Dog Owners Navigate Life Transitions

“I love my dog, I feel after all the things I've been through in my life a little ball of joy is healing my heart. My buddy is seriously helping me heal. I really enjoy letting him sleep on the bed at my feet it makes me feel secure because I know if anything would happen he would let me know so I can rest my mind and find true peace with him at my side. I love caring for my dog and play time with him is a joy. I feel lucky that he chooses me as his favorite person in the house. Always at my”

“So my partner of over 10 years decided to break up with me. Yeah. We got a puppy a few months ago, she's 6 months now. Border collie. She's barky and starting her teenage fuck you phase. She hates walking on leash which was not really a problem until now, because we had a property next to a big field and she could run around just with a long line dragging behind her. I've never lived in a flat and the idea of having her barking constantly terrifies me. She reacts to all the sounds. I”

“Just got a call from my vet updating me that my families 10 year old chihuahua has stage 3 moderate kidney disease. I’m shocked and blaming myself. Our dog lives with my mom and my mom has been feeding her home made food for 3-4 years, I recently found out that there are many vitamins and minerals that are missing in homemade dog food and we started adding egg shell powder and senior vitamins to her diet, but it’s making me think if the home made food caused it. I guess I’m especially sad about”

“We’ve had our beagle mix since he was a puppy, he is 7 now. We never properly trained him when we first got him. We lived with other people who didn’t abide by what we’d say, or would have multiple people trying to “teach or act like a master” which all in all made it very difficult to do so, and so we never did. He was always a good boy but a little crazy, nothing bad though. I always cut his nails at home, and one time I accidentally cut too far and he bled and ever since that nail trim he beg”

“Idk how to word the title. I rescued my dog 2 years ago. Her personality pretty much settled after 8-12 months, great dog. She overheats, so she doesn’t cuddle ever really. She nudges for extra treats/pets and begs for walks. For the last month, I have had more stress- a little withdrawn. It’s manageable and will ease with time, I have a strong sense of community and outlets. However, it’s changed the dynamic between me and my dog. Her appetite is great, but she doesn’t beg for treats/pets or wa”

“I adopted a very large half GSD/half St Bernard just over a year ago. She’s an absolutely delight at home but incredibly dysregulated outside of the house. Everything from biting car windows to nil leash experience and reactivity with other dogs and things like motorcycles. We’ve worked with her every day, we’ve worked with trainers, she’s on meds. She’s made progress in very specific managed scenarios (doing leash work in fences areas like a basketball court, or playing off lead with one specif”

“I have a 2.5 year old very active mutt pup. I am a teacher and was home with her all day all summer. I have recently gone back to work and she has been SOOO sad. She doesn’t want to eat her breakfast when she realizes it’s a school day. She pouts and gives me the saddest puppy eyes. I have a walker come midday, but we recently moved and my dog doesn’t really trust her yet (she’s a nervous dog). She’ll go outside and go potty and maybe play a little fetch, but won’t let the walker leash her up fo”

“Hello all, this is my first post here. Please I hope people can be kind. I am feeling like I am failing my dog and feel incredibly guilty for even *considering* BE in the future (not even right now) and wondering what other experiences people have had? I tried to join the losing lulu group but you can only join if you have had to go through BE, not before. We got our dog a year ago from another family in another country. He had been found as a stray at approx 4 months old, covered in mange and n”

“Seriously, wtf????? These are my main thoughts daily with my 15 month old dog. Do they go through some sort of regression at this age because the past week or so it’s like he’s gone backwards in so many ways. Pulling on walks, doesn’t want to settle, crying in the pen/crate, not listening. It’s taking all of my will power right now to worry that he will be this way forever. Staying consistent with training but I don’t even know what’s paying off any more!! Drained 😩😩😩 submitted by”

“I’m really upset as I write this so I’m sorry if some of this doesn’t make sense, the summary is that I was on vacation for about two weeks and after I returned I discovered my 10 year old Chihuahua mix jumped from 10.5 pounds to 14.6 I’m so angry and upset, I entrusted my parents to look after her and they think it’s so funny that she got fat but she’s visibly uncomfortable and her breathing is different now. They have absolutely over fed her and made no effort to take her on walks. I’m current”

“I know puppies mature at different ages, but our puppy is over a year old and I dread spending time with him. I think there's some caretaker fatigue as I work from home and my wife does not, but I'm just... not a fan still. How common is this? Will I bond with him eventually? He's got a few legitimate behavioral problems we're working with a professional on: he resource guards us and food, loves our cats but like 1% of the time he aggressively chases them away if we're pettin”

