Come to a decision

I've had to make some pretty heart-rending decisions about the dog. I've

Pam the goose...

Under the circumstances it's a very wise decision, Val.
It's most certainly in the dog's best interests because she will love being
on the farm.

Try not to eat your heart out too much, you're doing what's best for the
dog.

Aries...

Thanks for being so understanding Pam, I know it will be for the best for
her in the long run but knowing they doesn't make me feel any better :(

Pam the goose...

~~seadancer~~...

Well said, Pam. I agree whole-heartedly.
Val, you did your best and gave it your all.
You can't do more than that.
The dog will be fine, I'm sure.

Aries...

I look at it like this Joy, Tessa has been on a lovely doggie holiday, but
now it's time for her to get back to working life. Still sad for me tho =
I keep thinking of that poem by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON .... who'd give
your heart to a dog to tear :(

~~seadancer~~...

Yes, they do tear at your heart. We are still missing
our jorji and it's been over 2 months now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Brothers and sisters I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear."
-Rudyard Kipling

Aries...

Of course, Rudyard Kipling! Thanks for putting me right Sea, I remember
now LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our hearts are still broken. He was so cute.
We must remember: "This too shall pass."
The hurt lessens and the fond memories remain.

No, of course it doesn't!

But I look at our Meg and think how much she would have loved life on a
farm. She can't have that kind of life because she's white, it's not her
fault or ours but it's spoiled her life a lot. Ray's done a lot of things
with her that he wouldn't do with a normal dog simply because she needed
such a lot of attention when she was little.

We are the adult humans, the ones who have to make the decisions for our
animals and those decisions must be in the animal's interest not our
interest.

Aries...

Pam, you never cease to amaze me (((Hugs)))

Pam the goose...

ROFL
What did I do?
Never mind, I don't want to know:)))

Aries...

you know :)

Yes, you're doing the right thing:(

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Sounds like she'll be better off on the farm. I suppose that she may also
feel more at home if her brother is there too. Sad for you and Tony to
lose her though. :(

Aries...

I'm still very sad about it but I know we have made the best decision for
her. My daughter is a real animal lover and I know Tessa will be much
loved with her, and be an excellent working dog too.

been feeling sad and tearful all morning but have come to the decision we
can no longer keep Tessa with us.

Troy's Human...

Oh dear Val - reading your post made me very unhappy :-(

Val - Tessa is a puppy - *all* puppys cause problems. Ben caused us a lot
of problems - damage etc. and I would have (perhaps but probably not)
returned him to the dog's home *but* my wife (who's had a few puppys in her
time) convinced me Ben should stay with us. She was right - it's taken a
few months - didn't happen overnight - Ben is now almost a normal doggy and
I'm now quite sure he'll be 100% OK in another couple of months. We love
him to bits and he loves us.

I'm happy knowing that Tessa has a nice farm to go back to :-)

Rabbit...

Shame that it didn't jbex. My sister had similar problems with a Black Lab
but it all came right in the end. However Tessa might be more content back
in a farm environment and possibly being kept entertained with some sort of
jbexing, it was inbred in her after all.

Aries...

It is a terrible shame but as you say coming from a working background I'm
sure, eventually, she will be much happier living on a farm.

jackie...

I feel so sorry for you Val having to make this decision but I think it is
the right one and that Tessa will be happier on the farm and back with her
brother.
Perhaps things would have been easier if she had come to you as a much
younger puppy.
You will still be able to see her whenever you go down to Devon and I am
sure she will remember you and love to see you.
Hugs ((((Val))))

Aries...

that's what I keep telling myself Jackie. I know my daughter will be
patient and loving with her so I couldn't wish for a better place for her
to be. Just so sad for me but I need to do what is best for her.

jackie...

I hope Tessa travels well for her journey to Devon, Del-boy does not like
travelling, we had a catbox(the biggest) but he still looked cramped so we
have bought him a Cage
and had to take him to the vet for his booster jabs this week and he was
much happier.
I sit next to him in the back and put a light cover over the top of the cage
because he did not like seeing things moving above him, one happy Delboy.

West Stand Bowler...

Life is all about making decisions. Given the circumstances, this looks a
good call. Farm + Dog = wagging tail :-)

Good luck,

Aries...

I think so - she will enjoy doing what comes naturally to a Border Collie
:)

jamps...

I feel so sorry for Tessa Val. You've only had her for a few days and it
takes a lot longer than that for her to settle down and trust you and Tony.
:-(
She's had a lot of changes in her short life and was obviously very
anxious - she was showing this by wanting to be with you all the time and by
getting your attention by being a bit destructive and by trying to get
through the door to you.
A puppy can be hard work but that is repaid by many years of love and
affection.

I wish Tessa well in her new home.

Aries...

thank you Jamps :)

=?iso-8859-1?Q?=A7ire=DFird?= & $ir Vivor...

A very sad and very difficult decision to make, but a brave one which
is probably for the best, not just for you and Tony but for Tessa as
well.

Aries...

It was a very hard decision but better to make it now rather than later on
as the wrench would have been so much worse for both of us.

