chandlerT

I love my two dogs like they were my own children. My husband likes the dogs...

I grew up with the mentality that my dogs are part of my family, they are memebers, they can be anywhere I can be, bed, couch, inside, etc... and my parents have always had very healthy happy dogs.

My husband grew up with, "a pet is fun but is kept outside"... a dog is just a dog and is in no way, shape or form, part of your family. Its mainly a tool used on a farm and is only kept outside, it is not allowed, whatever the temperature, inside. I should also mention he is VERY against having a dog nuetured.

I had Dixie spayed around 6 months of age. It was a laser spay (most amazing procedure ever! Healing time was so minimal and there is no scar now!) and she is quite content now. I have been arguing with him for months to get Stonewall nuetered. But he thinks it'll make his dog overweight, and lazy. He thinks the dog won't reach his full growing potential. I have shown him articles and argued til I was blue in the face and he just can't be convinced otherwise. Now the dog is a year and a few months old and marks EVERYTHING.

This bothers the hell out of me. We have had our bassets for over a year now. I have made compromises and he has made hardly any. When they were puppies they were allowed inside to play with us and to sleep and stuff, but as soon as they became dogs and we moved into a rent house they became outside dogs. I hated this. This winter I finally convince my DH that they were cold and could at least sleep in the laundry room with a baby gate keeping them there.

My husband is gone for sometimes a few months at a time due to his job and I was allowing the dogs in the house while he was gone. But Stone is marking everything in the house too! Now even if I do just let him in at night he marks the laundry room! I've used odo-ban to rid the smell and nuetralize it but its not helping. I brought up to my DH again, nuetering the dog to help resolve the issue but his reply is, "women, always trying to chop the balls off something." Its so frustrating- to the point of tears that he won't side with me.

Don't get me wrong, I love my husband to death and our 2 dogs would not be enough to break us apart. Our marriage is very strong but this is really our biggest issue. This is the one thing that we argue over the most and that is just kinda sad. perhaps I came here because I know most people will agree with me?(or so I hope).

I just needed to vent, sorry this is long winded.

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Dixie (Tri) and Stonewall (R/W) 2 yrs old.
Rufus (R/W) 6 yrs old.
Abbey (Tri) 11 yrs old

Maggie's Mommy

Your Husband attitude is an ignorant one. Meaning, he needs to be educated on the reasons FOR neutering. Have you considered having your Veternarian talk with him. Maybe if he hears it from him or her he will see things differently??

Mikey T

The medical benefits for nuetering are far less than for spaying a female. Behavioral issues like wandering, aggression and marking are general more compelling arguments. However, nuetering only successfully resolves around 50% of marking cases in unnueter males.
You may want and try something like Mark-out

Effects of Spaying and Neutering on Canine Behavior
"Urine Marking in the House
Reduced in 50% of cases
Rapid reduction in 20%
Gradual reduction in 30%" (Fogle, 1990, p. 53)"

Lightning&Stomps

This could explain why I'm single, but why don't you take the dog to the vet while your husband is away on one of his trips and have it taken care of? If dogs are indeed just lawn ornaments to him, will he care much once the deed has been done? (You can even look into getting those fake testicles, so your husband wouldn't even have to know the dog had been fixed!) (I'm very much like you--dogs are part of the family--but I must say I'm most bothered by the fact that your husband has no problem spaying a female, but refuses to have a male neutered!)

Nicky's mom

You're a better woman than I. If it were my issue, the husband would be gone and I'd be sleeping with my two babies instead of him. I wish you the best. Maybe something will fall on his head and he'll come to his senses.

Good luck!

Betsy Iole

Next time your husband takes a long trip out of town, just go ahead and get Stonewall neutered. Meanwhile, here on CyberHound, we'll get a pool going as to how long it'll take your husband to actually notice, once he gets home!

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Betsy, Mom to
CH Bugle Bay's Sin City Caper UD RE TD BHCA-VC
CH Bugle Bay's Sin City Cuppa Joe TD
CH Bugle Bay's AllUCanEat Buffet CDX RN TDX NA CGC BHCA-VCX, 1996-2008
"Bugsie" UDX NA NAJ CGC, 1991-2006

Maggie's Mommy

shallhb

I'm with Betsy and Lightning and Stomps. Go for it while he's out of town. Betcha he'll never figure it out.

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Sharon Hall

Grace (puppy in training)
Bella, UD, VER, TD, RE, CGC
Pearl,UD, TDX, RE, CGC (Waiting at the Bridge)
Samantha, Theodore, CGC, Louella, Zeke and Arty, Bassets All; (All Waiting at the Bridge)

shakerag

Take the Basset to the vet when you choose and if your marriage breaks up over that then you did not have a very strong one to begin with. I am a straight to the point man................
don

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If it's not a Basset, it's just a dog

chandlerT

You guys have definitely given me a good chuckle! Betsy Iole, I especially love the idea of taking a pool. LOL!!

I'd really rather do it without sneaking around my husbands back and I think I've nagged the issue enough we will get it done in a month or so...

I really don't see what the big issue is having the dogs inside... He hasn't been home in over a month now (I go to see him), he'd never even know the dogs had been living inside (aside from the marking ).

Please, Please, Don't get me wrong. I'm definitely not insulting my husbands love for animals (- matter of fact he's one of the best cattlemen I know) Nor, am I insulting his intelligence -he's a flippin' genius. This is really our only issue! We have been arguing over the dogs since day one and it just sort of like politics sometimes - its just a subject better left to lay with us. Agreeing to disagree I suppose.

uggghhh, just so frustrating!!

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Dixie (Tri) and Stonewall (R/W) 2 yrs old.
Rufus (R/W) 6 yrs old.
Abbey (Tri) 11 yrs old