I never thought I would take it this hard. My wife and I recently decided had to make the difficult decision to re-home our two Chihuahuas. I won’t get into the reasons why we felt we needed to make the decision but it was not an easy one to make.
I was okay and held my emotions together until the moment I put the kennel into the car of the new owner. I started crying and didn’t stop for hours. It was terribly painful. I cried so hard that it felt like my heart was hurting. It has been rough.
Now our house is eerily quiet. I miss the pups even though they were difficult to manage.
Having experienced the pain of having to euthanize dogs before, I can assure you the pain of re-homing hurts the same. Saying goodbye to a pet that you have become attached to is hard. You try to tell yourself that they are going to a good home but it does little to ease the pain.
Although I am not crying as much now, it’s still difficult to write about it even now. The memory of the pain I felt when I handed the dogs over makes me hurt all over again. This very pain is the reason I am resistant to getting a pet. I get very attached and I don’t like the pain of losing them. I don’t like this feeling.
Some would say it’s silly to grief over losing a dog. It doesn’t matter what people think. Pain hurts.
What advice would I give you if you are deciding to re-homing a pet?
#1 - Give yourself time
It’s okay to grief. Rehoming is a painful and emotional process. It doesn’t matter what people think. You are feeling what you feel. You will heal in time. I am healing but the pain will always be there.
#2 - Dogs Adjust Quickly
Dog experts say that most dogs adjust within 2-4 days after being rehomed. They are not pining after us or missing us like we are them. They are survivors and can adapt to their new homes.
#3 - You’re Making Someone Else Happy
Honestly I do not like the person who has our dogs now. I’m very jealous but I do know that they are making her happy so someone else is happy because of them. That is some consolation to the pain I am feeling.
#4 - Be Happy With The Time You Had
Hold onto the memories you had and the short time they were in your life. They bring us joy in so many ways. We all need happy memories of pets we have loved.
#5 - Don’t Rush To Get Another
You can’t replace a pet you are still grieving over. You need time. Pets have so many different personalities. You need time to get in the right place to open your heart to another one.
It has almost been three weeks since we re-homed the dogs and my feelings are still raw about it. My eyes begin to melt to tears but I’m trying to move on. It hasn’t been easy. I took this one harder than I thought I would. My heart was blindsided. I know we did the right thing but this one is always going to hurt.
If you are thinking of re-homing a pet be prepared for the emotions that you will experience. There is no avoiding the pain in the process.
