Sorry I couldn't think of anything other than the harsh truth for a title.
So I have had my staffy since he was a puppy and he's now 12 years old. The last few years have been a bit of a nightmare. He has a lot of accidents in the house is say on average once a week but other times can be 3-4. He's been to the vet and around a year ago they said he has a deteriorating spine disease which could progress quickly or could drag on for a few more years and that's why he's lost a bit of bowel control. He's on some medications for pain. It doesn't seem to bother the dog that much as he still eats and drinks well. But he can't go for walks as he falls over quite a lot. Sometimes he tried and his back legs just give in and he drags them and they bleed. So now he just uses the garden and potters about the house. He has developed a nasty habit if occassionally left alone of eating it and vomitting it all over the place. It's a nightmare to clean. But he still seems very alert and content. My partner is Spanish and we have plans to move their but obviously we can't while the dog is still here since he's not able to walk outside the house. No dogsitters will watch him so we can visit his family and we would have problems getting him to one anyway. He also developed an aggression in his old age to other male dogs after he was attacked by one at age 8 so he can't be around them which rules out a lot of dogsitters anyway. We're both at our wit's end as the dog is full of life as long as he is using the garden and not taken on walks. Now my partner has a new baby brother, his dad most likely has prostate cancer and life is going on without us. We moved to a cheaper city as couldn't afford to stay in London where I'm from. So no nearby family to watch him. He's started not listening to any commands. It feels so trapping but we feel so guilty about the thought of taking him to the vet to be put to sleep. We're tired of cleaning carpets and floors as he just gets up and does it wherever he is if he doesn't have the time to go outside. The house ends up smelling awful. On top of that I'm suffering with extreme anxiety already. When I tell people I know they feel sorry for the dog which I don't understand because we are doing our best and making so many sacrifices to stop him from being put down and it's making us miserable and more stressed. Family don't understand why we can't visit. I'm getting so resentful and tearful. What would anyone else do in this situation? I'm getting to the point I dislike the dog.