While Shaun and I have to wait for our money to pool up to be able to head out to South America, I find my mind wandering about all the loose ends that need to be tied up before we leave. Since we have quite a bit of time before we leave, I might as well tackle one by one *teehee* – our furry friends.
Shaun and I have been married for almost 6 years and have been together for almost 12. During this period of time, we have grown into the people we are today – not to say there wasn’t severe growing pains. It is funny that we have turned out completely different than the images we had in our heads as teenagers.
Both of us were brought up in deeply religious households. Neither of us affiliate ourselves with that religion (once we were able to make our own decisions when we left our respective houses) but we can’t say that during our tender impressionable years, it gave us a “path” of where we should be. That path was:
*Get married.
*Have children (Shaun wanted kids by 24 – lol?).
*Buy house.
*Live American dream.
Like many Americans, no matter what religion, creed, race, etc., this has been engrained in our minds as the only way that life should be lead (not to say that other households taught a more open-minded approach).
So here we find ourselves, in our late 20s, married, but with no children, no house, and a burning desire to see the world, sell all our things and flee! We want to see the world, experience cultures, and learn more about ourselves and humanity – but with sacrifices.
While we may not have children, we have kids in the form of animals. Our dog Barrel has been with us for 8 years now. We picked him up as a stray, and while I thought I was doing my civic duty finding him a home, he claimed us as his family and didn’t want to leave. He has been there through the toughest of times, and even through the death of our dachshund Gizmo. He is a dear companion. We also have two ferrets, Jinx and Delilah. We’ve had them for almost 2 years and if I would have known I felt like jumping ship for a year and spending time in South America, I would never have brought them into our little family and made them our own.
While finding a home for Barrel is extremely easy (sister-in-law loves him and her dog does too), finding a loving home for our stinky, furry children will be a whole different ball game. Then comes the ethics questions. Do we ask for them back when we come back to the U.S.? Or do we consider this a permanent thing? We know now to not bring anymore animals into our fold until we plan on “settling down”.
Have you been through a similar situation? What are your thoughts?
This is a huge question for me. My baby (Kaya) i’ve had from baby to now (6 years) and she is the most dependent dog and if there is anything to say about her is that she is MY dog. She is very attached to me. Physically at home and emotionally. I’m with her that way as well. Thinking about leaving her for a year or more literally kills me inside. I’m lucky enough to have grandparents who love her just as much and they know how I feel about her. So, they are going to watch her while I’m gone. When they leave town (they travel often) Stephen has offered to watch her because basically he’s her “dad.” It’s such a difficult thing. I can’t imagine leaving Kaya with anyone else but family so that I can get her back when I get home. I know it doesn’t help your situation much, but I know exactly what you are talking about. My child is my dog. Leaving her is a big red flag in the process of getting on with my travels. I’m going to miss her like crazy. It breaks my heart just even thinking about it now.
I know what you’ re talking about. These are very difficult questions and I think the only way to go about this is thinking what’ s best for the animals.
I’ ve had to leave my two cats in Finland when we moved to Ireland about 12 years ago. Still, there’ s a shot of pain when I think about them.
I broke up with my ex a couple of months ago and my dog and cats moved with me and my son. My ex takes the dog every week for a day or two and I want to be supportive of that bond they have.
When I move up North in a few years’ time I will take the dog with me and away from my ex. He can’ t even think about it now, it’ s too painful and I understand him completely.
Like I said, difficult questions, very hard decisions.. I hope you find a way and feel good about your animals new homes when you’ re gone. I think you’ re very responsible, thinking about all this now rather than just before your trip.
AM
I’m assuming that bringing her with you is not feasible? I think if you have the vet papers it shouldn’t be an issue unless your teacher apartments won’t allow for it.
Providing for our furry family was one of the first thoughts that went through my mind. I know another person who also shares custody of his dogs. Its amazing how close to the family they can become. Thank you for your thoughts. <3
I know exactly how you feel. I mourned for my cat while I was away for 8 months. I missed him as much as my grown up kids! A good friend had offered him a home and they got on just fine. There was no question of my taking him back when I returned though I would have loved to but I felt he had had enough upheaval and I should let him stay where he was settled. However a year later my friend moved house and had to spend a few months renting a place before she could move in to her new home so he came back to live with me as this was less disruptive for him. Unfortunately I then blew it by bringing a dog into our home, and the cat chose to move himself in with my next door neighbour. This arrangement suits everybody very well! Things will work out for the best!
I think the scariest thing for me is trusting someone enough to take care of them as well as we have. Not to mention, when we were in Japan, my baby of 9 years, Gizmo (dachshund) passed away during our backpacking trip. Because we were pretty much out of commission with no phone and very little internet, I had the bad new sprung on me upon arrival at LAX.
I hope things DO work out! 🙂