I need some help. Or just someone to tell me that I'm not insane?
DH and I are both in the Army. He's been in for 7 years, me for 4.5. He's been deployed before - in fact we got together while he was gone and I was here in Oregon going to school, almost 4 years ago. He was on active duty so everyone in his family was used to him being gone and were supportive.
When he got home in 2005 (off active duty), he and I moved in together (and got engaged! WOO HOO!!!). We specifically found an apt that allowed dogs, as he had our lovely black lab/blue heeler Spirit (a dog he's had since he was 15 and she was a baby...she's 11 now). We got her back and then added a new member to our family earlier this spring: Twinkie, a blue heeler/australian shepherd mix. She does remarkably well inside for being such a high energy dog. We are getting a house after the deployment so she will be free to roam much more, we do our best to run her outside and take her to parks and on long walks/runs, etc. Spirit doesn't need as much exercise as she's getting very arthritic in her back and legs, and has Cushing's disease on top of getting tired easily.
Spirit stayed with DH's parents while he was in the Army and they were always great about watching her, and now watching Twinkie. We'd take them out there if we had duty or, for instance, our honeymoon. We relied on them a lot as they have huge property and other dogs, and they were always accomodating without question. We always would do what we could to keep them at home and not encroach on them too much - and if they said they were busy we never made them feel guilty for not helping us out. It always seemed as if they were very excited to help us with our dogs.
Anyhow.
This brings us to today. We got back from visiting my folks in California for Christmas and dropped by to get back our girls We missed them! I was doing laundry and drying my hair and afterward DH says he needs to talk to me. He and I go into the guest room and he proceeds to tell me about the conversation he had.
Basically, his mom told him that they would not watch Twinkie while we were deployed, but they would watch Spirit, because "I don't like Twinkie, she's annoying." She thinks we shouldn't have gotten her and is suggesting that since they were our only option to leave our dogs with while we were gone, we should just give her away to a new home (WHAT?). DH said, no thanks, we will find someone to watch BOTH of our dogs.
DH's Dad then jumped in with "well, I just don't get why you are choosing to go away to this war and make more money for Halliburton" (WHAT???) DH just said, look, we don't really have a choice, we ARE going, and you're making it a lot harder for us now. You were our support network and now we don't have one.
The bottom line is that they don't agree with the political situation or the war, and they don't like us being in the Army, so they are punishing us for 'choosing' to go (yes, we chose to enlist and stay in the Army, knowing we could go) by not liking one of our dogs and saying we could give her away so they didn't have to feel bad about not watching her. They never said anything before, but they make veiled comments about our military service all the time yet have the gall to say 'don't you dare say we don't support you'. Well, they don't.
This thread's foundation is a general discussion topic, but it is affecting our poor dog and it made us feel like crap. We refuse to just give her away, she is our family! My heart broke hearing all of that, as if we could just cavalierly find a new home for a puppy that we are dearly in love with. I just thought I could share this with all of you, I don't have anybody else to talk to and DH and I are just beside ourselves with all of this. Poor Twinkie
DH and I are both in the Army. He's been in for 7 years, me for 4.5. He's been deployed before - in fact we got together while he was gone and I was here in Oregon going to school, almost 4 years ago. He was on active duty so everyone in his family was used to him being gone and were supportive.
When he got home in 2005 (off active duty), he and I moved in together (and got engaged! WOO HOO!!!). We specifically found an apt that allowed dogs, as he had our lovely black lab/blue heeler Spirit (a dog he's had since he was 15 and she was a baby...she's 11 now). We got her back and then added a new member to our family earlier this spring: Twinkie, a blue heeler/australian shepherd mix. She does remarkably well inside for being such a high energy dog. We are getting a house after the deployment so she will be free to roam much more, we do our best to run her outside and take her to parks and on long walks/runs, etc. Spirit doesn't need as much exercise as she's getting very arthritic in her back and legs, and has Cushing's disease on top of getting tired easily.
Spirit stayed with DH's parents while he was in the Army and they were always great about watching her, and now watching Twinkie. We'd take them out there if we had duty or, for instance, our honeymoon. We relied on them a lot as they have huge property and other dogs, and they were always accomodating without question. We always would do what we could to keep them at home and not encroach on them too much - and if they said they were busy we never made them feel guilty for not helping us out. It always seemed as if they were very excited to help us with our dogs.
Anyhow.
This brings us to today. We got back from visiting my folks in California for Christmas and dropped by to get back our girls We missed them! I was doing laundry and drying my hair and afterward DH says he needs to talk to me. He and I go into the guest room and he proceeds to tell me about the conversation he had.
Basically, his mom told him that they would not watch Twinkie while we were deployed, but they would watch Spirit, because "I don't like Twinkie, she's annoying." She thinks we shouldn't have gotten her and is suggesting that since they were our only option to leave our dogs with while we were gone, we should just give her away to a new home (WHAT?). DH said, no thanks, we will find someone to watch BOTH of our dogs.
DH's Dad then jumped in with "well, I just don't get why you are choosing to go away to this war and make more money for Halliburton" (WHAT???) DH just said, look, we don't really have a choice, we ARE going, and you're making it a lot harder for us now. You were our support network and now we don't have one.
The bottom line is that they don't agree with the political situation or the war, and they don't like us being in the Army, so they are punishing us for 'choosing' to go (yes, we chose to enlist and stay in the Army, knowing we could go) by not liking one of our dogs and saying we could give her away so they didn't have to feel bad about not watching her. They never said anything before, but they make veiled comments about our military service all the time yet have the gall to say 'don't you dare say we don't support you'. Well, they don't.
This thread's foundation is a general discussion topic, but it is affecting our poor dog and it made us feel like crap. We refuse to just give her away, she is our family! My heart broke hearing all of that, as if we could just cavalierly find a new home for a puppy that we are dearly in love with. I just thought I could share this with all of you, I don't have anybody else to talk to and DH and I are just beside ourselves with all of this. Poor Twinkie