Dog Community

A mother's guilt

Posted : 5/3/2008 9:29:46 AM

I guess I have been blessed genetically with major guilt issues with my kids and my dog. Always worried that I am doing the right thing and how I can do better. Maybe it is a woman's thing but here is what has me stressed out today. Dublin runs daily. I mean everyday. I can count on one hand how many days in his 15 months of life he has missed a good off leash hour or longer long run. It is what he waits for and I feel what has made him such a good house dog. He has never chewed up anything and only has about an hour a day, usually evenings, that he wants to play with toys or chew his bones. He is rather mellow because he has his time to let it out. We are having a very wet spring and now that my husband started a new job, it is basically all on me to exercise him. Our backyard is a bathroom not large enough to play ball in. Hence why we take him daily to the dog park. Okay so I am doing a special demo job today and next Saturday also. It is about to pour yet again. I won't be able to take him out and get soaked and muddy and have time to clean us both up so I can work today. I feel really bad having to leave him home with my son for the day without having tired him out. I need you to reassure me (ROFL) that I am not hurting him if occassionally life prevents us from giving him a good run. With the super hot weather coming he will have to learn to wait till evenings for his running since he burns out within minutes in the hot sun playing. Maybe we spoiled him by not having days where he had to just stay in. We can play soft frisbee in the hallway a bit I guess before I leave! I just can't get water logged before this very important job today. I need to focus on something other than him once in a while!!! Actually I don't think my kids had me ever feel this guilty about keeping them home in bad weather. Come on share your guilt with me so I don't feel alone.

calliecritturs

Posted : 5/3/2008 10:15:58 AM

Real life is real life ... and you simply have to cope sometimes. Dogs are MARVELOUS at coping. Truly they are.

In total honesty, what this dog REALLY looks forward to is time *with you*. So ... soft frisbee indoors -- take 1-2 kibbles and pop them inside an empty 2 litre pop bottle and sail it down the hall -- sit there and cheer him on while he struggles to 'get it out'. Do a tiny bit of 'training' on some trick or such. It's truly what they long for. The dog park has worked because it's fun but mostly because it is with YOU -- it's going somewhere WITH .... but being *with* is usually their highest and bestest!!!

cakana

Posted : 5/3/2008 10:21:37 AM

I know exactly how you feel. My DH works a 48 hr shift and then has 4 days off at a time and so Sassy gets a good run on those 4 days, but the 2 days he's working, I feel guilty that by the time I get home from work, I'm just too tired to go running. I start thinking about it when I leave work and it'll bug me all the way home. I'll even go to sleep thinking I'll just get up earlier (I already get up at 6) and take her running. I rarely make it out of bed in time. Sassy's 8 or 9, so she's pretty mellow now and I do play fetch with her in the evenings, but I still feel guilty. Sad

Bonita of Bwana

Posted : 5/5/2008 2:09:37 AM

Gosh I think all of us have felt that particular guilt at some point. Tonight it is the crate-guilt for me. I feel badly that with 9 rrs some one always has to spend the night in a crate. Even with a king sized bed, and the huge ottomans, the Hub's recliner Sometimes I just need to be able to sleep and too many dogs makes that impossible. After over a week of worry about my Jasmine I opted to sleep with just her last night. Kota managed to get his muzzle off and tear out two sets of his 5 total sets of stitches. sigh. first thing in the am off to the vet with him to see what he can do towards repairs. I hate it that I can't take everyone with us to shows, I take who I can. And the two boarders are always with me. I feel I must keep them close by to ensure the best of health and care.

Even if I could carry everydog I would stress over the 2 legged kids I have to leave home. I think we tend to be hardwired this way.

Bonita of Bwana

twelvepaws

Posted : 5/5/2008 9:54:36 AM

I understand. When I don't run my dogs, I feel guilty the rest of the day. It just eats at me. I'm so glad that Callie mentions the "being with you" that our dogs need/want. I forget that often. Sometimes when I'm running the dogs I'm not "with" them because I'm focused on life problems. Thanks for the reminder to connect!