“I am feeling so lost. I have a lab boxer pitbull mix i have had since 9 weeks old, she is 6 years old now. I got her right before Covid so not having her socialized was difficult on her. She is usually fine with women and some men, but lunges, barks and growls at other dogs of any size. Shes fine with my friends she’s met multiple times and my parent’s dog she loves. I recently moved into a new apartment which is challenging. I am on the third floor and very close to the elevator but that can be”

“I made a post in here about 6 months ago telling everyone I couldn’t do it anymore. Update - I’m doing it. I stuck with it. I have the best dog in the world now. She’s crazy, but it’s all worth it in the end. She’s a year and a couple months now and has calmed down to an extent and has such a fun personality! The puppy stage legit almost broke me and made me rethink my ability to do anything ever, but I’m glad I took everyone’s advice just to be patient. Thanks all! submitted by /u/N”

“Hi all, I want to preface this by saying that I completely understand it is our fault for A) not training our dog properly, and B) failing to prepare in time. I was naive enough to think it would all just be ok. We have a very reactive dog (excitable) and we have just brought home a new baby. Our dog typically shows excitement through the usual ways such as jumping up at people and licking. We’ve tried introducing him to our 4 day old baby and he cannot contain himself at all. He is jumping up l”

“We just went through letting our dog go. We knew it was coming but damn it is hard.”

“This is very much still fresh for me. I’m a LVT and my parents have always taken our pets growing up to a Banfield. Today was the unfortunate day for our dog Hennessy as she had all of a sudden a decline in QOL. She started sleeping in places that were very strange vomiting bile and diarrhea, and my dad took her in to get then transferred to an emergency hospital. With blood tests being done there they learned she had kidney failure, a nasal tumor and after she had passed I learned she was septi”

“on monday night, my dogs got into another fight after 2.5 years of peace. my reactive dog, who we have since learned so much about and have put so many rules and barriers in place to keep safe (muzzles, training, boarding, etcetera), attacked my other dog when my mom and i brought groceries home. the first time this happenedi was home alone and making their dinner. we did not have them separated because we were still learning about his bejavior, since we had only had him for a few months at that”

Owning a dog

“Please don’t judge me, i swear I take care of my dog with all the love i have. Husband and I relapsed a couple years ago, and used in the home. While we were always careful to do it in a separate room, used the exhaust, made her leave, washed our hands after in case of any residue, rolled down the windows between hits if we were in the car, etc. I’m sure there was some exposure here and there in the home, but the car is obviously in closer quarters. My husband left, and me and the dog are living”

“I got a dog so I’d feel obligated to give her walks. It’s worked somewhat and really gotten me off the couch, you know, for her sake.”

“I love my baby. He is 11. German shepherd. He saved my life and I am obsessed with him. Idk submitted by /u/Spiritual-Candle-863 [link] [comments]”

“12 months ago he was this tiny little thing. His head would flop around if I didn’t support it, I had to burp him after every feed, and half the time I was scared I was holding him wrong. Now he runs around the house, laughs at stupid things, understands what I’m saying, has his own little personality and somehow seems bigger every single week. And I love watching him grow. Obviously I want to see who he becomes. But at the same time, man, I just want him to stay small for a little longer. It fe”

“okay…this is going to be a long one, so buckle up. and please feel free to judge me because maybe there are things here that i genuinely need to hear. i’m 24f and i’ve had my dog lulah since i was 19. she’s now 5 and has always been my little best friend. we’ve genuinely done everything together and i’ve definitely spoiled her over the years. because i live in a flat, i’ve always taken her outside roughly every two hours for toilet breaks. i even took a pay cut so that i could work from home and”

“We had to put down our Oakley boy in February. I happened to be 28 weeks pregnant and all of the sudden (after a long history of being very reactive, but never towards us) he attacked me. I’m still grieving the loss, nearly 8 months later. I miss him daily, although I don’t regret our choice. He was so so loved and he felt that until the end. Anything you’ve done to mourn your puppers but move on appropriately? submitted by /u/oakleaf_ivy [link] [comments]”

“I’d call it puppy blues but it isn’t, I love my puppy and none of this is his fault. My boyfriend and I decided to get a cattle dog puppy as his 9 year old kelpie was showing some pretty bad signs of arthritis so we knew it’d be his time to go soon. Two weeks after we got the puppy, the kelpie got a cancer diagnosis as well and now has to be put down this week (we have spent 8 weeks with him loving on him as hard as possible since the diagnosis, per the vets suggestion) The cattle dog puppy has”

