Hi guys,
I adopted a dog from the RSPCA a couple of weeks ago, This is the 3rd dog i have adopted and the previous 2 I had till they passed away from old age / illness. I am struggling a bit this time though, might be a multitude of factors and i wanted some advice. First time i have adopted a dog solo as previous 2 times was when i was still living at home with the family and hence a much larger household to provide the dog with attention. I am worried that maybe i cant give enough for the gal to be happy and she will get lonely. Its possible its also because i came out of a bad relationship a year or so ago and hence perhaps mentally i am not my usual self still. From the day she arrived, i seemed to get anxiety and panic attacks, which over time has subsided quite a lot. So i figured it was partially just adjusting or some form of Post partum stuff.
But the other issue i am having is she seems really scared of everything, i cant take her out for walks at all, she wont move outside or hardly anyway, definitely cant be walked, i try every day. She is also quite an affectionate dog but for some reason is always barking and growling at my mum, i go over there every day as i am the primary care giver. And the dog was also for part companionship i had hoped for my mum at times when i am at work. I get my mum to feed her every day hoping that will make her more comfortable but it doesnt seem to have changed too much. I am not sure if she is just talking but it definitely seems like fear or something and thats worrying if once she grow up (Apparently she is 4 months old) then she may bite my mum… She has never looked like biting anyone but you do hear stories of random bites in families on the odd occasion. With other people who have been over, she seems alright , usually quite friendly albeit at times a bit scared and wees on the floor if they pet her.
The other part i am worried about is on the advert of the RSPCA website, they said she was a American Staffordshire Terrier. But my friend who has 2 of them, told me at best she is a cross and the less half of the cross as most of her features and her size doesnt match his dogs. At 4 months she is already almost the size of his fully grown height wise. Which freaks me out as i wanted a medium sized dog , not a large dog but the looks of things i am getting a large dog. The RSPCA website as well as the person i spoke to over the phone and the person who delivered the dog to my house all told me it was a american staffy (due to the covid stuff, you cant go and check the dog out, they deliver the dog to your house if you have made payment / adopted the dog, so you dont really get much time to check the dog out or even ask questions). Is there any way to find out?
Give it time. 2 weeks is barely enough for a dog that may have seen years (in your case, maybe a lifetime of 4 months) of abuse, neglect and confinement to be trusting again.
I have a dog that has taken about 10 years to be comfortable around strangers… or maybe her eyesight is just so horrible she can't tell the difference anymore 😂
(Also, maybe your mom is punishing the dog in ways she does not disclose.)