Jay Jay is Gone!

I had to give away my beautiful Australian Shepard, Jay Jay. As some of you know, I moved from a big farm out in the country, to a tiny townhouse in the city. Well Jay Jay wasn't coping well with the trasition. He became very depressed and extremely destructive. Whenever I would leave him alone, he would completely destroy my home and made a habit of pooping in my bedroom. I took this as a sign that he was upset with me. I looked around and spoke with family and friends about what to do about this and it came to the simple solution of finding Jay Jay a home on a farm. Fortunately for Jay Jay and myself I did just that. My brother spoke with a friend and that was that. They met Jay Jay and fell for him. So now my dillema. I miss him so much that my heart aches. I know I did the right thing for him but I can't help feeling like I should have done something else. I need something to ease the pain and guilt.

Sweetie, I am sorry about Jay Jay. You made the good decision. If you had kept him in a small townhouse the anxiety overtime would have killed him on the inside and over time those negative emotions and anxiety would have maybe lead to health problems for Jay Jay. I am sorry for your hurt.

Pussyfoot Mouse said:

I had to give away my beautiful Australian Shepard, Jay Jay. As some of you know, I moved from a big farm out in the country, to a tiny townhouse in the city. Well Jay Jay wasn't coping well with the trasition. He became very depressed and extremely destructive. Whenever I would leave him alone, he would completely destroy my home and made a habit of pooping in my bedroom. I took this as a sign that he was upset with me. I looked around and spoke with family and friends about what to do about this and it came to the simple solution of finding Jay Jay a home on a farm. Fortunately for Jay Jay and myself I did just that. My brother spoke with a friend and that was that. They met Jay Jay and fell for him. So now my dillema. I miss him so much that my heart aches. I know I did the right thing for him but I can't help feeling like I should have done something else. I need something to ease the pain and guilt.

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I'm sorry to hear about this. We had the same issue with my dog that's in my avatar. When we bought him, we were in a townhouse. He became very destructive (probably due to boredom and frustration). We'd come home every day and have to pick up remnants of our couch, furniture, and his poop. He was just too much of an outdoor dog to keep cooped up in the townhome. The only way out was to either give him away or find us a new home. It's probably better for your dog that he is in a wide open space having fun running around. He's probably sitting on the land/farm thinking he's king of the land right now. He's probably very happy, and that's all that matters even though you are dealing with the grief of him not being around. Are you going to visit him from time to time?

Get the "dog whisperer" - Cesar Milan to help the dog. His site is in my signature. There are hundreds of dogs who were given up by vets and dog trainers and he has helped to rehabilitate them. I'm almost certain that he will solve the problem with your dog. The man is amazing!!! He's a genius with dogs!!! I've seen him rehabilite dogs with similar issues on his show (on National Geographic). He uses dog psychology. People try to use human psychology with the dogs and it doesn't work. Dogs interpret stuff differently from humans. For eg. when you give a dog affection when he is in a depressed/aggressive state of mind, you are actually nurturing that state of mind...almost like telling the dog....it's okay for you to feel this way...look, I'm giving you affection.

EDIT: Cesar recommends - exercise, discipline and then affection, in that order. You dog sounds like he needs exercise to drain all that energy. Cesar might recommend that the dog be walked everyday. There is a certain way to walk the dog. The dog should be held on a short leash leash and should only be allowed to walk either to the back of you or the side. If the dog walks in front, he thinks that he is the pack leader over you, when in fact, you must be viewed as the pack leader.

Whenever you are moving to a new house, the dog must be taken for a walk before entering the new residence and YOU must always enter the home first. When the dog follows you into the home, he will acknowledge that you are the pack leader. Yes, dog owners are part of the dog's pack.

Get advice from Cesar - you owe it to Jay Jay and yourself. Just give it a try. Jay Jay is worth it. :yes:

Todd said:

I'm sorry to hear about this. We had the same issue with my dog that's in my avatar. When we bought him, we were in a townhouse. He became very destructive (probably due to boredom and frustration). We'd come home every day and have to pick up remnants of our couch, furniture, and his poop. He was just too much of an outdoor dog to keep cooped up in the townhome. The only way out was to either give him away or find us a new home. It's probably better for your dog that he is in a wide open space having fun running around. He's probably sitting on the land/farm thinking he's king of the land right now. He's probably very happy, and that's all that matters even though you are dealing with the grief of him not being around. Are you going to visit him from time to time?

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I'm really lucky in the way that the people who have him have told us we can visit whenever we want and they're going to send us pictures and keep us up to date on his progress. I know he's going to be much better now that he's back on a farm. He was king of the land and that's the way it should be. Thanks Todd!

robtex said:

Sweetie, I am sorry about Jay Jay. You made the good decision. If you had kept him in a small townhouse the anxiety overtime would have killed him on the inside and over time those negative emotions and anxiety would have maybe lead to health problems for Jay Jay. I am sorry for your hurt.

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I know I did the right thing for Jay Jay and I know he's much happier there. I just hope he isn't pooping in thier bedroom now. LOL

Pussyfoot Mouse said:

I'm really lucky in the way that the people who have him have told us we can visit whenever we want and they're going to send us pictures and keep us up to date on his progress. I know he's going to be much better now that he's back on a farm. He was king of the land and that's the way it should be. Thanks Todd!

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That sounds better already.......at least you are focussing on the positives. I don't know what it is like to lose a pet in that way (I have only ever lost them as they have died), but it is going to be tough; just keep focussing on the thought that he will be running amock, happy being "in the wilds" - I am sure you would hate to have to watch him being unhappy in a little box, in a street of little boxes.............

michel said:

That sounds better already......

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PFM are you feeling a little better angel?

I hope you are feeling better about this. It was better for Jay Jay AND for you, believe it or not, as you couldn't go on with the destruction all the time for very long. Visit him once to make sure he's happy and well cared for. Then, be happy with that and move on, maybe look for another pet more suited to the city....hugs to you!:hug: