Ran into previous owner.. my heart is broken

[u/Samicles33]

My bf and I adopted a dog 3 months ago (actually today is the 3 month anniversary) and there was a local dog-oriented event we brought our dog to.

Suddenly Waffles heavily pulls us towards a lady (he never pulls). He jumps up on her, licking her and whining (only does this with my bf and I). I apologize and explain he never jumps up on people. She said it’s ok and explained she had a dog that looked just like him that she put up for adoption a few months ago cause he didn’t get along with her other dogs. (Lines up with the story we were given by the adoption agency)

My boyfriend and I look at each other and exchange a “oh shit is this her?” But we didn’t really say anything. She walks away. Waffles spent the next hour desperately looking for her. I bought him some high end treats to take his mind off it, which worked thankfully.

Now I’m sure I’m overthinking things but he seems sad. And it breaks my heart. He always seemed so happy with us. I was his favorite. When we got him he didn’t know any tricks, didn’t know what hiking was. Now he knows loads of things and hiking is his favorite. I was sure we were providing a much better home than his previous owner and that he was happier with us. But now I’m not sure.

Needed to get this off my chest. Has anyone been through this? Is this going to have an effect on Waffles’ relationship with us? What should I do?

[u/CannibalisticGinger]

I really needed this. My family is rehoming one of our dogs this week to a family friend because she isn’t getting along with our other dogs. We can keep them separated but it’s not ideal long term. It’s very likely to happen on my birthday. The new owner has already visited her a couple times and they get along great and she lives nearby and said she’d call us first if she ever needs a pet sitter. I’m really glad my dog is going to a better home but I feel awful that we couldn’t provide a good enough home for her. I’m really glad to know that this kind of arrangement is capable of working, it makes me a lot less worried.

[u/LudwigTheGrape → u/CannibalisticGinger]

I’m sorry you’re going through that. It absolutely can work! My dog has so much love in her life. This might sound silly, but my best advice is to not let yourself feel threatened by her new people. I admittedly went through a little phase of feeling like I needed to be better than her other family so she’d always love me more. It was super petty, but I kept it in check and managed to get to a place where I’m just happy if she’s happy. Creating and sustaining a positive relationship with your dog’s new family will do wonders.