[beemidiwfe]

When reading your post it seems that you are asking for two things. You want to have someone make you feel better about your dog and you also want to be supported in being disappointed about your dog.

Can you see what I mean?

I am sorry for what you are going through with your daughter and I hear you when you say that this disappointment with the dog is hard to assimilate after all you have been going through. There is nothing really that a stranger can say to help you on anything but a superficial level.

This is my experience with my dog. I bought her too quickly without much research or shopping around. I feel fortunate that she is as healthy as she is with my poor research! AFTER I got my dog I started looking into the breed more closely. I found the growth charts and her size for age wasn't even on the charts! She was 3 1/2 pounds when I got her at 10 weeks. She seems to be full grown now at 8 months at 8 pounds 4 ounces. Well, she has been this size for over a month.

I also began to notice that she had a long body, not the boxy shape she should have. I started to feel a little sick to my stomach about it. Once the dog was mine it was forever and I wished I had been more selective. I won't be getting another one and this one is going to be different than, even less than, what I had expected. I want her because I have bonded with her and she is not an object that can be returned or traded in, but I also felt 'stuck' with her.

But then time passed and it all mattered less and less. I thought about if I had made a list of what I wanted in a dog health and personality would have been first along with price (I didn't want to spend $1500 on a dog especially when my husband was opposed to me getting one at all). After that was size, I wanted 5-7 pounds, and coloring. Once I realized what my real priorities were I felt less like I had made a mistake. It also helps that with each day that passes I am more in love with her.

I think (I hope) this is what happens for you. If I can offer any advice it would be to focus on the positive and let the rest go. I am sure you are doing this with your child, you have to to survive the trauma!

I hope this helps. And please if any of this came off as offensive I apologize. I really tried not to be.