Sad Day

This dog has quickly become apart of our family. The kids love her...as you can see, Bill loves her...and crazily "I" love her!!!
She definitely has some anxiety issues and is a bit neurotic...but we have really felt happy to work on these things with her.

For example...she wouldn't go up or down the stairs for several weeks after having her.
She is afraid to get in the van.
She wont eat her dog food unless we put MILK in it (who knows how we figured that out!)
Although she came from a breeder with many other dogs like her, she freaks out when she sees other dogs.
She is super submissive with me....I can't make eye contact with her when letting her in/out of the house or when in the hallway...or she PEES! crazy animal
The hardest thing has been that, although AMAZING with our kids (and any other child) she has a really hard time with most men.

We have been working on this with her and she has seemed to be getting better.

Well, today my dad was over...and for whatever reason, she has been the weirdest with my dad (who is the most gentle, even keeled man ever, so I have NO idea why this is)...he was being very careful with her but it took her almost an hour to be able to sit down, no more pacing or barking like crazy at him.
When she had finally settled down, he got up to go do something and she ran after him, in attack mode, and bit him in the back of the leg.
hard.

My dad is fine
but tearfully, Bill and I agreed immediately that we can not keep her.

We called the breeder (who actually bought Seeka from another breeder, which means we don't really know what her first 6-8 months of life were like) and they were amazing...they are graciously taking her back.
So tonight, when Bill gets home, we are going to tell the kids, let them say good bye and Bill will then take her back.

I have cried so many times today. For Bill, for me...but mostly for the kids. The boys, especially, have totally taken to her.

We have realized how MUCH our kids love having a dog. We feel its not an option to NOT have one, so, we have already decided to get a puppy (that will be born anytime and ready by March) from the same breeder.

Its a bitter sweet day. I am sad about saying goodbye to Seeka....
but excited about getting a puppy. One that we will know since birth and will be able to acclimate to our life style and family/friends easier. I also think Ella will bond more with a puppy...

it helps me to deal with the sad when I can focus on the less sad.