“I am getting ready to initiate a divorce, but I am very worried about how this is going to affect our 11 year old dog. We adopted him together as a puppy and we both work from home, so our dog is very used to the three of us always being together. My husband and I temporarily separated a few years and I let him keep our dog with him for a few weeks. When I finally got to see him again, our dog didn’t greet me at the door or even respond to my voice. I had to look around the house and find him, w”

“My reactive dog passed unexpectedly earlier this summer and it’s been so hard for my partner and I. Since she passed, I’ve been spending more time at crowded places with lots of other dogs. Like a farmers market or on a park bench. And I hate it! Because soo many people yank their dog by the neck, shake them by the leash, refuse to let their dog sniff anything, yell, slap, hold their dogs mouth closed, etc. I know I’m judging other owners more harshly because I’m grieving but I just don’t unders”

Hey everyone, I’m posting here because I am at my absolute breaking point and really need some honest, judgment-free perspectives. I feel like a horrible owner, I’m drowning in guilt, and my…

Hey everyone, I’m posting here because I am at my absolute breaking point and really need some honest, judgment-free perspectives. I feel like a horrible owner, I’m drowning in guilt, and my…

“Sorry for the longggg post but I’m hoping to get some advice/reassurance from other people who have been through adolescence with their dogs because I feel like our dog has suddenly turned into a completely different dog over the last 2–3 weeks. 😂 He is a male cockapoo/poodle mix, born in December, so he’s 9 months old now. He’s always been a really sociable, friendly dog and, until recently, we could walk him off lead quite happily. He’d greet other dogs, but he was generally sensible about it”

“It seems unpopular in this sub for people to have pets after having children and while I think it's absolutely valid, I just wanted to share a different experience. I grew up with a dog since I was 5 till she passed when I was in college and it was incredible. It taught me so much and I loved that sweet girl so so much. I truly feel that for me my childhood would have been lacking had I not had her with me. My husband is a huge dog person too and we made the decision to adopt a goldie puppy”

“Ive been feeling very disheartened about my dog currently and just need somewhere to express what i'm feeling. I've never written on reddit before but I have an 11 year old 70 lb husky/lab named Bumble who has been going to the same vet his entire life. Just for context at about 8ish years old he had a scary case of the bloat that was taken care of. He did great afterwards and up until he was about 9 years old he had the same doctor for his entire life with no major health concerns. Then”

“I posted here two years ago , about two and a half weeks after my husband and I adopted Babka, our very sweet 2-year-old mini schnoodle, and about a month into my first pregnancy. At the time, we had very quickly fallen absolutely in love with her, but had just discovered that she had some pretty significant fear and territorial issues, particularly with older men. My dad and father-in-law were two of the hardest parts of those first few months. She would bark relentlessly at both of them, and w”

“My wife and me have a senior dog who is going be 12 this year. He’s always been reactive to other dogs, and has only gotten along with a select few dogs my in laws have. My wife really wanted to try to get another dog so he could have a companion, so I finally relented and we found a 9 month mixed breed who is super cute. He had rave reviews from the animal control place from the staff and fosters. He has stranger danger and takes time to warm up to people (barks at you) but he gets along well w”

“In March we moved into a new house and my 2 male shibas inus (11 and 9) started fighting constantly. We thought it was the stress of the move but it also coincided with my husband's return from travelling for work. 2 months ago he had left to go work at a new job location and we haven't had a single dog fight or even an aggressive moment at all. He's been home about a week and they just had their first fight. I think we're realizing that his presence is the common denominator and”

“My wife and me have a senior dog who is going be 12 this year. He’s always been reactive to other dogs, and has only gotten along with a select few dogs my in laws have. My wife really wanted to try to get another dog so he could have a companion, so I finally relented and we found a 9 month mixed breed who is super cute. He had rave reviews from the animal control place from the staff and fosters. He has stranger danger and takes time to warm up to people (barks at you) but he gets along well w”

“Hiiii! I posted here a few days before while I was going through a rough patch with my border collie Amora, she is extremely sweet but has a hard time with noises and really lacks self control. I’m super happy to say that she really has improved tremendously over the last few days… It feels like a miracle but I know it wasn’t out of the blue, is a chain effect the meds kicking in, therefore she can focus more on training, therefore I’m more excited to train her and so on, but it’s also a consequ”

