Realistic or Heartless Mother

Last July, we bought Heidi, a beautiful red golden retriever puppy. The children and I were very excited to have a dog. We patiently taught her to go outside when she had to relieve herself and to go in only one area of the yard. I didn't want the children stepping in any unexpected dog landmines.

Heidi learned that puppy biting was not appropriate. We crate trained her. We taught her to sit and wait for her food, to lie down, shake, and more. We introduced her to other dogs and were happy to see that she liked every dog that she met. I wish that every dog liked her too. She ran through obstacle courses and alongside the children as they rode their bikes.

Our dog learned that chewing furniture was not permitted and that plants were off limits. She seemed to learn that she should only chew her bones and toys, but occasionally she would chew a child's toy, rainboot, or flip flop. I looked online and read that chewing is typical in golden retrievers between 8 and 13 months, as the dog sets its adult teeth and its molars. I decided that this was not a problem. If I saw Heidi with something inappropriate in her mouth, I said, "leave it" and she immediately dropped the item.

However, once our baby was born, my husband started saying that we could not keep her. He didn’t like it when Heidi started to chew baby items (a bodysuit, a shoe, and a rattle). After she chewed the bodysuit, my husband sent an email to our homeschool group, asking if anyone wanted her. After she chewed the rattle, he asked me to send an email to our homeschool group.

Some of my children really want to keep Heidi and get teary eyed when I mention selling her; although, I think that she is a great dog, and I know that she is very good with all of my children, I feel that I need to listen to my husband. For the past few months, my husband has been telling me that we need to sell Heidi and asking me when we are going to do so. Sometimes, I think that we should never have gotten her because then I wouldn't be breaking my children's hearts.