Keeping Him in the Family

My boyfriend ("J") is the oldest of three brothers -- the other two brothers we'll call "B" and "R".

From my understanding, B got a puppy for Christmas 2012; their mom surprised him with a white Shih Tzu that has black ears and black spots/patches all over. Based on this information, you shouldn't be surprised that B named the puppy Panda.

Fast forward nearly 8 years, B has a wife and two boys under the age of 3, and they're living in the basement suite of my boyfriend's mom's house ... B and his young family desperately needed more room, especially since the birth of their second son in May 2020. Fortunately, they were able to find a place of their own ... unfortunately, this place didn't allow for pets, so Panda needed a new home.

Mom was happy to keep Panda, and R was preparing to move into the basement, meaning he could help out with Panda. This decision lasted for about a month, because R decided to move elsewhere instead, and for whatever reason their mom no longer felt like she and her husband could care for Panda ... they even talked about giving Panda to a new family.

I heard the news first, before J. He was at work, and I decided to pop over to his mom's early before family dinner started. She told me the news, and my heart sank, as I knew how much J loves dogs ... and, particularly, how much he loves Panda. I hoped she wouldn't mention this to J right away, but of course as soon as he arrived from work that night, she brought it up ... and I had never seen J so upset in the one year we had been together. I even asked him later that night if he was okay, and he admitted "I'm sad" -- never had I heard him say those words before (and I haven't since, a year later)! This was a big deal.

The details in between are super long and difficult to explain without more backstory, but essentially the decision to give Panda away was put on hold ... we didn't know for how long though. So when J and I started talking about getting our own place, it was with the condition that Panda could come live with us.

And so, we moved into a pet-friendly apartment (not easy to find, in our town, by the way!) on October 3rd 2020, and we officially brought Panda home on October 11th. I'm sure the family that was lined up before would've provided him with a good home ... but I doubt they would've loved him as much as J does.

You should see J with Panda; his face lights up, and there's just so much joy in their interactions! And Panda has just as much love for J; he squeaks his chicken toy frantically in excitement as soon as he hears J coming through the door after work!

I've never been an animal person -- I didn't grow up with pets, I didn't have a ton of experience with dogs. It's been just over 6 months since we took Panda in, and I am still adjusting to the micro responsibilites that come with the territory: taking him outside every couple hours; picking up after him; cleaning up his vomit ... not to mention that he is VERY barky, and it increases me anxiety levels when I take him outside and there are people in our vicinity. That being said ... there is no denying that Panda needed to stay within the family. He wasn't just B's dog; he was -- IS! -- a family dog.