Finding Joey A New Home

Back in December we decided that Joey needed a new home.  This wasn't the first time we thought about it or tried to do it. Over the three years we had had him we thought about it many times. We tried to find him a new home once or twice and we weren't going to give him to just anyone.

Trust me when I tell you the rehoming Joey was not easy for me, or for any of us. It was not something we did on a whim. Joey had been my daddy's dog. As my dad was dying in the hospital before we brought him home on Hospice, he asked me to take care of his dog.  I told him I would. I told him that we'd take him and that he'd live with us in WA. I think that it helped daddy to know that Joey would be taken care of.  As we faced this decision, that moment and that promise weighed on my mind heavily. It made it really, really hard to give Joey up.

The honest truth is that Joey wasn't a good fit for our family. As much as we loved him, and even though he is a really good dog, he just wasn't right for us.  Maybe that makes us bad people, I don't know. I do know that there are people who think that you should never give up an animal EVER for any reason. I think that there are good reasons and bad reasons.  We don't give them up easily.  Our animals are part of our family.

We just couldn't take Joey's neediness anymore. The fact that I almost lost it on him and could have beat him within an inch of his life scared me. I'm not a violent person, at all.  Between the new baby and the toddler and the other two cats and Molly....I had nothing left for Joey. I couldn't give him the attention he wanted and deserved. None of us could give him what he wanted. We tried. We tried hard for three years.  In the end we just couldn't do it. I think that my dad would have wanted me happy and sane and if finding Joey a new home helped achieve that, he would have understood.  As much as daddy loved Joey, he loved me more. A lot more.

At first an older gentleman wanted him as a companion. He had had beagles before and thought that Joey would be a great buddy.  But Joey didn't agree.  He was mopey and in the end the gentleman said it wouldn't work out. We met with another family but Joey didn't get along with their dog.  Then we heard from another family, with a dog and two little boys.  The mom works from and would be able to give Joey attention.  The Man took Joey and met with them and they decided after interacting with Joey that they would take him.  The Man felt that they would be good and I had decided to trust him.

I follow both the mom and the dad on Instagram and let me tell you, this family is PERFECT for Joey.  The two boys love to play with him.  The whole family is much more active than we are. They take Joey on walks and runs and adventures much more often than we ever did.  I love seeing the photos of him pop up on my Instagram.  It makes me smile seeing Joey happy and seeing the family love on him.  Joey now gets the love and attention he wants and needs.  Everyone is much happier this way.  And even though I miss Joey, I know that this is best for all of us. We thought that Munchkin would have a really hard time not having Joey around but she's adjusted fine. She never asks for him but when she sees a beagle she says Jo-Jo!  And I know that Daddy would be ok with this because Joey is still getting taken care of,  It's a win-win for us all.