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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I regret getting my dog, even though he's a sweetheart and I loved him to death.  I got him when I had a kid in elementary school.  He fit into our life perfectly.  We went hiking together on the weekends, he came to soccer practice and he and I did laps around the field while the kids practiced.  He motivated us to keep going to the playground a little longer.  When my kid started middle school, it made coming home to an empty house a little easier, which was really nice.

Now, I have a high schooler, and it's totally different.  Every day making sure the dog is cared for is a pain.  The kid simply isn't home enough to do it.  So, I'm left to rush home to the suburbs between work and going to watch their game.  If my kids are out for late night play practice, I can't run errands or go to happy hour with my colleagues or stay late to finish things, because of the dog.  There's a constant negotiation about who is going to mess up their schedule when.

The dog is 8.  In a few years the kid will be gone, and I"ll have 100% care for him.  I have huge regrets.[/quote]

Wow, this makes me so sad for your dog.  To go from being included in trips to the park and running laps at soccer practice to being a burden that brings no joy must be really sad...

My own teens (HS and MS) love our dogs and help out with them all the time.  They are very much a part of our family and, yes, I still like to walk them.[/quote]

How nice for you. Now stop trying to guilt-trip PP. She's allowed to have a life that doesn't revolve around her dog. Her kid is not helpful with the dog anymore and she feel burdened by it. I would in her shoes, too.

You lack empathy.[/quote]

I'm the top PP.  I never said that my kid doesn't help with the dog.  My son walks him every morning, and every evening.  The dog sleeps in his bed.    But the reality is that when you have a kid who plays HS sports, or is involved in HS theater (or any number of other activities, but those are the 2 my kid does), they are gone from the home longer than the hours a dog should really be alone.  Should I insist he goes back to playing at the playground after school rather than running with the track team, just because it works for the dog?  Should I tell him not to go off to college, because of the dog?

Your youngest is many years younger than my kid.  Come back when you have a 17 year old, and tell me if they're home from school at 3 every day to walk the dog. [/quote]

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