For better of worse, when you sign on for the responsibility of a pet, that pet becomes a member of the family. You have to take care of the dog. You have to play with the dog. You can’t throw it in the backyard and leave it there for several days until you decide you have a few spare moments to pet the dog. That’s a quick way to kill a dog’s spirit, and possibly make him aggressive.
I’m worried about DJ and what will happen to him. I have no say anymore, and I recognize that. I left my apartment in tears this morning (though my roommates don’t know that…well, they do now since they read this) because of the conversation they were having about DJ and how he will be outside all the time. I didn’t say anything to them out of respect for them because he is their dog now. And the last time we talked about these differences of opinion it ended up in a fight. But it breaks my heart to know he’s going to be alone. If I could take him, I would. But I can’t.
So he’s going from my baby to their toy. I hope he handles the transition better than I think he will.
Perhaps your roommates should spend a few days outside. I completely disagree with them. dumb people.
People who do that with pets should never breed…I mean that. You can not just stick a baby outside when he gets worked up, wets the bed or is hungry. If you do that with your pets…then you will likely be a parent like that as well.
Wow, that’s hard. I wouldn’t be able to do it. My buddy is here at my feet right now just because he loves me. I really sympathize and agree, Amanda. I pray that he does okay.
To be fair, I should mention that only one of them really thinks of pets this way. The other one is following the direction of her husband to keep the peace and honor him.
to honor him??