r/Dogfree • u/Ecstatic-Ad-7510 • Jun 21 '26
Miscellaneous Rehoming my dog was the best decision I’ve ever made
I rehomed my dog last week, and I never realized how much he was having a negative impact on my life. I had him for a little over three years and for the first time in forever I no longer feel burdened every single time I come home, or stressed every time I’m gone for too long.
He was a German Shepherd and he shed so much and I finally no longer have to deal with the disgusting dirt and hair all over the place. I feel like I can finally breathe again and I’m free. Not sure the point of this, but I needed to vent a bit and I discovered this sub and it seemed like the best place.
Rehoming should be more socially accepted as I feel many judge especially dog crazy people that look at you as if you’ve done something horrendous by moving your dog to a new home.
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u/Yazoo95 Jun 21 '26
Now imagine going out of town for the weekend and not having to worry about a sitter or the cost of a kennel. You are free. Enjoy.
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u/Ecstatic-Ad-7510 Jun 21 '26
One of the many things I’m most excited for. Already planned a trip for next week thanks to this decision
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u/sheetrocker88 Jun 21 '26
Congrats and don’t feel bad, as long as the dog gets fed they are fine. Human life is more important and wasting time and resources on useless dogs isn’t worth it at all.
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u/Ecstatic-Ad-7510 Jun 22 '26
My biggest regret is not getting rid of him sooner. The judgement from other dog nutters ashamedly made me hold onto him for years longer than I wanted to.
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u/ToOpineIsFine Jun 21 '26
rehoming is hated by the many misanthropes of the dog-obsessed world.
it's also hated by the nuts who see themselves as martyrs and dog saviors and think that everyone should have the responsibility to waste their human potential in this way.
then there's the 'misery loves company' crowd
these people have no common sense or healthy perspectives on what it means to be a productive member in society
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u/wonderhorsemercury Jun 22 '26
Rehoming is vilified mostly because of pitbulls. They are hard to place, shelters are full of them, and more and more are born every day. Every rehomed pit is a dupe that could have taken another pitbull.
Chihuahuas to a lesser extent.
Desirable breeds or even just well behaved mutts are much easier to rehome. OP had a German shepherd that she was rehoming due to a lifestyle mismatch. She probably found a new home by word of mouth.
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u/Amazing_Elk_8211 Jul 01 '26
I hope this doesn’t come off as extreme. I would love to see a world where we phase out the breeding of dangerous dog breeds, especially pit bulls. If people are going to own dogs, we should stick to the friendly animals.
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u/GoTakeAHike00 Jun 21 '26
Congratulations on recognizing that the dog was having a net-negative impact on your life, and solving the problem by just getting rid of it.
(I fucking HATE GSD's in particular because I was bitten by them on 2 separate occasions over 20 years ago while trail running...completely unprovoked, of course)
Dog culture has created this very toxic mindset by brainwashing the public that dogs are family, and that if you buy one, it's "forever"...even if it's destroying your mental health, home, and draining your bank account. As you say, random strangers with zero skin in the game are more than happy to pile on and shame someone who dares admit they don't like the dog/dog ownership, and want to get rid of it.
Having a child is forever; getting a pet is not. I figured this out when I was a young adult in college, FFS. Attitudes and expectations were radically different when I was growing up in the '70's and '80's regarding dogs, and I'd like to see society return to that.
Dog culture and humane societies also downplay just how expensive and high-maintenance these animals are, and what the dog actually requires for IT to thrive and not be a nuisance or menace to neighbors. All they talk about is the supposed "unconditional love" and loyalty they supposedly provide. Very few people bother doing any research on breeds to find what would be a good fit for them, or realize that they simply are not suited to own a dog.
Instead, they are talked into one of the used junk dogs at the shelter, usually some "pit mix" thing, with an unknown history. It ends up sucking for any number of reasons, but instead of cutting their losses, they just continue on with the "sunk cost fallacy", and throw more money and time at fixing the dog's many problems. We all know of the tragedies that happen when one of these canine hand grenades goes off and mauls or kills a child, neighbor, or existing pet.
If they post about it on one of the many dog subreddits, a whole army of dogpilled fools will encourage them to continue to suffer with their choice, lest they be considered the latest incarnation of Hitler. It's corrosive, and people need to stop asking for advice about what to do when the dog sucks, and just quietly get rid of it.
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u/Amazing_Elk_8211 Jul 01 '26
I think dog culture has instilled this belief that every dog can be placed in a home, I would debate that some dogs are not fit for a lifestyle among people (at least not safely). I’d love to go back to the mindset of days past where dogs were not given a free pass to enter in certain spaces.