I'm sure Tessa will be very happy with your dau and you'll still be
able to see her and make a fuss of her.

Aries...

This is what I keep telling myself :)

Some dogs are happy to be left on their own but others are only happy
in company. I had two Russells who were only really happy when I was
around. The third was perfectly content on her own.

Aries...

This is the first dog in many that has been impossible to leave. We have
tried everything including buying a dog crate which she is quite happy to
sit in with the door open but not with the door closed. She obviously
needs 24 hour company and she will get that on my daughter's farm with
other animals around. She loves our son's dog Ben and is estatic when she
sees him, so she will be more than happy to be with other dogs on the farm,
plus my daughter and granddaughters will give her lots of attention if she
needs it. Being a big working there is always someone around so she will
not lack company.

Hugs to you all.

Wally...

So sorry to here that news Val, not a decision that I would like to make.
I'm sure you will do what is best.

Aries...

It's been a very very hard decision Wally, but I do know it is the best one
for her.

Tyke...

This is an awful decicion and I really feel for you Val.

Tessa is only a pup but the separation anxiety seems to be a real problem.

I cannot advise either way but support you in whatever decicion you make.

I know you have a lot on plate already .

Best of luck.

Aries...

Thanks for understanding Russell, that means a lot as I feel such a meanie
and so low about it. But I do realise that eventually she will enjoy life
far more on a farm doing a job than staying any longer with us. It's
definitely the best decision for her.

Tyke...

Being a dog lover and sharing Tyke Towers with 2 insane Bedlingtons gives me
a certain viewpoint.

Brock (the youngest) was a pain in the a##e but settled eventually.

I know that Tony has suffered ill health so you do have to take that into
account.

MCC...

What a horrible decision to have to make Val. I feel for you, I really do.

Aries...

I feel sorry for me too Mike, but there you go :(

Smokey...

How sad for you all Val, hope the parting is not too traumatic for you all,
and Tessa will settle down in her new home

Aries...

I hope she will settle, she is young enough I guess, and my daughter is a
wow with animals. But the parting will be a sad one as far as I'm
concerned.

She is a lovely dog, kind and loving too, and I love her to bits, but we
just cannot go out and leave her. She doesn't even like us to go into
another room - she follows us everywhere - we are her pack now. I have
tried crating her but she tears at the bars with her teeth and becomes
quite frantic. There is no way Tony and I can go out together as a couple
anymore, no church, no choir practice, no visiting, no meals out etc. as
she would probably pull out all her front teeth - I know this can happen
because my mother once had a dog who did that very time when confined to a
wired in area.

When we last left her shut in the kitchen last Sunday for 2 hours whilst we
were at church and she almost destroyed the wooden architrave around the
kitchen door, it has been very badly scratched, chewed and lumps torn out
of it :( I'll now need to rub it down, rebuilt the damaged areas with
plastic wood, and repain the whole area :(

She is also very car sick so we cannot even take her out in the car with us
- and in any case when the Summer comes there is no way we could leave a
dog in the car even with windows open or she would cook.

The vet won't give her sedatives. He said that it doesn't make the dog feel
less worried, only more anxious because she would feel too tired to be able
to do anything about it - and didn't give me anything for her car sickness
either. My SIL who bred and showed Wheaton Terriers said that sedatives can
kill dogs and no vet she knows would prescribe them unless under very
special circumstances

I feel that for the dog's sake she would be far happier back in a farm
situation. She hasn't been with us long enough to feel completely settled
so the quicker we can get her back down to Devon the better for both her
and us as we are very very fond of her already and the longer she stays
here the harder the wrench will be.

Our farming daughter said she would have her so this coming Saturday we
will take Tessa to her. If Tessa is too stressed for Bex to manage then she
will be have to be taken back to the farm where she came from. But knowing
Rebecca she will not give in too easily. Tessa will have to be spayed of
course as her brother is now on the farm as a working pup. There are
already 4 dogs and umpteen cats there so one more shouldn't make a lot of
difference.

Sob :(

Wrinklie One =?iso-8859-1?Q?=A9?=...

Sad though it is, I believe you have made the right decision. Tessa will
be more in her comfort zone on a farm. Especially if Rebecca and family
keep sheep..

Aries...

Tony agrees with you that she will be much better off in the long run on a
farm. We've had many dogs in our time, including two other border collies,
but never had this problem of not being able to leave them alone :(

Splodge...

What a sad decision to have to make Val. I am sure Tessa will love life on
the farm and at least you'll hear how she's getting on from time to time.
Splodge

Aries...

Perhaps is's difficult for some folk to imagine how much I have fallen in
love with this little girl, but because I love her I know what is best for
her and to keep her with us any longer would only be cruel.

Old Grizzly...

i feel so sad for both you and Tess. I dont have to imagine how it could
have been that easy to fall in love with her coz i understand. I also
understand why you have had to make that decision and i know it would
have been so heart rending for you.
Take care Val (((HUG)))
& good luck Tess (((CUDDLES)))

Aries...

Tessa loves cuddles and I'm sure my daughter and granddaughter will be
giving her plenty :)