“I just had to take my dog to the vets to have him put down. I got him when I was 22 at home and I’m now 36 and live alone but he was still with my mother.. I was at home until 31 because of chronic fatigue syndrome that I’ve had since I was 20 so he was pretty much my dog. The pain is almost too much. It’s all just getting a bit too much. I’m getting older, my health hasn’t improved, my sisters are in relationships (one with a baby) and my parents are 78 and 74 now so I don’t know how much time”

“I haven't posted here in quite sometime, but I used to come here often when we were really in the thick of things with our reactive dog. I wanted to come back with a little hope from three years down the road. After years of working with behavior professionals, medication, consistent training and management, life is just... easier. He's still a dog with stranger danger. He's not a kid dog, and we've accepted that. We don't put him in situations he doesn't need to be in. W”

“Hi everyone. My heart is very heavy and I'm trying not to cry while typing this, but here I go. 5 years ago we went to a home to get a desk and came home with a 6 month old Plott Hound, Molly. Sweetest girl ever. They were moving and couldn't take her. Also, they lived off hwy 35, having up towards Mt Hood and had no fencing. She was tied up because she got out once and almost got hit by a semi. We're had 2 other dogs and it was slow, but we all made it work. She had a best friend at”

“Let me start with saying, I love my dog more than anything. I have sacrificed so much of my life for him and his care. He has been there through the worst and darkest moments of my life, if I had never gotten him I almost certainly would not be here. He can also be the sweetest and most lovable guy to the people he knows. But lately, I find myself wishing him away or breaking down in tears over everything he does and building up so much anger. I got my German Shepherd, Bowie, in February 2025 as”

“I rescued my dog this year late may and since then i feel like i am still struggling to build a relationship with him. In the house i try and work on some training with him and he loves physical attention so i have pet sessions with him but i am not one to like him on the furniture so i will let him lay at my feet and on rare occasion i will let him lay on the couch next to me. Sometimes i sit on the floor with him or lay next to him. We have hurdled the new home crate issue and he has learned w”

“Because it was taking a relatively long time for us to get pregnant, my husband convinced me to get a dog in 2023. Two children (2yo and 4mo old) later, and I'm ashamed to say I regret that decision. The dog is incredibly sweet, but incredibly needy. He's great with the children in that he doesn't really interact with them much, but does let them touch him and 'play' with him (i.e. climbing on top of him) without much fuss. I don't dislike him personally, but I am frustra”

“Hi im sure this is asked often and is probably tiresome, but I just wanted some guidance. I have a family dog, Chloe, who's about a 12 year old chihuahua. We got her as a rescue when I was a lot younger and everyone was healthy. Things have changed now, however. I just came home after about a year to visit as I've been away at school, and she has developed ulcers on her legs from licking I presume, and ​hasn't been properly bathed. My mom has been dealing with stage 4 cancer recently”

“Hello, it’s gonna be a long one. I have a 7 year old miniature schnauzer. My partner and I recently moved to a new state for our new jobs. I understanding moving is stressful and it’s completely new for our dog. We noticed that he developed severe separation anxiety and his leash reactivity worsened around the time of moving. We had multiple vet visits since. At first I thought it was health related and he did have an ear infection that was treated. His behavior did not improve so we went back t”

“I know that I will be struggling by for the next year or so. My expectations are low on when I’m going to get any autonomy back. But, I’m curious about when it felt like “oh, we have a routine and it’s gotten a bit easier”. When you were able to do more structured activities together consistently. Also, tips on getting through the period of time that she won’t focus on anything structured. For reference, I have an almost 15 week old miniature poodle mix that is near 90% or more poodle. I have si”

“I love my boy so much truly but I can’t do it anymore. In 2023 he was diagnosed with severe general and separation anxiety. We started medications immediately, sought help from professionals and changed nearly everything in our daily lives to accommodate him except for changing my partners job. His job requires him to be out of town a few days every week except during the winter. This clearly causes mass amounts of stress on our dog. We had our first baby 2 years ago and while it was an adjustme”

“Hi! So, before moving in with my boyfriend I already had a dog for about 3 years. She has always been a super chill older girl and I love her to death (as its clear by my username hahah). Ever since moving in with my boyfriend and adding his dog to the mix (Amora, also love her and have since she was a pup) I feel like my older dog has lost a little bit of attention. We still take her to walks and do enrichment with both of them but the reactive one demands so much training and is so clingy I do”

