I feel so dreadful writing this.
Firstly, we have a 7 month old Springer. He's a well mannered, well behaved, gentle dog. Perfect in many ways. Never chewed or nipped or cried at night. Toilet trained etc.
I walk him twice a day for 2.5 hours at least in total. Train him (he's done his KC Bronze), clicker train, feed him lovely food, groom him, kids play with him lots. He's not left for more than 3 hours ever. In the evenings he's at my feet in the living room and I stroke and cuddle him. he gets that during the day too from me. None of us have ever shouted at him, we use positive praise always.
He's had lots of medical issues already, thorn in his eye so he will eventually go blind, a tumour on his foot which has been taken off but he's opened the wound despite a collar the size of Mars (!). I am at the vets at least twice a week at the minute and it feels never ending.
I am so struggling to bond with him, which is breaking my heart. Have tried so hard to love him, I thought I did, but I look at him and feel nothing. I have posted quite a bit on here, think I have been trying to convince myself as much as anything about all the good stuff he is and does.
Please don't think I will rehome, DH and the kids love him to pieces and I wouldn't want them to know this. I have never shouted at him (apart from when he ate my seedlings!!), I meet all his needs and will always do so, we have adapted our life to fit him. I would never ever be cruel to him in anyway, shape or form. I chat with him during the day all the time and he follows me everywhere, flops at my feet and then just stares at me intently until I move. Which I find a bit hard tbh.
I don't care about the mud or the hair or any of that, I don't care about the medical bills etc or the chasing around to the vets all the time.
But I want to love him, I want to look at him and feel overwhelming love, and I feel nothing.
Please don't flame me, I want to love him and am asking you guys if there's anything else that I might do to help?
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The doghouse
Really struggling...
39 replies
needastrongone · 03/06/2013 12:12
OP posts:
bran ·
03/06/2013 14:09
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Message withdrawn at poster's request.
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