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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Please calm me down and/or help me get my dog to go outside again.

15 replies

MotherJack · 23/02/2011 17:23

Just before 6 o clock this morning my phone started ringing so I staggered downstairs. It was my neighbour telling me she had opened her back door to let her dog out and my dog had rushed in, freezing cold and soaking wet.

Turns out my P (I'm deliberately missing the D off) had let her out for the toilet after I had gone to bed AND THEN COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN Angry She was out all night for about 6 hours in the rain and only has a very thin coat Sad

I am so angry with him, I am tempted to shut him in the garden all night and that's just for starters. I'm probably anthropomorphising but I keep thinking of her being sad, cold wet and afraid Sad

My immediate problem is she was a rescue dog which I have had since September last year and it has taken me AGES to toilet train her, and I was only just thinking a couple of days ago how well she was doing - got it all cracked etc. Today she won't go out into the garden and I have to say I don't blame her.

Has anyone got any tips? I'm too angry to think straight. I'm also worried she'll get pneumonia or something. Is this likely? She seems ok - just tired.

Finally, will someone provide an alibi if I do kill P?

OP posts:
BCBG · 23/02/2011 17:29

Poor you, i would feel just as cross. If you just take her out and stay out with her a few times she will get back into the swing of it. She will be very tired as she wont have slept last night at all Sad. She will get over t in time though; not sure your DP will Wink

Catsmamma · 23/02/2011 17:32

ooh poor pup! I would be mad too!

I'd go out and stand with her, I am sure she'll soon get over it.

minimu1 · 23/02/2011 17:33

very very Angry at your P. I will move on from that and deal with the situation you have now.

Does she need to be checked over by a vet?

Has she been out for a walk today?

I would put her on a lead as she may bolt. Do you have another bit of garden to where she was locked in last night? - like a front garden or a side garden?

If so put her on a lead and with tasty tasty treat and an upbeat voice attempt to go to the different bit of garden. DO NOT leave her on her own for a second and do not shut the door.

If she is really worried come straight back in and then go out for a few seconds more. You will have to go out with her for many days and do not shut the door on her so she can come back in at her own free will.

She may well start to wee indoors but to be honest you will just have to mop up and make no comment on that - it is self induced and she will get courage back over time - just make sure it is you P who cleans up each time.

Poor poor terrified little girlie.

Gay40 · 23/02/2011 17:36

No, we will all vouch for you. My rescue cat had the door slammed on her middle several times as a kitten by the previous owner's kids and she gets very anxious with doors. So when I found a so-called friend of mine pretending not to let her out, I did go ballistic.
I would be locking your P out for the night in his t-shirt.

Original poster
MotherJack · 23/02/2011 20:20

Thank you everyone.

I have calmed down a little now but I still don't feel like speaking to him.

I'll try all that you suggest Minimu - thank you. Luckily I never have minded the wee's and poos inside. Like you say, they just get dealt with. (As justified as it would be, I can't see P ever cleaning it up though).

I haven't taken her out for a walk today, other than a ride in the car, which she loves. She just looked so tired and with the rain all day I felt she could do with staying dry so just set a fire and shifted her favourite bed in front of it.

Nope. I lied. Still Angry

OP posts:
kid · 23/02/2011 20:36

Oh your poor pup. Your P really does need to suffer, even more so if he doesn't seem remorseful at his stupid mistake.

I hope your dog is feeling better and has eaten a lovely meal. I think
I'd let the dog share the bed and let P sleep elsewhere.

Ormirian · 23/02/2011 20:42

Well as long as he did forget and it wasn't a deliberate mistake. Does he like the dog ?

Please don't think about her out in the garden. It won't help and it will just make you feel bad.

Perhaps change the locks one day when the weather's bad and accidentally forget to tell him.....

Original poster
MotherJack · 23/02/2011 22:26

I forgot to add in response to you, Minimu, that I can't see a reason to take her for a vet-check as things stand. I was just so absolutely horrified and shocked and paranoid that she would become unwell.

