How My Dog Almost Ruined My Marriage

It started with someone posting on Social Media that they're giving away puppies. I never had a puppy, so this was my chance. I talked it over with my husband to see how he would feel about us getting one.

He looked at me and said, "We don't have a lot of money to get one."

"It's only $50, so that's doable. It's fine, honey! I'll pay for everything." But, unfortunately, my mind was so focused on getting a dog that I only thought about the everyday things it would need; cage, food, shots, water bowl, etc.

I picked up the dog a week later and almost cried. She had the cutest little puppy paws, and her black fur melted my heart. I almost couldn't handle the cuteness. We named her Scarlett. She had little patches everywhere, unsure why, but we loved her. When I think about it, we should've named her patches!

Two weeks later, I began feeling nauseous. My food tasted EXTRA salty. I started smelling my dog and began gagging. I was wondering why I was feeling this way. I always knew I had a keen sense of smell. So I decided to take a test, and low and behold, I was pregnant.

The sense of smell became such a burden. My pregnancy was EXTREMELY difficult to the point I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis. Hyperemesis is more than more morning sickness. I threw up 5- 8 times a day, had multiple hospital visits, and for 22 weeks straight, I threw up. I recall losing 10 pounds in a week. Certain words such as "eggs" would make me throw up. Every time I looked at Scarlett, I would gag. It was unbearable! I told my husband that he needed to get rid of our dog, but he was sad just thinking about it.

Those days were so rough because I could barely get out the bed even to take a shower, and trying to tend my dog was awful. We had the idea to take her to the Humane Society, but due to Covid, they weren't taking in any animals.

The potty training days were so hard. Sometimes I caught her just in time to to take her outside and other times I didn't. Cleaning up was the hardest part, but we managed to work through it.

We managed to find someone to keep Scarlett for the remainder of my pregnancy. Once she was away, things went smoothly.

After we had our daughter, Lilah, life was hectic. Tending to a baby while our dog was staring at me all day to play was dreadful. My husband would take her for a walk after work, but other than that, she didn't get much playtime. Finally, I told my husband it was best for her to go to another home because we didn't have the time or energy to give Scarlett her heart's desires. We were exhausted, parents.

One morning I had had enough. I walked over to my daughter's room and saw something brown on the floor, but I could not see because I didn't have any contacts in. I thought it was my nephew's toy since he had been over the day before. Long story short, my daughter stepped in the dog's bowels. My husband said she didn't use it the night before, even though he had taken her outside. I was livid. We had to talk to our therapist because Scarlett was potty trained, and I just asked my husband if we could give her away.

I was tired of my dog needing something from me along with everyone else in the house, but my husband didn't want to give her up. We had many discussions that he pleaded that she needed to stay even though I bought the dog. He said having his dog meant the world to him. So we had to compromise. If we keep her, she has to get more playtime outside, more cuddles, and a healthier lifestyle. And since then, she's been happier than ever!