Feeling Tied Down
 

Logan is 14 weeks old and so tiny. I'm still having to get up twice at night (around 2 a.m. and then 6 a.m.) to take him outside to potty. So I have not slept through the night in a month.

My father has been trying to arrange a family vacation for all of us in Lake Tahoe next summer, and we cannot find any place that accepts pets (without paying $4,000/week for a rental). So I won't get to join the rest of the family.

Because of the cost to bring our puppy ($225), I won't be accompanying my husband on a business trip next month and may never be able to fly anywhere again. It's nearly impossible to find reasonably-priced places to stay that accept pets, and I will not board our puppy (that would undo all the housetraining efforts because he cannot hold it in from 4:30 p.m. until the next day!!).

I feel guilty for entertaining thoughts of returning him to the breeder, but I can't seem to do anything without having to work around his schedule for eating and pottying, not to mention that pets are not welcome most places.

Does or has anyone else ever felt this way?

That is called the puppy blues and it should pass. I was so exhausted when I first got Ellie that I briefly thought I couldn't take it anymore. I am soooooo glad I didn't act on that. Puppies are a lot of work. That's all. How about boarding with a friend or family member instead of a kennel. I wouldn't use a kennel or pet hotel either.

I know what you mean but i guess that is just what comes along with owning a dog. I didn't go away to school in Albany because i can't have pets in the dorms so i stayed here and am perfectly fine with it. Also i didn't wanna leave my bf, etc. But pretty much they are my family and if they can't go i won't unless it's for like a week on vaca and they stay with my family. But yea that is what comes with owning a dog. Also why don't you just paper train him? That way you don't have to go out in the middle of the night

i too, often feel a slave to my pets. But i love them as my own children..at this stage they are like a baby and a toddler and I do whatever they need. They are pad trained to go inside in the winter and outside in the nicer months. I do however, have friends here that will take one or both of them when i go away. I am grateful for that. But right now, with Gino only being here for 3 weeks, I am always home to care for his needs. In a month or so I should be able to get out more.

remember, yours is still a baby and it will get better with the pottying.

Is there anyone who can babysit your dog when you go away? No dog lover friends?

'Puppy blues' is the perfect word for it! We make huge sacrifices for our babies and due to the lack of sleep it does seem overwhelming but then, lo and behold, they begin to grow up and sleep through the night and catch on to the potty-training and you start to worry just a tad less and enjoy them even more:D

Hoku just made a year and Kalani will be a year on the 26th and tomorrow is the first time ever that I am leaving them for more than a few hours! Hang in there, it'll get better and your time will come!

I think your just feeling a little overwhelmed right now but it will get better after your puppy is trained. Hang in there!

Usuaully you can find people that will come and let them out..have you tried housebreaking to the pee pads, or do you just want him to go outside? I have mine(she's 15 weeks) in an xpen, I have made it to where her pee pad is on one side, and her bed on the other..this way, I can get a good nights sleep. I have 5 dogs of my own, 6 with my sons we have right now, but, I don't let them stop me from going places. Where are you located?

Having a puppy is like having a baby. Except it's socially accepted that your babies have to go anywhere you go. It passes really fast, though. Before you know it he's sleeping through the night and is potty trained. By that point I'm sure you can find a friend who would love to have a Yorkie for a week when you need to go away!

You said your dad is planning a family trip for next summer. You will totally be able to leave Logan for a week by then.

When we had our other dog, my in-laws always kept him when we went out of town. But they cannot guarantee that they will be available due to recent health problems. Other than that, there is no one else we could leave him with.

We have 3 and the only place that we can take them all is my mom's house so I know just how you feel. We are trying to figure out Thanksgiving now and will probably end up driving 3 hours one way and having to return the same day which stinks. Our entire visit will have to be limited to 2 hours then back in the car to go home. We do have a pet sitter who comes and stays in our house with the dogs for most trips so you might look into that. It is very helpful for vacations. You will find more options as he gets older- just hang in there.:)

I remember those days when Cocoa didn't sleep through the night....that will pass. As for not being able to take him places, I'm in AL too and could possibly watch him for you. I know a lot of other people on YT would too. Just an option.......