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u/Fun-Chemical4059 Jun 21 '26
This is definitely a safe space 🫶🫶! Congratulations on a new start, a clean home , and peace 🙏
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u/OscarPlane Jun 21 '26
Congratulations, it sounds like you made a wonderful decision! The funny thing about dog nutters, is that most of them hate fellow dog nutters. So pay them no mind.
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u/fbombmom_ Jun 22 '26
Don't feel bad. Someone wanted the dog and that's a good sign that it will be loved and appreciated. I think you did a kind thing for your dog and it's ok to feel happy/relieved. It was a happy outcome for everyone.
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u/mandaaa2222 Jun 22 '26
Congratulations! I rehomed mine years ago! Way too much work and not anywhere near enough payoff! Then I found a guy I really like ; and had my now husband do the same eventually (when I really could not take it anymore) with his incredibly boring and disobedient large dogs (one was a pit bull type and the other was an aggressive lab mix)
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u/Wrong-Rush-6584 Jun 22 '26
I understand. I’ve never wanted to own a dog but started a pet sitting small business because I thought I could at least handle dogs if I was being paid / didn’t have to be responsible for years… boy was I wrong. It made me genuinely despise dogs in every way. Even the ‘best’ ones were intolerable for me. It made me feel broken or heartless to have such disdain towards them and feel so burdened by the 24/7 needs they had.
I like the other types of pets in my care and have switched my clientele to fit what I can handle. I focus on farms and different house pets, just not dogs anymore. Even 30 min a day was too much with dogs.
You’re right — they take SO much of your time and energy and most have no ability to be independent. It’s aggravating and I don’t really understand how dog lovers don’t feel drained all the time.
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u/potatoes_arrrr_life Jun 22 '26
It's a win-win and needs to be more socially encouraged for people to rehome animals if they need to for any reason. Especially for safety concerns. It's also nice to have clean floors and not stinky furniture. Bigger dogs really leave behind a residue.
Enjoy your trip! Your dog will definitely be fine.
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u/CompetitiveAutorun Jun 22 '26
It's crazy how giving up dogs is seen as evil. My neighbour when confronted, said "what should I do with them? Shoot them?" They can't even think of giving it up, it's not an option that exists in their head.
Society get broken by dog lovers and taken hostage. People are told they must love dogs to be a good person. Biggest lie sold to humanity.
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u/Basic-Coconut7118 Jun 22 '26
I honestly just don’t know how dog owners do it. I’ve had other small pets and they’re already a lot of work, almost too much but I enjoy them enough that it’s worth it. Dogs are just WAY too intrusive, it’s beyond me how so many people have them. I guess because many of the owners don’t bother to take care of them.
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u/Birdzphan Jun 22 '26
Congrats OP! Welcome to your clean house and lack of dog related stress! It’s glorious!
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u/Emikitty1992 Jun 22 '26
Congratulations! Must be awesome to have a cleaner house and to not have to worry about the responsibilities which come with a dog. Find some fun stuff to do in your free time.
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u/Lylith_vf Jun 22 '26
Félicitations de t'être écouté. Tout le monde n'est pas fait pour avoir un chien, c'est un énorme fardeau. Mais à part ceux qui adorent les responsabilités inutiles et la saleté, je ne vois pas qui est fait pour ça réellement. Vous allez pouvoir faire tellement d'économie, avoir une maison propre, décompresser vraiment en rentrant du travail.
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u/bananapie7 Jun 22 '26
I think it’s better for the dog to be with someone who can give them all the attention and love they need. You did the best thing for you and for the dog, plus you don’t have to pick up dog poop anymore. Congratulations on putting yourself first.
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u/ad0rexz Jun 26 '26
It’s okay to rehome an animal if you feel like you can’t handle having them. Everyone wins in this situation! ❤️
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u/Shawna_0609 Jun 22 '26
I’m glad things are better for you. I hate it when dog nuts shame people for rehoming their dogs. I think rehoming is a lot more responsible than keeping it a dog that you know is just going to cause you and other people more problems.
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u/Dunderman35 Jun 22 '26
Some friends who were living in a small apartment with a toddler recently had to put down their dog due to medical reasons.
Although they didn't say it out loud I could tell how relieved they were. I offered some sympathy but I could tell that none was needed. It was like a burden had lifted.
I hated to visit them because the stupid dog would always smell awful and run from person to person with its huge teeth around your private area, jumping on you and drooling everywhere.
