Dogs & Puppies

Hello, I'm new to I-village, and in need of some advice.

I have a 10 year old beagle "Luke". i've had him since he was 6 weeks old. But he's very anti-soical around people other than me (i live at home and he's even brak at my own parents who i live with). My problem is I recently got engaged and me and my fiancee are plannin on movin into together in our own place in the next month. I know my beagle wont take to him too well.  And i cant leave Luke at my parents house cause he doenst like them much either.  Right now Im torn and dont know what to do.

Luke is in ok health, but has gone down hill somewhat over the past year. He's havin a seizure about every month or 2.  And i havent taken him to the vet for the seizures cause it will cost over $1,000 for them to do test on him.

I dont know what the best option is

This is a sad situation you are presenting us with.  A 10-year old, unsocialized dog with health problems is at your mercy, to be honest.  If you gave him up, it's dicey he'd find a new home and could easily just be put down.  Rescue leagues are sometimes breed-specific, I don't know a thing about them, though.  You apparently are all he knows, and it's possible if he's already 10 he won't be around too much longer as it is.  Your beagle doesn't know your fiance yet?  What makes you think this couldn't work?  Dogs adapt to pretty much anything you throw at them, they're just so utterly grateful in general.  I sure wouldn't give up without trying, maybe with time your fiance could become Luke's new best friend, you never know until you try.  Personally I could never give up a dog, we've adopted dogs others did give up or dumped.   I just believe if a pet has been loyal to you all its life, you owe them the same in return. 

We have had 3 dogs with seizures, it wasn't a sign of anything serious with any of them - one had quite severe seizures but still was never put on meds or treated, seizures often look a great deal worse than they actually are.  The two we have right now both have seizures, one has moderate ones, one has extremely mild ones, and our vet is not terribly concerned about either.  We were told they only require treatment or medication if the seizures are frequent or severe or both.  Many dogs have seizures, I think most do just fine, anyhow.   

Welcome to the board :) I'm sorry to hear your Beagle is having seizures but I definitely think you should stick with him. I agree that with his age, health and social issues he would not be an attractive adoption candidate for most people and I also think if you're the only person with whom he's comfortable, it would be extremely traumatic for him.

What I would concentrate on now is trying to create a bond between him and your fiance. And you can start working on this before you move in together. Have your fiance start taking him on walks (with you there, as well), start feeding him his dinner, giving him treats, etc. Also, when you move into your new place together, make sure you're all together (don't have your fiance waiting in the new place for you) and let your fiance walk him into the home. It won't happen overnight and your Beagle may never bond to your fiance as much as he's bonded to you, but I do think with work and patience they can establish a relationship.

Good luck!

  Jenn 
CL-JENNBOS73

Dogs & Puppies

Other Pets

                       

Hi lilangel and Welcome to the Board.  I'm Laura and I'm the furmom to a 14YO dalmatian, Samantha and 3YO lab/mix, Cleo.

Of course, I totally agree with my co-CL and other poster.  Giving up Luke right now would probably be a death sentence....very few people would want to adopt an anti-social 10YO dog with health problems.

I'm not exactly sure what your thinking is on this.  Hasn't your fiance met Luke?  Does he like dogs?  What are his thoughts on this?

My own DH never took care of a dog in his life until he met me.  When we first met I had my beloved shepherd/collie ^Jebu^.  After a couple of months Jebu didn't even know I existed; he was totally in love with my DH and was that way until we lost him at 12YO.

Not knowing your fiance I'm not sure what the problem is exactly.  You have had this dear dog for 10 years....would you seriously even think about giving him up?

As for his seizures, as mentioned, there are many dogs that have seizures occasionally and get along just fine.

The only thing I would suggest is trying to find a beagle rescue that may be willing to take Luke, if you really want to rehome him.  Just remember, however, this will probably be a traumatic change for him after 10 years.

Good luck.