I'm tapping out in 2023

How the fucking fuck is it so hard to adopt a dog? WHY is it so hard to adopt a dog?

I know I said I’d take a break after all the crap with Archie. Do I feel emotionally ready to get another dog? Maybe. Do I feel physically ready? Probably not lol.

I think my biggest upset right now is seeing and knowing how much we have to offer a dog, and not utilizing that. Huge fenced in back yard. Lots of parks and reserves to go for walks. Swimming! Two active boys who want to be playing all day. Two very tired adults who are down to play AND snuggle and love and protect. Like we have so much to give.

Last week, Craig and I must’ve looked at 50 dogs online. I have fairly strict ideas of what I want. Craig does not. I read the descriptions of the pets. Craig does not.

Anyway, we saw like a billion dogs online and I put in an application for one over the weekend. They called to do a telephone interview yesterday, which I schmoozed bc come on, ya gotta sell yourself. Only to find out the dog we’d applied for is “spoken for” already. And that his brother (whom I’d also been interested in) was also spoken for. Yet both dogs are still listed as “available” online. And then they tried to sell me on other dogs in their rescue. No thanks. Thank you for wasting my time.

So because I felt so angry from that, we looked at more dogs last night. I found one (outside of my criteria) that I fell in love with. Craig said to apply, which I did. I got an email back today saying basically that they wouldn’t consider me for adoption of this puppy because they feel puppies are “best homed with stay at home parents, retirees, or adults who work from home”.

Well THAT is a broad generalization. And completely dismissive. And discriminatory, I feel. I’d written on the application that my job offers flexibility so I can stop home throughout the day to let the dog out and feed it. And I have family 5 minutes down the road who could help if I got held up. Not good enough, I guess.

So a dog has to suffer because I don’t work from home? I’m not a SAHM? That’s ridiculous. If those were the criteria overall, very few puppies would be adopted. I do understand that puppies need lots of exercise and time and attention. Archie did great in the crate when I worked. I think he was an outlier, though, and we’ll probably never see that again lol.

After I got that dismissive email this morning, I flipped. I told Craig and told him I’m done with this for now. I can’t keep putting myself out there and getting rejected. I’m not used to it, I don’t like it, I need a break. I told him to take the crates down today and put them away. I’m done.

He called me and we talked about it. More-so that I vented lol. I cursed a lot, which makes me feel better. These rescues beg and plead for people to adopt dogs and then make it impossible. Like you would write us off as pet owners because me and my husband both work outside the home? What the shit is that? We’d provide a loving, safe home with lots of room for running and exercise and outside time.

I get it to a degree, but I really think this place took it too far. I’m going to email them back and let them know how discouraging and disheartening I find their process. We don’t want an adult dog, we want a puppy. We are willing and able to provide the time and training involved. Clearly we’re somewhat financially stable. Like honestly. This is so upsetting.

Craig wants to go through a breeder now. I don’t want that. But I told him to do the research and we’ll talk about it in a month or so. I’m absolutely tired of this shit and I need time to cool off and regain some semblance of normal mental health because it ain’t happening.

I just wrote an angry response email to these bastards. I didn’t want to burn bridges but this is stupid. I feel better telling them that they’re pieces of shit (not literally, I jazzed it up more lol). I think I’m getting my period too. Wheeeee.