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[quote=Anonymous]Good people make bad choices sometimes. Forcing them to "ride it out" for the sake of a dog is ridiculous.

Teach your children that even grown-ups make mistakes. Explain that you thought you had the time/resources to take on this commitment, but you realize now that you don't. This scenario will happen to them at some point, too. Help them understand that they're not stuck when they fsck up; there are often other options.

Then, involve your whole family in the project of finding a new home for the puppy. Put up flyers, post to your listserv, research breed-specific rescues... This is an act of love for the puppy. You don't have the resources to properly care for it, so you're going to find it someone who does.

Things don't always work out, even when we want them to. Taking responsibility for our choices, acknowledging reality as it is (not as we'd have it be), and finding a responsible exit strategy are all valuable life skills.

The kids and the puppy will be fine. Sadness is appropriate. Don't push them to move on quickly; take pics and allow them to grieve the rehoming of the puppy, which is a loss. But it's a survivable loss, and it's better to do this now, while the puppy is still little and cute, than to deal with the situation downline after it snowballs into resentments + an untrained, and possibly unsafe dog.

Ignore the PP who said you never get a dog again if you don't keep this one. That's a garbage take. Your kids will grow, your circumstances will change, and an older dog may be the perfect fit down the line.[/quote]

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