TeenHelp - Toby

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- - Toby (http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f119-pets/t155456-toby/)

I'm super anxious and depressed that I have to rehome my dog Toby. We originally got him as a puppy to become a service dog but as he got older he started showing the wrong personality traits for it. He started becoming territorial and aggressive. His trainer/behaviorist said its best we stopped training him to become a service dog. I'm really upset. My mom said this time we're gonna pay more upfront to the organization and make payments and do the program where they find, raise, and train a dog for us instead since toby didn't work out. I still love him though. The organization will help us rehome him so that makes me feel a bit safer since they preform home checks. But it still bothers me. But I feel like I really need the extra help a service dog can provide and my mom limits the amount of dogs in my house to 2. I already have another dog. So I've been crying a lot lately. But I know its less stress for Toby. Not all dogs are cut out to be service dogs. My question is how do I calm down? Everyone agrees I should rehome him, It's in his and everyones best interest to go to a home to just be a regular pet. How can I better accept this?

I'm really sorry you have to go through this, and I think it's perfectly understandable to feel anxious and depressed over it. Giving up a pet is something that's incredibly difficult, and, unfortunately, sometimes necessary. Having a pet can be a bit of a balancing act, and in this case it comes down to balancing your needs (having a service dog) and your family's rules (only having two dogs). If your mother isn't willing to have more than two dogs in the house, then finding Toby a new home might be the safest route. However, I would recommend talking to your mother about it and trying to understand her logic behind the rule of only having two dogs. Perhaps there's some kind of compromise that can be made.

The thing to remember about having pets is that, ultimately, you have to make choices that are in the best interest of your pet, since they can't make those decisions for themselves. In this case it doesn't seem to be in Toby's best interests to continue training to be a service dog. That doesn't mean he's a bad dog; it just means that he's not suited for this particular role. If you do need to find him a new home it sounds like he'll be placed in a good one where he'll be loved and looked after, and you can take comfort in knowing that you did what was right for him. Just keep reminding yourself of that fact: you did the right thing for Toby. The separation will be hard at first, but it will get easier over time.

I hope that was helpful, and once again I'm sorry you ended up in this situation. I'm sure Toby will go on to live a happy, healthy life as a much-loved pet, and I hope that eventually you're able to look back and know that you made the best decision possible for him.

UPDATE: I have rehomed Toby to a family with young children for him to play with. He took an immediate liking to the little girl of the family. He's with a good family and I know he's happy.

Thank you for your reply. This time we're going to just gonna pay for the organization to obtain a pup, raise/train it, and then place it with me. That way we know for sure it will be temperament tested and trained properly so this won't happen again. It'll take two years but it'll be worth it. I'm still pretty heartbroken about toby, but i'm getting better about it. Thank you again.

I'm glad that Toby ended up in such a good home, and I hope knowing that he's loved and looked after will help you accept the reality of having to give him up. It sounds like going through the organisation will be the safest bet, even if it does take longer, and I wish you all the best when you do get your service dog.

I'm going to leave this thread open in case anyone has anything else to add, but I'm glad that I was able to help a bit. :)