Hang in there! it get's better... now Belle sleeps all through the night and hates waking up in the morning! haha... and someone said try the pee pads, thats what i have for overnight and when i'm not home for a few hours, and she doesn't go in the house at all

I'm sorry you are feeling this way. Traveling with a small dog really isn't that difficult. We drove from Alaska to Georgia and never had a prblem finding hotels that would take us each night. Also flying with them is very easy if you would be willing to pay. Your trip is quite some time away so you have a long time to look for a sitter. As far as him sleeping through the night, I'll bet that is coming soon. ;)

They can tie you down. My family has not taken a vacation together in many many years because I won't leave them. But it is a choice I made. I get 24/7 joy from my dogs and a vacation would only be a week or two. My husband would love to go on vacations but knows I won't leve the girls. Maybe you can find a friend or Yt member close by to help out. They do get better as they get older.

I know how you feel, especially being young and just starting out in life with a recent college graduation, career and husband. I really felt like giving in and giving Vinnie back in the beginning, he frustrated the heck out of me. Around christmas it will be a year, and he just celebrated his 1st birthday on Halloween and I wouldn't trade it for the world. My hubby and I didn't even get to go on a honeymoon and have never vacationed together in the 4+ years we've been together, we are aiming to change that this summer and I will try very hard to find a place that will let us bring Vinnie, I can't imagine leaving him. It will get better and easier!!! I promise, stick with it, the love you receive in return is totally worth it.

Archie kept me up twice or three times a night for a couple of months and I was definitley sleep deprived! But it passed. I understand your reluctance to board your pup -- but I have not let leaving Archie behind keep me from traveling. I boarded him for a week when I went on a cruise last year (he was fine when I got back and no potty problems) and I left him with friends this summer when I went to Hawaii (he was fine when I returned). By next summer, your puppy will be much older and will be even better potty trained and able to adapt to a boarding situation. This is not to say you won't worry -- you WILL! You might consider giving him a trial run of boadring him overnight or letting a friend keep him for a couple of days to see how he does. If you do have friends who can keep him, this is always preferable. Good luck!

Thanks for all the understanding comments and advice! This may sound crazy, but I'm afraid to leave Logan with anyone I don't know, and I'm afraid that no one will take as good of care of him as I do :) I fear he will run away, get hurt, or something else horrible will happen if I leave him. I suppose that is natural, too. It's hard for me to commit to leaving him next summer when I don't know if that will be possible. It would be nice to have the option of taking him with us, and then we could change our minds if I find someone to watch him. But if I commit to going on vacation next summer without him, when that time comes, I will HAVE to leave him.

There are some hotel chains that allow pets and how about camp ground rentals? We've been thinking of just renting an RV to take our yorkies on a trip with us.

http://www.dogfriendly.com/

I understand how you feel completely! We left our 3 with a new petsitter for 5 days this summer and I was a wreck! I was worried she'd drop one or worried she's let one out, worried she wouldn't watch them and one would drown in the pool, I even worried she wouldn't show up and they'd die of starvation.:rolleyes: I called everyday and we all made it through.:p

You might try just asking at your vet's office. Our original sitter worked for the vet so I felt better knowing she was used to animals, loved them and could handle an emergency.

oops-

Regarding the vacation rentals - Almost EVERY rental doesn't allow pets but I'm finding that if I call, explain to them I have a toy size pet and assure them they are potty trained many of them give in.

So far Lucy has been to a resort in Mexico that "didn't take pets" and several hotels around the country. Of course I would never take her anywhere without the okay first...

Everyone else has told you the pros of keeping your puppy, I'm going to tell you the cons.

I think that having a puppy is a lot tougher than an adult dog but in my opinion there will always be sacrifices. It's like having a baby that will never really grow up, kids as they grow learn to do things for themselves, dogs don't. Perhaps you need a lower maintenance pet or perhaps no pet at all. If you give up your pup now you will probably feel very wretched for a while but better in the long run and your pooch as it is still a puppy will have a better chance of finding a good home.

