Puppy dilemma - it’s not her, it’s us

You don’t really understand OCD, do you? I can tell …

@steff13 as well. Utterly pathetic to mock someone with OCD. Nobody ever said it was logical. My child has been unable to attend school for a year because of it. Such larks in our house.

This. Utterly disgusting that poor animal that you have treated like a disposable toy. None of you deserve the honour of having a dog.

I think a dog would have to lick you REALLY hard to cause an amputation.

don’t let the judgy people on here make you feel bad. do what’s right for your family, it’s not the end of the world

Amputees from dog licks? 🥴

We’re all different.
I think homework/revision is important, for one. Weird to think everyone is the same.

I bought our puppy because I wanted a dog. I didn’t expect to feel instant love for a creature id met for the first time, why would I? I don’t believe in love at first sight amongst humans, let alone for dogs.

It absolutely does happen! I completely melted the moment I met my dog, I just knew he was meant to be mine. My husband, meanwhile, was really apprehensive, especially since he’d never had a dog before. So you can imagine the shock when we brought our puppy home and I was the one in tears, totally overwhelmed, while my husband just breezed through it.

I cried loads in those early days & I honestly regretted getting him at times. It was such a huge adjustment, and I felt like I’d made a massive mistake. I adore him now and couldn’t imagine life without him, but those first few weeks were incredibly hard.
And honestly, I don’t know a single person in real life not in the perfectly polished world of Mumsnet, who didn’t struggle with a puppy. Everyone I’ve spoken to has admitted to thinking about giving their dog up at least once in those first six months. It’s a steep learning curve, and it’s not for everyone... and that’s okay.

It’s actually a really good thing that the OP has recognised this now, rather than a year or two down the line when it would be even harder, both emotionally and practically. Sometimes the kindest thing for both dog and owner is accepting when it’s just not the right fit.

But you visit puppies before you buy them, normally more than once. The reason you buy one is normally exactly BECAUSE you’ve fallen in love with it. The idea of feeling “meh” about it but deciding to take it home anyway is quite surprising to many.

What a shit attitude.

I think I was pretty clear in my post?

It doesn't matter what breed it is. It deserves to be loved and be part of a family.

Give her back. If you have to type this, it’s not fair on her.

Why would you think everyone is exactly the same as you? To continue the well worn theme of comparing children and dogs, women don’t always fall in love with their own babies right away, for various reasons. How can they be universally expected to fall in love with a dog they didn’t give birth to. Judging by some of the hyperbole on here you’d think they had.

What is there to cry about?

It really is abnormal!

How could you not love her on sight?
I adored all of mine from the minute I set eyes on them.

No, it’s something to feel truly awful about. ‘It’s’ a baby living, breathing creature with feelings, who will have already have bonded with her new family.

Labs are terrible puppies but the best the dogs. I went into it with a lab pup fully prepared, they are full on in the early days. BUT I also loved her from the first time she climbed onto me at the breeders house (I’d wanted a dog for so long though, it was a massively thought out, researched and planned move).

getting dog for kids is always a bad idea. I was also fully aware that as much as my dc were excited for a dog they’d wanted for years they were never going to ‘help’.
the first couple of months were intense, the nipping and whining, accidents, sleepless nights. She’s almost a year now and mostly settled but still very energetic in between naps and im constantly cleaning up fur and muddy paw prints (and small child muddy shoe prints, sticky hand marks, crumbs and general child ick).

If you are this unsure I’d give the pup back asap for her sake while she is young enough. Labs are wonderful dogs but they don’t deserve to be in a house where everyone is ‘meh’ about them.

can I be honest? I have had dogs my whole life. I got a puppy after a little dog break, and I strongly disliked it.

Hated the puppy, hated the commitment, hated the awful new routine I had to deal with. Did I rehome? Talked about it, then decided I needed to work through it, bond with said puppy.

18 months later, absolute saint of a dog, trained, wonderful, my best friend and companion. Bonding does not happen over night. Can take months which is normal.

if you are absolutely not sure, send the puppy back to the breeder.

If you are commited to keeping this dog for 15 years, prepare yourself to not like the dog sometimes, and thats ok. Puppies are arseholes.

Oh right you were the “just a dog” idiot who seems to think dogs are inanimate objects. 🙄

Send her back and never be this irresponsible again.

It’s a dog, it will get over it. It really not something to feel badly about.

I really wish people would consider the impact it has on a pup (or any dog) when they are rehomed numerous times as a result of a person not being 100% sure of the commitment before they got one.

Yet another animal suffers because of humans making ill-considered decisions.

I have 2 labs. They are wonderful dogs. The puppy stage can have its ups and downs, but by about 4-5 months mine were pretty good. My second lab is 7 months old now and she's a treasure. I do think you either need to be in it for the long haul or hand her back now, to be honest. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, you just need to do what you think is right and go with it.

Also, Labs vary hugely in size - mine are both small. My 22 month old lab is only 18.5 kg and my 7 month old lab is 16kg.