Need Advice! Very Hard Decision to make
 

I am so stressed out and sad. I'm not sure what I should do I think only you guys will understand and help me make the right decision.

I recently got accepted to Le Cordon Bleu School in Pasadena. I am so excited and really ready and happy to make a career change into something I love; however since I have no parental or otherwise support thru this I am going to have to go to school full time and work as well to support myself. I know it is going to be tuff and I am ready for it, but I am worried about my baby Buddah.

I want to keep him. I love him and he is my baby, but I am worried that I am being selfish and will not be able to provide for him like I know I should.

My schedule is going to be as follows

MON-THURS:
Wakeup/Get ready:4:30am-5:30
School: 6am-11-am
Travel: 11:30am-1:00pm
Work: 1pm-9pm
Travel: 9pm-10pm
Homework 10:30pm-12:30

Friday:
Wakeup/Get Ready:4:30am-5:30am
School: 6am-11am
Homework: 2hrs
Rest of the day off

SAT and SUN:
Wakeup/Get ready: 6:30-7:30
Travel: 7:30am-9:00am
Work:9:00am-7:00pm
Travel: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Homework: 2hrs
( I will have 1 weekend off a month)

This is going to be my schedule for at least until January. In January I will most likely get a job closer to school, but for money reasons I cannot leave my company until year end. Even when I get a job closer to work it is only going to cut down travel time, but I will still be working many hours.

I will am going to be living with roomates or my boyfriend, but I cannot really rely on them to give buddah love and attention. He is my dog!

Do you all think it would be better for him to go to a new home? It will break my heart, but I also dont want to neglect him.

Please help, I am crying while typing this and just dont know what to do.

well first off CONGRATS on getting in.. i know it is bittersweet. Is there anyone who can keep him for you for a short amount of time unti January, or until you feel comfortable taking him back?? where do you live?? i'm sure someone on here can help you out... take him for a while.. but you will know you can get him back when the time is right. I'll be praying for you. people on here do amazing things for others.

Wow, you've got a crazy next few months coming up. I'm not sure I could function on 4 hours of sleep! congrats on the acceptance. I agree with Marci, if you can find someone that will babysit for a few months. Maybe speak with boyfriend or roomates about stepping up in the "quality time with Buddah". Good luck, I hope it all works out for you. We have a lot of members in California - maybe something will work out.

Right now I live in Irvine. That is also where I will be working, but I will be living around the pasadena area. I dont have all the details figured out yet.

I am just worried about upseting him. He has been with me since January. We are just getting his potty training down ect. School is for 2 years. I figure if someone has him that long he wont want to come back to me. I feel so guilty, I would have never gotten him if I had known I was going to go to school It just happened. I know I made a commitment to take care of him and love him :(

dogs are very adaptable... and whos to say you would NEVER see him??? if someone close by could take him you could aways visit.. whenever! and at least you could get him back... i dont' think... unless your bf and roomates are prepared to step it up.... keeping him at home for all that time will work. are you able to find people who would be able to come in during the day.. .for a few hours with him??? just hang in there.. i know someone will come through for you!

Congratulations on getting accepted! That is where my bf wants to go but in NY. I'm sorry you're having to face this hard decision, I would speak to a friend or family member and ask them if they can watch him while you are gone. Good luck!

I know if things go well with me and my bf moving together it will be ok because he will help me and he is getting a dog so buddah will have company. I am more worried about it if I end up renting a room.

Thanks for the kind words. I was scared people were going to jump all over me. I guess because I feel guilty just thinking about it.

I have thought about asking my mom to take him for some time, but I dont know if she will care for him right. when i go over there my dad always wants to let him outside with the Big dogs and they live in the country where a big bird or something could just snatch him up. he is a lot more fragile than they think

Wow your schedule is like a surgery intern's schedule! Have you exhausted all other possibilities? Family, friends? If not, there's a lot of California YT'ers who would probably help. I cannot speak for myself, however, I'm about 20 minutes away from Pasadena, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle 2 yorkies. I'm going to be a new owner myself. I really wish I could help!

we woul never jump all over you.. we know you didn't get him KNOWING you were going to have this change in your life... stuff just happens... and if there is a possibiliyt of you and your bf getting a place.... work on that... a playmate for your pup would be ideal... as long as they get along :p

awe buddah gets a long with everyone! :) Ryan is going to get an english bulldog. Lots bigger but he will be a pup and buddah will be the old man. I hope it works out living with Ryan. If it does I can work less too because Ryan will be paying the rent so I can focus more on school.

I am going to make it work. I love buddah. He is my little munkin and he makes me smile.