Because you mentioned a few of the expenses you are facing I'm going to talk to you about money, dogs are expensive. My furball is going to cost me 1K, over a 15 year life span his health insurance will cost about 7K not including preventive and maintenace care not covered by the health insurance ... let's say another 3K over his lifetime. That alone comes out to 11K. Also to consider things they need like grooming or grooming supplies, FOOD, and other basic items such as food bowls, bedding, crates, toys, clothes, ... I estimate a very optimistic 9K over his lifetime for this kind of thing. Total of about 20K over a lifetime but it could end up being more, hardly any chance of it being less. Unless I were to cut health insurance all togheter but if I did that and the dog had need of expensive medical care two or three trips to the vet could end up costing just as much as the health insurance would over a lifetime. And on top of all that money, your time effort and care will be required as well. I'm not rich and I don't have lots of money laying around, that is the case with most people. We can't just dispense with the money but we are prepared to make the effort and the sacrifice in exchange for the love of a pooch but it is a big sacrifice.

This speech is not meant to frighten you or bully you into giving up your baby, I just think that having a dog is not for everyone, it could end up making you a lot more unhappy than happy. If at this point you decide to keep him, it'll be true love. If instead you decide to give him up you will save yourself and the puppy a lot of heartache.

I hear you! but I have my puppy as my child (couldn't have kids) so I don't question all the things I have to take into account. I just do it.

I had to pay $105 to have a pet at a hotel in Montreal.....unreal - but we didn't question it.

Flying - we paid more - but it wasn't unreasonable. Especially having a tiny, at least you can have your baby with you in the plane (not below).

For their love - they are worth all the work and trouble :) :) :)

My husband and I are not opposed to paying for our dog to accompany us on a trip, but this particular trip didn't seem like the time to do it because he's going to be extremely busy, and it'll mean me and the dog sitting in a hotel most of the time. So, we are going to try to plan a "fun" trip sometime and then take our Logan with us. Also, Logan and I are going to go on a driving business trip in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for your comments. I think others have explained pretty well what I'm going through - the puppy blues. I guess it's a little like post-partum depression with a human baby (although there are no hormones involved).;) I felt overwhelmed the last time we got a dog, but it got better. I think I can make it through this. I just wish everyone in my family understood and loved dogs as much as I do. If they did, planning a vacation together would be much easier.

And we are prepared for the expense of having a pet. We spent a lot of money on our last dog, and couldn't make his life better afterall and ended up having to put him to sleep when he was just 5 years young. But he brought us a lot of joy. My in-laws always kept him when we went on trips, so that was no problem. But now they are having health difficulties and may not be able to help. Now I need to find someone else I can trust to watch Logan, and that is the hard part.

Puppy love - when I think back to when I first had Jeanie, I do remember always being afraid. It hurt so bad I was so afraid all the time. I am still very cautious, but it isn't as bad as it was. I took her on a trip - like you are talking about - and we worried about her the whole time. Mind you I like worrying about her I think. Worrying and caring I think I get mixed up at times.

Anyway, just to assure you that we will always worry, but it does get more tolerable.

Sounds like you love your baby very much. And with that, all will be fine. But it is nice to ask others and find out you are not alone, right?

Take care......Darcey

feeling tied down
 

I feel for you. I am much older than you are and I have no responsibilities, except a housewife and Mother to my Yorkie. But, also, I could not attend my sister's 50th wedding anniversary,( I was her Maid of Honor, could not attend my husbands 50th class reunion from FL to MN) because Tricksie is now over a year old and so attached to me. I should have trained her to a sitter when she was younger. I know pets are not welcomed in most places. I called hotels and told them that she was a 7 lb yorkie that stayed in a play pen and they would not accept her.
You have to do what you feel is the right thing to do.
Good Luck,

I am feeling better this afternoon and think I have found a solution to one problem. A pet sitter works for our vet. I talked to her, and she sounds like someone I can trust. I've already gotten to know her a little at the vet's office.

I, too, have explained to the "no pet" places that my puppy is very tiny and is not allowed full run of the house. Only one person has reconsidered, but he wanted a $750 pet deposit and a $300 cleaning fee on top of that!

Thanks again for all your comments, advice, and understanding. This is the first place I go to when I need help!:animal36