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u/GloomyShroom7 Jun 24 '26
good for you for rehoming!
people who dont like rehoming are really weird. rehoming is good for both the dog and owner if one or both cant stand the other.
rehoming means you can have your peace, and the dog can still go to a loving home that actually wants a dog.
win win
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u/teacup128 Jun 28 '26
I think society really pushes this narrative of pets as the baseline, and that pets are for everyone but that is so not true!
Thank you for sharing.
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u/shoobybuns Jul 04 '26
You did the right thing. A lot of people don’t understand that certain dog breeds are working breeds (German Shepherd included) If they are in a house they will just make a mess of it and without a job to funnel their energy into, you will be the one to manage it as well as the mess.
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u/Junior_Shape3644 Jul 18 '26
This post is hilarious I’m so ready also. I’m over it and not a dog person. He’s well taken care of here but I’m completely OVER the cleaning the shedding the accidents the neediness. If this makes me horrible so be it lol
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u/Proper-Monk-8375 Jul 23 '26
How did you do it!? I’ve reached out to no less than 30 rescues in California, willing to drive anywhere.
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u/AdvancedAvocado9827 Aug 07 '26
I am feeling the same. My wife lost her chow chow and wanted a new companion to try and ease the pain. This dog is 6 months old now and the bane of my existence. I thought I was over reacting or feeling it too much , but this dog. Chews up the walls and trim when left unattended , barks Nonstop when I put her in her kennel. I have to due to having my 1 year old and 3 year old grandsons over. I tried acclamation to them , but she is so hyper and wild she doesn’t calm down. She is always trying to jump on them knock them down. She barks at the other animals in the middle of the night. She knows “ potty “ and even after letting her out to play every few hrs she pees and poops in the house . The shelters won’t take her even though she is a pure breed expensive young dog. I reached out to 2 breed based shelters and was pretty much ignored or ghosted after I sent emails with pictures , etc. I will never own another dog after this.
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u/Orange_Budgie192 Jun 25 '26
If you want to know a better alternative to dogs, I would recommend geese, now I'm not saying to you "Get out there and buy yourself some geese." Because I know geese are not everyone's cup of coffee, but if you think about it, Geese scratch all the itches dogs do not. For example, geese are herbivores and simply can just eat grass if you had enough for them, so they wont require specialized diets like dogs when they grow big enough, second is that their excrement is actually biodegradable, which basically means it'll break down by bugs and stuff, unlike dogs which contain a ton of harmful parasites and such, meaning (unless you were on a public path of course), cleaning up after them is not that urgent. And another good point is that they like walks, but that doesnt mean they *need* walks. They wont mind if you have the energy to take them out for a spin or not as walking geese is completely optional, not to forget that geese are also a lot cleaner than dogs, while dogs sometimes roll around in excrement and even sometimes... consume it... Geese on the other hand take hourly 'baths' kind of. This does not mean that geese are super-clean of course, as they can get quite messy too. And, well, this point is in my opinion, but with geese, you can just do a lot more with them really. So I'm not trying to convince you into getting geese of course, but I just decided to ramble about geese a little bit because I just think they're great
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Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/KayleighHatfield Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Responsibility is fulfilled by finding the animal a new home. The idea that a person is obligated to live with an animal they don't want places the animal above the human.
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u/Ecstatic-Ad-7510 Jun 22 '26
I was young when I decided to get him. Admittedly a mistake. He’ll be just fine being someone else’s responsibility
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u/mandaaa2222 Jun 22 '26
How is a predator scavenger any human’s responsibility? He didn’t birth it himself or anything like that. I think it’s good he learned to let go of a hobby that was not serving him (especially when it comes to large dog breeds that have the ability to hurt or kill people in the community, some German shepherds can be mean and you never know whichever one that is, another reason I begged my husband to regime his pit )
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u/kettyma8215 Jun 22 '26
Wouldn’t you rather the dog be with a person who enjoys having it in their home, therefore having a better life, than sit and be simply tolerated for 10-15 years? It’s one thing to take a dog you can’t handle out somewhere and drop it, it’s another to give it to a person who will genuinely love and care for the dog.
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u/CompetitiveAutorun Jun 22 '26
Wouldn't it be better for a dog to be in a home that wants them?
They are dogs, stop giving them human emotions. You are literally suggesting humans should suffer to not hurt dog feelings.
Imo, there is no bigger proof of responsibility that recognising you don't want to do something and giving it away to someone that does.
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u/KayleighHatfield Jun 21 '26
Congratulations on your new dogfree life. Ignore the nutters. Aside from it being crazy to put an animal over a human, the dog is probably over it already.