If that's the case, I really really hope that you and your bf will work something out. So the bigger problem is trying to figure out how to move in with your bf. Try working on that. Let giving Buddah up be the absolute last resort.

i can really understand that and that is what i thought. if i had to do this i would make absolutely sure that the person understood - IN WRITING - that this is only for a certain period of time and that you will get your dog back. even state the visitation you want to have with him. i have seen several cases of someone on Judge Judy needing a friend to take care of a dog and then they become attached to it and do not want to give it back and she sides with them! the dog has become a part of the family and since they had no agreement what could she do? you don't want to be in that position! and make sure that it is in writing if he has to live somewhere else with someone else that any problems - re:vet bills,etc. - that you will make sure to pay them or pay the person back if they pay for it. this was another thing that popped up with this type of situation! they felt like they spent $500 on a vet bill that they now own the dog.


i know you don't want to ask your roomates or boyfriend but maybe if you sat down and talked this over with them and let them know how important this is to you they may surprise you!

good luck to you and buddah and congrat's on your acceptance.:)

how does your boyfriend feel about him? surely he loves him too? Maybe you could get someone to come in and help you with him, a couple hours here and there... I agree, it would be hard to let someone have him for 2 years...
I hope something works out for you but you are thinking on the right track, what is best....
good luck!
d

I agree - if you can get someone to watch your little guy until you have a better schedule that would be great. I would have suggested daycare or a dog walker, but since money is tight that probably won't work.

I also agree to get the details of the "babysitting" in writing so that you're legally entitled to get your pup back :).

And congrats on the acceptance!

Wow this must be so hard for you, I dont have any answers, but you have my prayers and support that things will work out for the best, sorry you have to make such a hard decsion:(

I'm a lot older than you and have had many dogs over the years - loved them all dearly so I can understand your relunctance to leave him. It looks like you'll be home from M - Th for 6 hours - even if you are studying or sleeping, you are with him and he's soaking up that love and companionship. You have a little more time on Sat and Sun and Fri you have lots of time with him. As long as he is not home alone, confined to a crate while you are gone, I think that having someone else at home sometimes (your roomate or boyfriend) would keep him happy. As long as they are nice to him, he won't spend the whole time longing for you. Dog just don't have a sense of time like we do. When you leave he isn't sure whether you've been gone a half hour or 12 hours! And don't worry - his first and strongest bond will always be with you.
Kathy

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: i couldn't agree more... as long as someone at some point during the day can maybe bring him out for an hour or play with him... and he has the abliity to roam and isnt' in a crate... has pee pads... i think it will be much better than you imagine

I don't know what to tell you about your schedule. I got accepted into the same school several years ago, and I elected not to go because of the schedule and the drive! It's an awesome school though.

Thanks everyone for your help.

I suppose with letting someone take him for a while I'm not as worried about getting him back as I am about his well being. Being torn away from his new family and coming back with me.

I know my boyfriend will help if we live together and he wouldnt be getting a new pup right away probably not for 6-8 months, but the roomate situation is difficult because it would be people I dont know and will have to talk into letting me have him in the house in the first place. I think it would be difficult to ask a complete stranger to take care of my baby.

I think things are going to work out though. My bf has been hinting that we could possibly compromise on the city we live in half way between and make it work. It means a lot longer of a drive for me to and from school, but I can keep Buddah and be with me love!

Please everyone keep their fingers crossed that this works out !!

I'm so hoping you two are able to move in together and that you can keep your little guy <3

Sounds like things are looking up! :)

Buddah<3r, I am facing a similar situation myself so I can understand your mixed emotions and certainly your feeling of guilt! I myself just got into grad school for a change of career (education to social work) and can't afford not to work even though I do have my husband's income to help out; but, we have a mortgage and lots of monthly bills. I will be working 20 hours, interning 16 hours and going to school full-time (5 classes) but my schedule will be a little more flexible in that I work and live in the same town and my internship is 30 minutes away tops...school is an hour away though. I will have weekends off unless I realize we can't swing the bills without getting another job (which will probably be true within the first two months!) I've been considering hiring a dog walker or sending Tucker to doggie day care for my exceptionally long days. Like others have said, fellow YTers will probably be more than willing to help through stopping by to check in on Buddah or fostering or some other great idea I haven't thought of!

I hope you can figure something out that will work for you and for Buddah. Good luck with everything. It's gonna be two years from hell but well worth it in the end (if we stay positive, we can get each other through it! :) )

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out with you and your boyfriend moving in together so that you may be able to keep your precious Budda with you.