Before you buy a dog you need to put a lot of thought into it. It’s a huge amount of responsibility to take on and if you aren’t equipped for it, you’re not going to be able to care for your dog properly. Hopefully, you thought through all of the ins and outs of owning a dog before you bought one, but sometimes your life circumstances change. Even if you could handle owning a dog when you first got them, you might be struggling now if you’ve since changed career, had children, or lost a partner.

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You might be thinking that giving up your best friend is completely out of the question but you’ve got to think about what’s best for them. If you can no longer care for them properly, it isn’t fair on them for you to keep them and you might have to consider rehoming them. However, this should always be a last resort because it’s distressing for the animal to move away from you after you’ve formed a relationship because they’ll have to get used to a new home and new owners all over again. With that in mind, you should always see if there are any changes that you can make to help you care for your dog better before giving them up. Here’s how to tell whether it’s time to rehome your dog.

Do You Have The Time?

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The most common reason that people decide they need to rehome their dog is that they just don’t have the time to care for them anymore. Dogs need a lot of attention and exercise and if you can’t fit that into your Schedule, they’re not going to be healthy. If you’ve changed jobs and your work schedule is more demanding than it was before, you might not have as much time to dedicate to your dog. If that’s the case, you should see if there is any way that you can get around that. For example, you could hire dog walkers to take your dog out on nights that you have to stay at work late or ask a neighbor or friend to pop in and spend a little time with them when you’re not home. It’s also worth speaking with your boss to see if there is any way that you can change your schedule to make caring for your dog easier. You can even pop home during your lunch break to give them a quick walk as well. Making these sacrifices might allow you to balance your new schedule with owning a dog so you don’t have to give them up. However, if you can’t find any solutions, it might be time to let go.

Do You Have The Space?

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Another important thing that dogs need is space. If you’ve got a smaller breed then you don’t need to worry about it as much but if you’ve got a larger dog, it’s vital that they have enough room in the House and garden. If financial concerns mean that you need to downsize your house to afford the bills, you need to think about how that’s affecting your dog. If they’re suddenly in a house with half the space, they’ll get restless and they might start to gain weight. You can get around this by sending them to a dogsitter that has more space but if you’re already struggling financially, that might not be an option. You could also ask friends to help out by taking the dog over to their place but that’s only a temporary solution because the dog is always going to be cramped at your place. The bad news is that if you have to move into a smaller house with a large dog, there isn’t really that much you can do about it and you’ll probably have to think about rehoming them.

  Is The Dog A Danger?

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It might not be changes with you that are causing you to ask these questions, it might be a change with your dog. If they start to act aggressive toward people, you’re putting yourself and your family in danger. If you’ve recently started a family, this is something that you really need to think about. When a dog starts to misbehave and become aggressive, there are ways that you can rehabilitate it. Start off by taking it to obedience classes and seeing specialists to see if there is any way that you can train that behaviour out of your dog. The only problem is, this takes a lot of time and if you just don’t have it, you might not be successful. These problems are often caused by fear or frustration which can stem from a significant change around the home like having a new child. If you aren’t making any progress and the professionals are struggling as well,  it might be because the dog is no longer happy living in your home. If that’s the case, you don’t really have much choice, they need to be moved to a home with a more experienced owner who has a calmer living situation and can dedicate more time to the dog.

Can You Afford To Care For The Dog?

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It’s no secret that dogs are expensive to care for and you should have considered that before buying one. You need to pay for food, toys, and vet bills and those costs soon add up. However, if circumstances change, those costs can easily shoot up. While you might have factored all of the normal costs into your budget, you probably didn’t account for medical complications with your dog. If they have a long standing health problem that isn’t covered by your pet insurance you’ll have to pay for lots of expensive treatment. They might also need specialist food which will cost you a lot more than regular food. There’s no way around it if your dog needs that treatment to stay healthy and if you just can’t afford it, giving them up is your only option.

Nobody wants to admit that they aren’t equipped to look after their dog anymore but you can’t live in denial. The best interests of the dog should always be your first priority and sometimes there comes a point when you just have to admit that it’s time to give them up.