Question
My family's border collie passed away a few months ago and my brother (aged 36, lives with his wife and 6 year old son) wants a new dog.
There are 2 problems that my mum and I have raised:
- Nobody in the family has the time to look after a dog. We all work full time. Beforehand my mum would look after the dog on an evening and I would look after him on a weekend. We both argued that this was too little time for an active dog. Moreover, I will have even less free time, as I'll be studying part-time soon
- We don't want to get a new dog whilst we are still grieving for our last dog. The situation becomes harder because my dad doted on the dog. He passed away 2 years ago
My question is given the time constraints and grief, how can I discourage my brother from getting a new dog?
Answer
This isn't about the dog - its about the people. If your brother wants a dog, and presumably he lives elsewhere he should get a dog, not you. Make it clear that its not your responsibility or your mom's and he (and his side of the family) would be responsible if they get a dog.
You have good reasons - most of the family isn't ready for a dog, either in terms of the time investment or in terms of emotional readiness but at the end of the day, its down to you telling your brother, no, not now.
Answered By - Journeyman Geek