So, my girlfriend adopted a dog from a rescue organization a few months ago. She was told the dog had a little peeing problem and that he would need work on his house training. She was also told that the dog was 11 and had the very start of arthritis and cataracts, and that he was good with other animals (but not small children).
- We have since discovered the dog is not only quite blind, but he's also almost entirely deaf.
- We also believe he's mentally disabled (hard to explain why unless you meet him). He needs constant supervision if not left in a totally safe environment. For example, he's nearly walked off of balconies, fallen down stairs, been hit by cars, run off pathways and into water, etc. She's constantly having to keep an eye on him if he's not in her living room, and she's had to save his life numerous times.
- He also pees non-stop in the house. He'll easily pee in the house 10 times a day. He makes no effort whatsoever to hold it in, and just leaves little piddles all over the place. Even if she has just taken him to the bathroom, he'll come inside and pee again. She's tried house-training him, using puppy pads, buying him diapers, etc., but nothing works.
- He's also not good with other animals. Because he's deaf and blind, any other animal (ourselves included) scare the crap out of him. He panics and will run around, yelp, flip over, etc. until we calm him down. He usually just gets scared, but there have been times that he's growled and snapped at the other pets. Not that I blame him (he's just scared), but it has caused tension among the pets, as they now avoid this new dog like he's the plague.
- Most importantly, the vet informed her that the dog is likely 7 and not 11. She's had her concerns about his age, and so she took him to the vet for a second opinion, and she's very upset about this. She got him because she wanted to rescue a dog but not have a super long commitment (she was thinking 4 years-ish), but this means that this dog could likely have another 8 years in him. She asked the rescue about this, and they insisted that the vet is wrong (or made a mistake) and that this dog is 11.
Should the rescue not take responsibility at all? They completely misled her and, frankly, I feel that they've lied to her. I'm hoping it was misinformation and not intentional deception, but the outcome is the same: my girlfriend is left with a dog that is beyond her level of care, but she feels guilty and irresponsible. I know this rescue group is known for guilt-tripping people who return their dogs, and my girlfriend is already depressed and guilt-ridden over this situation and has been crying constantly because she feels so bad. I've been doing my best to console her, but I'm not sure what to do.
Is there anything I can do or say to make her feel better about this? What should I tell the rescue organization? She doesn't want to blame them or point fingers, but I'm angry and I think they should take responsibility for deceiving her. She blames herself for this, but I think the rescue should have been up-front about these issues so that they could have found the dog a proper home who was equipped enough to care for him.
Does anyone else have experience with a rescue doing this to them? What would you guys do?
Any advice is appreciated.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/akt8ez/lied_to_by_rescue_organization_what_to_do_long/
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