“We have a 7yr old french bulldog. He has been with us since 13wks old. Have always crated him since the day he came home. This past two weeks has been crazy and I can't leave home without him freaking out. We desperately need some help. Since July 5th our boy has been in an e-collar for medical reasons and vet recommended. He had a mass on his paw which he kept licking. They didn't want it getting infected so they recommended the e-collar. His mass kept growing and they finally decided t”

“She’s a cocker spaniel, 10 years old. She’s been with us since I was 8 and we raised her very badly, as I’ve been seeing for the last couple of years. We were always crazily happy when we came home, she always peed herself from happiness and we making crazy sounds and petting her didn’t help her at all. Then when we greeted her, everyone went about their day except when we pet her throughout the day and took her for a walk. She was home alone for at least 6 hours when we were at work and school”

“My husband and I adopted a German shepherd from his former roommate last year. My husband was thrilled because he has known the dog since he was a puppy. I thought I’d like having a dog, but a year in and I am realizing I hate it. I am really struggling here. As hard as I try to bond with him, take him for walks, etc, it’s not working. He follows me around constantly, but doesn’t listen to me if my husband is around. He chases our cats, gets put in time out but does it again as soon as he is out”

“Hi guys, We just moved house - and my dog is in absolute pieces. She’s reactive but we’ve done so much work with her. She was so happy and chill before we moved (which is a huge achievement) Now we have moved, all of her old tricky behaviours are coming back, growling at us non stop, barking at anything that moves. She’s also non stop crying, and just so unhappy. I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice. We also have an 11 month old baby, so it’s a pretty stressful move for all of us. I”

“So as the total says I am so proud of my dog, and I wanted to share it with people who understand how much this story means. My dog is a 11-12yr old Beagle mix, and I got my dog almost 9yrs ago now (officially 9 years on Oct. 7th!), she was my first pet as an adult. The the shelter did warn me she could be reactive to other dogs at that time, not necessarily aggressive, just vocal, and being 18 and dumb I didn't really understand what that could mean. It was really hard the first few years I”

“; Bit of a back story about my dog I (29f) got her one month after my previous dog passed away due to health complications 4 years ago. I was living with my parents and siblings at the time. It wasnt a planned thing, I worked at a dog grooming salon and she came in for a second time completely matted and covered In fleas. Before even speaking to the owner I phoned my mum to convince her that we needed to help this dog. She was the same breed as my previous dog. She was hesitant at first due to h”

“I know this might sound silly to some people because it’s “just a dog,” but she was like a child to me. I only had her for less than two years, but in that time she was like my soul dog. I got her when I was five months pregnant, and she would always rest her head on my pregnant belly. After my daughter was born, my dog (Rosie) would just lie next to the bassinet when she was in it. Or when my daughter was asleep in her crib, sometimes Rosie would just slip into the baby’s room and go sniff the”

“I moved countries almost three months ago. My husband's job has him away from home a lot and I'm struggling with my mental health but thought I was doing better. he really wants a dog, so i decided to adopt while he's gone and surprise him. however, they asked me to foster until she can be neutered since she's an 8 week german sheperd mix , something about policies not letting her be adopted yet, which is fine. I'm on day three of fostering and I've cried every single day”

“I had a bunny for nearly 5 years and he passed away in January. I loved him a lot and wasn’t sure if I wanted a new pet anytime after. A while later, I go through a breakup and my life seemed to become exhausting everyday that passed. In July, I started feeling more comfortable with the idea of welcoming a new pet into my life and wanted some company after so many bad things happening this year. So in August I decided to adopt a puppy. He was 2 months old when I got him. In just a few days he le”

“I apologise if this is very long and messy or shouldn’t be here. My bestest friend, my buddy and my toddler daughter’s guardian and safe space - our 11 year old mixed breed big dog - died very unexpectedly. She had an injury 2 years ago to her hind left stifle and that led to some arthritis, but I was taking her to water treadmill and physio every 2-3 weeks. She was well, very active and so happy (running, playing with other dogs, chasing wildlife etc - no struggles getting up, no lameness, no i”

“He’s 1.5. Had him for 4 months. Thought things were getting better and nope, back to square one. Need to get him into training, I’m so exhausted. Just started school again. He’s chaos in the house too. 3 walks a day, puzzle toys, kongs, lick Mats, you name it.. I’m terrified it will be like this forever. I feel insane thinking I could adopt a dog that had “minor” leash reactivity. I was told it didn’t mean barking at everything outside… well turns out he does. Was told he doesn’t lunge too.. he”