Rebecca Meyer
This 29-year-old woman has been in a relationship with her boyfriend, 32, for nine months. He has a 6-year-old male dog, but his dog has been at his mom’s house for about three or four years. The dog is a mix of Doberman, Pitbull, chihuahua, and Chow Chow.
Her boyfriend dated his ex-girlfriend for four years, and they bought the dog in 2019 when they were still together. From what her boyfriend told her, there was toxicity in their relationship, and they fought constantly. They argued so much that it negatively affected him and their dog.
“He and I also fight occasionally as a couple, and I asked if it’s at the same frequency or level. He made it clear we never fight to the same level/intensity. The fighting caused a lot of trauma to the dog. They had different expectations regarding dog training,” she said.
The pandemic also impacted how much and how effectively her boyfriend and his ex trained their dog. He moved in with his mom when he and his ex-girlfriend ended their relationship. Later, he found an apartment in a bigger city (where she and her boyfriend live).
When he allowed his dog to stay at his apartment for a weekend, he had to bring him back to his mom’s house because he was so poorly behaved. Recently, her boyfriend mentioned attempting to bring his dog to his apartment again, but she hates the idea.
In the early 1990s, her family bought a cocker spaniel from a breeder. Later, they adopted a basset hound from an animal shelter. Since dogs have been in her family’s home her whole life, she’s comfortable around them. When other family members adopted dogs, she helped care for them. She’s always adored dogs.
“I go to the dog show yearly and get excited learning about new breeds. In my early 20s, I wanted to get a dog for a while. I’d watch training videos to prepare. But ultimately, I knew I couldn’t give this dog the absolute best possible life I wanted,” she explained.
Because she lives in a big city and doesn’t have a backyard or a lot of disposable income to spend on a dog, she knew that it would be a huge responsibility to take on alone.
Over the years, she told herself she’d buy a dog when she was married or in a relationship with someone who also wanted one. She wanted to wait for the perfect time. Since she wanted to give a dog the most wonderful life possible, she’s put off her dream.
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