Should I Rehome My Dog?

Choosing to give up a dog and rehome it is a contentious issue. It could be argued that in taking on a dog in the first place, you are making a commitment for the duration of the dogs’ life to keep it and care for it. However, when we bring a dog into our lives, we can’t prepare for all eventualities. Our circumstances change, the dog might behave in ways we were never prepared for, and sometimes the kindest thing to do is to rehome them.

How do you approach a decision like this?

Dogs become a part of our family and for many people they are a valuable member who they wouldn’t dream of being parted from. It’s not like this for everyone though and there are many reasons why some people have no choice but to make the difficult decision.

When Rehoming Best for The Dog?

We often view rehoming as a selfish decision, one made by a person who has decided they no longer want the dog in their life, selfishly they’d be better off without the troublesome pet so they pass the responsibility to someone else. While that may be true in some situations, for many others it’s a decision made with the dog’s best interest at heart.

We can’t always predict how a dog will fit into our lives, we can do our best to prepare and plan ahead, make the necessary adjustments and adapt to fit a dog in, but sometimes a dog simply isn’t suited to the life we can offer. It might be a dog who came from a bad breeder, they’re genetically anxious and fearful, or they’ve had unfortunate bad experiences which have left them with lasting trauma and challenging behaviours. In many cases, it’s possible to adjust and work with the dog to reach a level where you can both enjoy a good life together. But sometimes this isn’t possible.

A dog who is fundamentally nervous and anxious of various noises, busy environments, and unpredictability may always suffer if they live in a busy city environment. This could be a situation where the kindest option is to rehome the dog into a quieter environment where they aren’t continually exposed to triggering situations.

Another dog may struggle cope in a busy household with young children, despite efforts to closely manage interactions and help the dog feel safer, it may always be a stressful environment for the dog. Not to mention the risks that could be involved with young children in the house. The dog could thrive in a child-free home, and for the rest of the family it’s safer all round to rehome the dog.

When we can see that our dog is suffering because of the life we are offering them, it can be draining and upsetting to witness. People are unlikely to take this decision lightly, many will try to adapt and make changes, but it isn’t always realistic or possible. There will be limitations, such as finances, jobs, family, or many other variables, which mean we can’t make enough changes to help the dog cope. In these situations, there could be an obvious better option for the dog, they might be someone else’s dream dog, or ready-made to fit into a different household. That doesn’t make the decision any less painful, but it does mean it’s not a selfish decision to make.

When Is It Best for The Humans?

Dogs come with a huge responsibility and commitment and that shouldn’t become apparent several weeks or months after bringing them into your life, it should be a fact you’ve thought about before deciding to get a dog. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who don’t give it much thought and find the overwhelming responsibility too much to handle within months of owning a dog.

It's not always that way though. Even people who have owned dogs for years might get one only to find it’s far more than they bargained for. Every dog is different, they all have their own unique traits and personality quirks, which is wonderful in many ways, but incredibly challenging in others.

There should be more education around owning a dog and choosing the right dog for your lifestyle, many people choose a dog for all the wrong reasons and then struggle to cope with its natural traits and behaviours. Other people are naïve about how to bring up a puppy, or how to manage a dog they’ve just adopted from another country. Dogs, no matter what age they are or where they’ve come from, are never blank slates. They all carry their own personalities, challenges, and genetic behaviours. This means you could buy a puppy from a breeder only to find it’s a quivering wreck and terrified of the whole world, or you adopt a dog from abroad and find it can’t cope with life in a house after all its known is a life on the street.

This is where research and preparation are key. Just because your friend has the dream dog they adopted from Romania, or your neighbour has the perfect puppy from a random breeder, it does not mean you will have the same outcome. Most likely, they got lucky, they happened to get the rare easy dog who just fitted in with minimal work.

In reality, most people find owning a dog comes with a fair few challenges and compromises. It’s whether you’re prepared to face these challenges and compromise for the sake of your dog, or whether you have to accept that you aren’t willing or able to do that.

Accepting you’re not willing or able does not make you a selfish villain, it means you’re making a decision based on your and your dogs needs. Sometimes things just don’t work out how we wanted, and as long as you can say you tried, you sought help, and ultimately keeping the dog is having a negative impact on you, your family, or the dog then rehoming it is a fair decision.

For someone who cares for their dog and who understands the responsibility they committed to when they brought the dog into their lives, it takes a lot to decide to rehome, and we should have nothing but respect for those who say actually this isn’t working for anyone and this dog is better suited to a different home.

At The Hound Spot we have been through numerous situations where rehoming has been on the table, and we are here to offer you support and guidance if you have reached this point. We will offer you training and behavioural support to attempt to resolve challenging behaviours, and listen to your concerns to help you decide if rehoming is the right decision for everyone involved.