Toby Dilemma

Guess who finally came home on Thursday? Toby the family dog. Guess who was ready to send him back to where he came from Thursday night? Me.

We got Toby about 4 1/2 months after we arrived overseas and 1 1/2 months before we were surprised with being pregnant with AB. He was my baby for 10 1/2 months. I bathed him probably more than he needed. I brushed him just like the Bischon books said to. He took naps with me on our bed. We played with him all the time. I carried him around like he was my baby (remember I was pregnant and needed a baby fix). It did not bother me to clean up his pee and poo, and I had the time to disinfect the area where he used the bathroom (he was paper trained). Then we had AB.

We were in Thailand for 2 1/2 months when AB was born. We paid a girl to live in our apartment and take care of Toby. She took care of him to the best of her abilities, but we came home to a dog who had lost all of his manners. It took months to get him to stop barking so much, but an even wost offence was his angry peeing. Like a cat he peed on our bed when he got into trouble. After he lost bed privileges, he then he took to peeing in other undesignated places. After several months we broke him of that bad habit too. However over time an angry little dog emerged. We did not beat our dog, so we are confused why he had began to react in extreme self defence when he got into trouble.

Now when Toby gets into trouble we send him to his home. When we go to close the door on his cage Toby growls and snarls at us like he is going to take our hand off. He has never snapped at us, and I honestly do not think he will bite us...but what if he does and what if it is one of the kids?

Since Toby came home he has spent the majority of his time in his cage, in the bathroom. His barking wakes up the kids so we cannot let him roam throughout the house while they sleep, but when they are awake we are afraid of him around them. Also, the other day he peed on DB's activity gym/lay and play. What if DB was there, would he have peed on him?

We are in the midst of trying to potty train AB. Her brief spell of holding her pee until we put a diaper on her unfortunately ended as soon as I wrote about it on this blog, and now she pees whenever she needs too, no matter what where she is. I feel like I am constantly cleaning up pee, her pee and Toby's pee. Cleaning up her pee has purpose since ultimately she will be potty trained, but what about his pee? He is older than her and has had known where to go for years!

I feel like we have failed Toby. I do not know what we did to make him so defensive. I do not know why he refuses to pee where he is supposed to. I do not know why he continues to bark even with that darn bark collar on. I read that Bischons are very intelligent but also stubborn. I need to find a dumb dog, one that will just do whatever we tell it to do. Actually I do not want a dog at all now. I spend the day cleaning up after and taking care of two kids. I do not want to have to take care of a dog now.

What do we do? KB has a friend who said he will take him. AB was so excited to have him back. I feel awful taking him away again. I feel like such a failure!