Just so you're aware, a long story/rant is about to commence!
Today started out exciting and ended up being really hard. Despite already having an appointment for tomorrow (well, today, I guess seeing as how it is already 1:22am) to meet a possible dog to adopt, I wandered over to the pets listings on craigslist, just to see if there was anything interesting. Right near the top, there was a posting for an English Bulldog. That is the exact breed I have been looking to rescue since I started looking around six months ago, but they are impossible to find as a rescue (I guess their people love them too much to give them up!) and way too expensive to purchase from a breeder. Besides, I prefer to rescue dogs rather than buying them from breeders. And here was one just calling out to me - 3 years old, neutered, house trained, beautiful in the picture, and 68lbs. Perfect! At my apartment complex, they have to be at least 1 year old and 65lbs or less and, of course, we wanted him to be neutered and house trained. I couldn't believe it - the owner even wanted to give him up for free! The only reason they were giving him up is because they are moving to a complex where they can't have them (no idea why you would decide to move to a place where you can't have pets if you already have pets but maybe they have extenuating circumstances).
So at 6:30pm today, we met him, discussed all the details with the owners, and came home with him. My boyfriend walked him and tried to help him get settled in while I ran to the store for the basics - food, a bed (they had him in just a metal crate with no bed - what the heck!), and a new leash because the one they had wasn't retractable, and you need to be able to control a strong dog like the bulldog. We spent the evening with him, and there were a few hiccups, but we were assuming most of it was because he was just getting used to his new home, surroundings, and people.
Turns out he's a nightmare. Around 10pm, we put him in the kitchen with his crate, the new bed I bought him, food and water. He uses a baby gate - even though he could totally knock it over, he doesn't for whatever reason - and could see us in the living room from where he was. We were just trying to get him to calm down, possibly even go to sleep. But all he did was whine the whole time. So when we finished watching TV, we thought we would just turn out the lights and go to bed to see if he would understand that it was bed time now. Most dogs that I've had understand that concept. But he just whined more and even started barking. We tried putting him the crate, wondering if a smaller space or a familiar space would help him realize it was time for sleep. Louder barking and whining. Finally, as a last resort, we decided to let him come in the bedroom to see if he just was used to sleeping with his people. And that's when all **** broke loose. He started running all over the apartment, jumping on us and humping us several times, even scaring us a little bit. Like he had just gone wild.
So we decided we can't keep him. My boyfriend lost it and had to retreat to the bedroom. I managed to get him under control enough to get back in the kitchen behind the baby gate. Then I emailed the owner and told him I needed him to take him back. I even emailed some rescues just in case the owner would not take him back (definitely don't want to take him to a shelter for obvious reasons). The owner is going to take him back and was even embarrassed by the dog's behavior, saying he never acts like that. Probably because they had him holed up in the garage. We are taking him back at 10am and until then I am sitting here at the dining room table where he can see me, so he will keep his whining to a minimum while my boyfriend and the rest of the complex sleeps.
I have wanted a dog for a really long time, and I am really upset that this has been such a nightmare. I am especially upset of the problems it could cause in my relationship. My boyfriend didn't even really want a dog, and I sort of pressured him into it. He already had a crappy day today, and I just made it worse. I feel horrible about what I've done to him, even what I did to the dog by changing his whole world only to take him back, and about myself and my life that will probably continue to be sans-dog for a good while. So all I want to do is eat. And I know I definitely would be eating if the dog were pinned somewhere else instead of the kitchen. I've even been trying to figure out how I could get to the goods despite this inconvenience.
Emotional eating is my downfall and, boy, am I emotional right now!!!
/rant