Reply to Unhealthy relationship with dog...... say something?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, it's funny you posted this because we're having a similar situation with my mother.  She got her first dog since living at home as a teenager and she's now told us she won't go on the annual family vacation that we've been taking for 20 years because we can't find a place where she can take the dog.  I suggested that she board the dog near where we stay on vacation and she said that she couldn't bear to be away from her that long.

The ironic thing is that she holds the dog like a baby and has told my 3 sons (22, 19, and 15) that she loves the dog like she loved them when they were little and now that they aren't, she has the dog to love.  In the meantime, because she has the dog, she's not attending the 2 younger kids' games and events (which my father nearly always does and she used to) because she doesn't want to leave the dog.  My 19 year old plays college basketball about an hour away and she can't leave the dog to go to his game because the dog will "get lonely."  He will visit them on the weekends he isn't playing, so it's not like they don't have a close relationship.  It's like because my sons aren't babies anymore, they're of no "use" to her.  It's sad.[/quote]

I think you’re being a little harsh. She sounds lonely, and the dog is with her and giving her love every moment. Your sons (while awesome and no doubt loved) are away at college or busy with lives. It’s not a competition, she just needs a more constant companion than they can be right now. Also, driving  an hour to see a b-ball game is a lot for anyone. She may just not feel up to it.[/quote]

I get all of that, except for the part where she says she misses the kids but decides not to spend time with them in order to spend time with the dog who she sees 24/7.  As for the hour ride, she drives an hour once a week to play games with her cousin, but that's ok because my father's home with the dog so the dog's not "lonely".  It has nothing to do with her feeling up to it; she's only 67.  I do agree she's lonely, but at the same time, she's "devastated" that my kids have gotten older.  That's not normal.

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