She has indeed eaten some delicious food today, Kid and had loads of love. Ohhh, he is paying alright. Every chance I get. He had the temerity to call her an idiot for not barking to get back in. She doesn't bark. He got called more than an idiot for that spectacular show of idiocy. He is not exactly remorseful in the normal ways, but he has appended most sentences with "well, it's not a mistake I'm going to make again". I think he realises his very existence may well be in the balance.

It genuinely was a mistake, Orm, I do know that as he does love her, but you're right.... I need to stop thinking about it. It is upsetting me. Although he may find the locks "accidentally" engaged when he pops out into the back one day... Wink

OP posts:
kid · 23/02/2011 22:45

The main thing to focus on is you have her back unharmed and it's not something that will ever happen again.
Try not to dwell on the what ifs, be positive and cherish your time together even more than you did before.

mmsmum · 23/02/2011 23:30

aww poor baby! Thank god she was found safely this morning.

Clearly you need a divorce/criminal lawyer. You have several alibis by the looks of things if you decide to go that way, I will support you.

I don't know what to suggest, keeping her on a lead is good idea and give her all your attention and lots of praise and reassurance. It's good you took her out in the car as the bad experience isn't her most recent one anymore.

Could you rub chilli peppers in DP's underpants?

CalamityKate · 24/02/2011 13:15

Um... I may be about to be REALLY unpopular here...

I'd feel the same as you, and it's horrible to think of your poor dog cold and wet, and I totally get how furious you are with your P...

BUT

it's possibly the sort of thing my DP would do. He just isn't an animal person and I think most people either are or they aren't. Animals just don't come high on his list of "What To Think About" in the same way that me or the kids do. That's just the way he is. It doesn't make him a bad person. He'd never maliciously harm any animal. But I can well imagine him letting the dogs out and forgetting to let them back in.

And just imagine what some people do to their CHILDREN - everyone's got stories of hearing about someone leaving the pram in the Post Office etc and mostly the response is "Don't beat yourself up hun, it could happen to any of us" etc etc.

Your DP probably feels awful and is hiding it behind a certain amount of bravado. If you truly think he ISN'T sorry then that's a different kettle of fish but if you're fairly sure he IS sorry then maybe give him a bit of a break and rope him in to helping make the garden a lovely, fun, treat filled place for your dog so she gets over it?

Hope she feels better soon x

IlsaLund · 24/02/2011 13:38

I hope she feels better.

If it's any comfort DH -who is the softest, most dog-centric person once did this to a lesser degree. He had opened the door at about 8am and went outside to sign for a parcel. I got up 2 hours later and went into the kitchen to find that our GSD wasn't there.
I opened the front door and he was very patiently lying under a bush - it was raining and freezing. He had obviously stepped out while DH was talking to the pstman.

DH was mortified - the dog was a bit circumspect about going out for a few days, but was soon back to normal

JaxTellersOldLady · 24/02/2011 14:29

poor pup. Everything that minimu said. Wink

oh and yes an alibi provided for you without question for whatever punishment you deem to your P. Angry

Original poster
MotherJack · 24/02/2011 15:36

Lol at the chilli in the pants!

Good news today. Late last night she followed me out into the garden and had a wee (albeit about 1" from my leg - she really wanted to stay close) and today I have been putting up a swingy/seesawy thing in the garden for DS and she has joined me on a couple of occasions to have a sniff and a furtle. A bit jittery if anything made a noise, but she was able to run straight back inside.... the weather has been so lovely, I have been able to have the door open all day so hopefully that will have been good for her. Her eyes are a bit runny though, so I will watch that.

Circumspect is a good word IlsaLund. She is certainly circumspect!

Calamity, you could never be unpopular - it was the tips between you and Minimu that got the little lady house trained, after all! I'm still going to milk it with P though. If nothing else, to make him remember to NEVER EVER shut her out again!

Can I please bank all my alibis, just in case? Wink

OP posts:
mmsmum · 24/02/2011 23:13

I'm glad she is ok and is going back out to the garden Smile

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