I know this sounds awful but please don't judge me. My husband got this huge dog maremmano/labrador. She's 8 yrs old now and she has always had some anxiety issues regarding abandonment and separation, which also causes her to have a terrible fear of thunderstorms and a slight fear of other loud things like fireworks, bands, sirens...
We got this dog when she was about 6 mos old. I was not here, and my husband chose her alone. I was also very naive at the time, not aware of all of my husbands' "character defects" and not intelligent enough to ask him if he'd be taking care of the dog.
Anyway, we lived in the country for a few months and the dog ran around outside and had already started showing signs of separation anxiety. Then we moved to an apartment with a large balcony. For years I struggled with cleanliness in the flat and trying to get my husband to train the dog and care for her.
When I had the baby I lost it. I could not handle the barking, the filth, the yelling, etc. in the house. I kicked the dog out to live on the balcony and a few months later tried giving her away. That didn't work out because the person we gave her to didn't know how to deal with dogs at all. After that and after years of struggles and arguments, I finally convinced my husband to get a behaviour specialist in and work with this dog.
He has done miracles. He has shown us so many wonderful ways to care for the dog, to play with her in a constructive way that teaches her who's the "pack leader" and how to walk her without her pulling on the leash. She is really wonderful now compared to before. Her only ongoing issues are barking a little too much (but this is our fault. we don't spend enough time with her and she gets bored. plus, she is always on the balcony where she can see people and dogs passing by and this frustrates her. she is really more of a mountain dog). And her other issue is with thunderstorms. We have done a lot of work to help her with this, but it will take a lot more work! She needs to hear thunderstorm CDs every day and to go out running and playing with other dogs DURING every single thunderstorm (unfortunately a lot of them happen at night).
The point of this long story is that I cannot seem to find the energy or motivation inside of myself to put in all the time needed to care for this dog. I often don't feel well and am overwhelmed with so many issues in my life right now. Also, I am personally not a dog lover, but i do believe in them living with dignity and in good health. My husband claims to love dogs, but he has never ever ever spent more than 5 hours a week taking care of the dog. He also has a very backwards mentality about how to treat them.
I know that dogs are attached to their owners, but I still believe that this dog would accept a new owner if the right person were found. If any of you know of a dog lover who has a piece of land... it would be best if there were not other animals around because she or they may get jealous. We are located in Abruzzo where most dog owners mistreat their animals and ALL the dog pounds are HORRIBLE. So we are stuck with her unless we find a really good person who knows what they're doing and what they're getting into.
I promise, I have tried everything and we are continuing to try doing all that needs to be done for her each day. However, I doubt that we will ever live up to her needs. I see us failing every day and it is so upsetting.
So, all i'm asking is just to keep me in mind if you meet someone who would be the perfect owner for the last years of our dog's life.
Thanks!
We got this dog when she was about 6 mos old. I was not here, and my husband chose her alone. I was also very naive at the time, not aware of all of my husbands' "character defects" and not intelligent enough to ask him if he'd be taking care of the dog.
Anyway, we lived in the country for a few months and the dog ran around outside and had already started showing signs of separation anxiety. Then we moved to an apartment with a large balcony. For years I struggled with cleanliness in the flat and trying to get my husband to train the dog and care for her.
When I had the baby I lost it. I could not handle the barking, the filth, the yelling, etc. in the house. I kicked the dog out to live on the balcony and a few months later tried giving her away. That didn't work out because the person we gave her to didn't know how to deal with dogs at all. After that and after years of struggles and arguments, I finally convinced my husband to get a behaviour specialist in and work with this dog.
He has done miracles. He has shown us so many wonderful ways to care for the dog, to play with her in a constructive way that teaches her who's the "pack leader" and how to walk her without her pulling on the leash. She is really wonderful now compared to before. Her only ongoing issues are barking a little too much (but this is our fault. we don't spend enough time with her and she gets bored. plus, she is always on the balcony where she can see people and dogs passing by and this frustrates her. she is really more of a mountain dog). And her other issue is with thunderstorms. We have done a lot of work to help her with this, but it will take a lot more work! She needs to hear thunderstorm CDs every day and to go out running and playing with other dogs DURING every single thunderstorm (unfortunately a lot of them happen at night).
The point of this long story is that I cannot seem to find the energy or motivation inside of myself to put in all the time needed to care for this dog. I often don't feel well and am overwhelmed with so many issues in my life right now. Also, I am personally not a dog lover, but i do believe in them living with dignity and in good health. My husband claims to love dogs, but he has never ever ever spent more than 5 hours a week taking care of the dog. He also has a very backwards mentality about how to treat them.
I know that dogs are attached to their owners, but I still believe that this dog would accept a new owner if the right person were found. If any of you know of a dog lover who has a piece of land... it would be best if there were not other animals around because she or they may get jealous. We are located in Abruzzo where most dog owners mistreat their animals and ALL the dog pounds are HORRIBLE. So we are stuck with her unless we find a really good person who knows what they're doing and what they're getting into.
I promise, I have tried everything and we are continuing to try doing all that needs to be done for her each day. However, I doubt that we will ever live up to her needs. I see us failing every day and it is so upsetting.
So, all i'm asking is just to keep me in mind if you meet someone who would be the perfect owner for the last years of our dog's life.
Thanks!
but if anyone mentions wanting a dog i will keep you in mind!
