You don't need to put your dog down - you just need to be more aware of her stressors. Moving is a HUGE stress for dogs. Then to have all those people she didn't know come into her territory, and crowd around her - and add in sore hips? The perfect storm, poor pup. If you're going to have a lot of people over, try to keep her in a separate room for a while, and introduce a couple of people at a time to her until she's comfortable enough to be let out. Remind the kids not to crowd her or be rough with her. My rescue is 9 and he doesn't let anyone in the house. We have to muzzle him and have guests sit and offer him treats, then we have them move slowly around the house. Once he starts wagging his tail, we can take the muzzle off and he's fine. It takes a lot of effort but it's what we have to do. I hope your niece is okay!

I miss my dogs when I'm at work. Yep. I'm THAT chick.

I dealt with this when I was a real estate agent. I had a lot of renters who had pitbulls that suddenly became "service dogs" when the places they wanted would take dogs, but not that breed. They'd say, "Oh, but he's a service dog! I'll send you his papers!" and the next day I'd get one of those online certs in my email with the previous day's date on it. The thing is, in our state, it doesn't matter if you have renter's insurance that covers the dog - one couple had two pitbulls with a one-million dollar policy - the person who owns the home must also have coverage for the breed. One guy threatened to sue a homeowner for discrimination for NOT adding the coverage. That's when real estate became no longer fun for me.

I had a friend who wanted Border Collies because they are "smart and easy to train." I told them that they need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation, and that without that they don't do well, but she acted like I didn't know what I was talking about, even though I grew up with dogs and had dogs of my own and she had never had one. She ended up watching two small dogs for a friend and decided she never wanted a dog!

My friend and her DH just adopted two collie dogs from the humane society. They just bought a house and just got married, too. I hope the dogs adjust well and all, but I just have a not-so-good feeling about it. She's not a very active person and the dogs like a lot (a LOT) of activity. The old owners surrendered them for being too hyper and destructive. I just hope she knows what she's getting herself into.

I noticed this, too. I've been seeing dogs in shopping carts at the grocery store, Home Depot and Walmart a lot lately. I LOVE dogs, and I'd love to take my dog to the pet store, but he's an 80lb Shepherd who hates anything that breathes and is not of his tribe. But I do agree that it's excessive.

Is it just me or are more people bringing their freakin' dogs everywhere? In the past 2 days, I have seen dogs at Ikea, Target, and Dick's Sporting Goods. NOT service dogs, and NOT small dogs in purses (not that small dogs are OK). But big dogs on leashes. WTF? I like dogs, I HAVE an 85 pound dog, but I don't take her shopping with me. And why do these stores allow it? I don't want your dog sniffing at me or taking up valuable space in a crowded aisle. The dog at Dick's was even barking at people. Oh, and the dog at Ikea was a large, un-neutered dog, just to prove that he has an extra-irresponsible owner. Leave them at home!

I'm going on a two week trip with DH. I've never been away from home (or work) this long before, and I'm really nervous about it. DD19 is going to be home alone the whole time. Our next door neighbor is a police officer, and he's going to help keep an eye on her and the house. Plus DS23 lives nearby if she needs anything. Plus, her boyfriend is around. I know she'll be fine. My problem is I feel like I miss her already, and DS23, and DGD, and my dogs, and my house.... ...

I'm with all of you re: no more pets when these die. I have 2 dogs & 2 cats. I'm fine with the cat puke (both long fur that hack up hairball), the expensive food (cats get hills urinary & hairball grain free, dogs get wilderness grain free), expensive litter (clay makes me & 1 cat have allergies so we buy world's best) vet bills, litter/food/water tracking, fur everywhere (I keep a lint roller in my car and just roll when I get to work). I have a great hoover pet vacuum & a roomba for weekly schedules. I'd never get rid of them while theyre alive. My biggest peeve is I can't travel/backpack on short notice without scheduling dog boarding & a vat sitter. The cats are both about 12-13. Though I did have a dog before that died of old age and I said no more dogs then and now I have the 2 rescue dogs (4-5 yrs) obviously I'm a liar haha.

I guess I don't really have those issues because I modify my dog's environment to make it, well, dog proof. I feed her on a big placemat that I can toss in the dishwasher. I walk her for 10 or 15 minutes twice a day so she poops then and I pick it up and she doesn't go in the yard. I don't leave her in the yard by herself so she can't eat mushrooms or acorns or whatever else is out there. I have a pet-fur specific vacuum. And my dog's well-trained so she doesn't destroy things in the house or have accidents. I know a lot of people--IRL, not on this site--who have had dogs and got rid of them just because they didn't put an ounce of effort into training them.