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  1. Hello community, I need some support on this decision. It's definitely not an easy one and I am in tears just by thinking about it. I have been thinking about rehoming my grey Luna for the past few weeks. I've had Luna for about 3 years now, we've been through a lot together and I love her very much. But I feel a lot of stress from looking after her. And it's came to a point were the stress is no longer manageable and having a huge effect on my health. She was a very anxious dog when I first got her but I worked really hard to help her through that and she made huge achievements as the weeks went on. She was very nervous of me in the beginning and would only come near me when I was walking or feeding her. She was terrified of a lot of things outside our home, from buses to runners. She quickly got over those things with training and soon loved being outside for walks and meeting other dogs. And eventually showed her love for me. But she is still quite an anxious dog, I guess I couldn't heal all of her anxiety. I used to take her places with me, like to cafes and on public transport to visit friends/family. But it wasn't easy as she would whine a lot and take a long time to settle down. I got her a travel bed so she could comfortably lie down in the cafe/train but it always took her so long to lie down and when she eventually did it was only for a short time before she was up and whining again. I couldn't enjoy a trip out to a cafe with her whining and she obviously didn't like being there so I stopped taking her. Travel on the train was stressful enough without having a stressed out, whining dog with me so I stopped taking her on there too. I tried to make it as comfortable for her as possible and tried some training but I couldn't change how she felt. This resulted in me not getting out that much or only getting out for a few hours myself before I would have to go back home to get her. She also whines sometimes in the flat, like if we are going a walk and I am putting my shoes and jacket on, she will whine while she waits for me. She has recently regressed in her behaviour with other dogs. She is constantly growling at other dogs even if they are 2 feet away from her. I am trying to train her out of this (possibly fear aggression) but it is becoming difficult for me manage. She even growls at the dogs that used to be her play friends. My health issue is I am autistic and I live on my own with no support. I didn't know I was Autistic when I got Luna, I just thought I had clinical depression and found life difficult. Now that I have been diagnosed with Autism I have discovered how important self-care is to my wellbeing. I also discovered that what I thought was clinical depression was actually a prolonged Autistic burnout. I was living life completely wrong and trying to manage depression when I should have been self-caring for Autism. My diagnosis and new knowledge of Autism has made me aware that a lot of my stresses are caused by Luna's behaviours and anxiety needs. The dog aggression she has is over-stimulating for me. Having to constantly watch out for other dogs on walks so I can be prepared for her growling and pulling towards them is mental and physically tiring for me. I am very sensitive to energies and her energy she has when she does this is very intense. I have hyper-sensitive senses so her whining is very distressing for me, it's so loud and high-pitched to my ears. Organising dog walkers for when I need to leave her at home and planning how long she can be left for before I need to be back is very mentally tiring too, I'm just terrible with that sort of brain functioning. It would have been so much easier if she was able to come places with me. I have eventually stopped going out as much because it took too much mental energy to organise. I've realised my wellbeing has gradually declined because I had been sacrificing going out and meeting friends/family as well as my own self-care for the sake of Luna's care. I guess I don't have enough mental energy to fully take care of myself as well as Luna. I have realised how unhappy, under stress and over-stimulated I am by looking after her. I have begun to resent Luna because of this and I hate myself for feeling that way towards her, because all of these choices made were mine. I just wasn't fully conscious of these sacrifises at the time and the full effects of them. But now I am and I can't take the stress and compromise anymore. I have been giving Luna my all. But I now believe she deserves better than my all. I think she would actually be happier and cared for better by someone else, someone without support needs like myself. The other thing is she needs therapy for an old racing injury and/or arthritis. She can only bend her carpal tunnel joint 90 degrees. It effects her walking and she gets very slow after about 20 mins. I was managing it with daily Loxicom but it has gotten worse and pain relief isn't enough anymore. I was taking her for acupuncture but there was no results from that and I eventually ran out of my savings. I went to a rehab vet centre who recommended physio and other kinds of therapy. They told me she would likely need to be seen once a week for a few months and come regularly for therapy for the rest of her life. I just can't afford that and I feel so guilty that she isn't getting therapy. I have wondered if this discomfort she is in is having an effect on or could be a cause of all the aspects I wrote about. I have thought of asking for support through a donation website like Just Giving or Go Fund Me but even if I could get the money to take her for therapy I still don't think I can care for her anymore. I have thought about finding a new owner who could afford and be able to take her to regular therapy. Or finding an owner who may not be able to afford it but could still look after her better than I could, and I would try my damned best to get the money through donations for her. We live in the city, in a small flat with no garden so I imagine her being instantly happier with an owner who lives outside the city and has a garden, somewhere with less dogs around too. But I know I would miss her so much. She has been with me 3 years and I know I would be heart broken when she is gone. I hope to find an owner that would let me visit her from time to time and I could even dog-sit when they needed a sitter. Has anyone had to give up their beloved greyhound/pet before? Have they regretted it or did it turn out to be the right decision? And can anyone give any good advice on how to deal with this decision taking into mind I've had her for 3 years. Maybe going to visit Luna in her new home isn't a good idea? Could that confuse and stress her out? Apologies for the essay I wrote. I have been having these thoughts and feelings for so long and I needed to get this all out. I am desperate for some advice/support. I added a photo of Luna when she is at her happiest. Thanks in advance, Lou (TheRiverClyde).
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