Here's the situation in anutshell.

I found a dog for his mother who is 80 yrs. old. She didn't seem like she liked it, to me. Also her other son-in-law mentioned that he didn't think she liked the dog either.
She had it 4 days and then she took a fall. She had to go to the hospital. So we had to take the dog while she recovers.

Meanwhile we figured out that she had only fed it once in the time it was with her. (Maybe her memory or whatever.) She will be in a nursing home for rehab for probably at least a month.

I feel that she is not mentally or physically capable of taking care of the dog and since she didn't really have time to get too attached to it, we should not take it back to her.

My fiancee thinks that since we gave it to her, we have to give it back. He doesn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her we're keeping it.

His Mom does ask about how the dog is. But it's almost like she likes the fantasy of having a dog but not the reality of what that actually takes.

We cannot agree on this and it may be something that causes us to split up.

Any ideas or solutions? Do I just go along and watch her torture this dog because she doesn't remember to feed or water it? I can't tolerate the thought!

Help please!!

I volunteer with a dog rescue organization and see dogs that are abused and not properly cared for all the time. She obviously can not take care of the dog and should NOT be given the dog back. You can not let this poor defensless creature suffer. Not only is this imoral it is also illegal to not properly care for a pet. A dog is a LOT of work, trust me I have two large dogs that I have been left to care for all by myself. They have to be fed twice a day, require lots of exercise and attention and regular medical care. Pets do make great companions for older folks but only if they can be properly cared for.

kloe,
Thank you for your response.

I too do rescue on a limited basis which is why I am so adament towards my fiance's loyalty to his mother over the protection of this dog. This poor little dog came from a puppy mill. She doesn't need anymore misery in her sweet young life.

I think he is making a decision based on his emotional feelings as opposed to logic. Logic dictates that this is a very unhealthy environment for a dog. But he wants his mother to be happy in her aging yrs.

I can understand his love for his mother, but not to the point of denying the facts in front of him that she cannot take care of an animal.

How on earth do I get him to understand the difference? Lord knows I've tried to appeal to his sense of logic. But on this subject he seems to have none.