A few weeks ago now, I had a coffee date with a dear friend from high school. We caught up quickly and enjoyed a nice visit. Something that was unexpected though, was the way she fell in love with the dog. I have never seen anyone "oooh" and "ahhh" over him the way she did and of course he basked in the attention from her.
Last week I planned a visit to my sister's place and thought, rather than bring the dog along, I'd see if Amanda could watch him for a few days. She was ecstatic and her kids were delighted. As we were heading home, I began to really think about the extra stress and responsibility that a dog is. It seems like we are just in a busy phase of life and although I don't regret getting him, I began to wonder if he'd be happier elsewhere. We asked Amanda if she would like to have the dog and after her initial shock of being offered a pet, she eagerly agreed.
We had hoped that Joshua's allergies wouldn't bother him too much with an animal but the tests showed that he was severely allergic to dogs. His face would break out in hives after petting him and he was frequently fighting a stuffed up nose.
So, a few factors played into the decision. The kids are not overly upset and I think that is because they know how much he will continue to be loved. We also know that if we wanted, we'd be more than welcome to visit. I feel at peace with it as well and it was the right decision.
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